What Should We Do With Our Time?

Everyone operates with a chosen currency. And when we think of currency, our minds tend to go to what some have called the “Almighty Dollar.” This phrase was first used by Washington Irving in 1836 in a short story called The Creole Village. At that point, Irving had used this phrase to describe the laser focus that so many had, saying that this had replaced traditional spiritual values. Soon, it became a term used around the world after World War II after the United States established its stability, dominance, and power. When it was first published in 1887, the footnote at the time said this:

"This phrase, used for the first time in this sketch, has since passed into current circulation, and by some has been questioned as savoring I fear, however, my prayer is of irreverence. The author, therefore, owes it to his orthodoxy to declare that no irreverence was intended even to the dollar itself; which he is aware is daily becoming more and more an object of worship."

Yet, this type of currency is not the main currency we should consider this morning. The value of the dollar fluctuates but on average goes down. And even the “dollars” in our bank accounts whose balance can go up and down based on bills, other unforeseen expenditures, or the fluctuation of the market. There is a currency that replenishes at midnight every day with 86,400 currency units. These currency units deal with time (60 seconds x 60 minutes x 24 hours = 86,400 seconds every day).

The Scriptures show us that God created time (day and night, morning and evening from Genesis 1) and that one day, His Son will return, so the Lord has the days numbered. So this leads the Psalmist in Psalm 90:12 to say, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Ephesians 5:15-21 helps us out greatly! These seven verses provide a foundation to make sure we are spending our time wisely, for it is God who provides wisdom.