Lesson 89: How to Redeem the Time
Every person receives the same number of hours in a day.
But no person knows how many days remain.
Time cannot be stored for later.
Once an hour has passed, it cannot be retrieved.
Money that is lost may sometimes be earned again.
Property may sometimes be replaced.
Time moves in only one direction.
For that reason, Scripture commands believers to live carefully.
Paul writes:
“See then that ye walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time,
because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
— Ephesians 5:15–17, KJV
Redeeming the time means recognizing the value of the opportunities God has given and using them wisely for His will.
It does not mean filling every minute with activity.
It means refusing to let life pass carelessly.
Time Is Life Being Spent
We often speak of “spending time.”
That expression is accurate.
When you spend an hour, you have spent part of your earthly life.
The hour may be spent:
worshipping;
working;
serving;
resting;
learning;
caring for someone;
or pursuing entertainment.
Some of those uses may be wise.
Others may be wasteful.
The important truth is that every day is being spent on something.
The question is not whether you will spend your time.
The question is what your life will purchase as it passes.
Your Time Belongs to God
The believer is not his own.
He has been bought with a price.
Therefore, time is not private property to be used without reference to God.
Your:
morning;
workday;
evening;
weekend;
energy;
attention;
and remaining years
belong beneath the lordship of Jesus Christ.
This does not mean every minute must be spent in a church building or formal ministry activity.
It means every area of time should be open to God’s authority.
Life Is Brief
Moses prayed:
“For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:
we spend our years as a tale that is told.”
— Psalm 90:9, KJV
A story is told and soon reaches its final sentence.
Human life may feel long while we are young.
Looking backward, decades may seem to have passed quickly.
James compares life to a vapor.
A vapor appears briefly and then disappears.
This should not make believers hopeless.
It should make them wise.
Number Your Days
Moses continued:
“So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
— Psalm 90:12, KJV
Numbering our days does not mean obsessing fearfully about death.
It means remembering that earthly time is limited.
That knowledge should cause us to:
repent sooner;
forgive sooner;
obey sooner;
speak needed truth;
serve faithfully;
and stop postponing what God has made clear.
The person who imagines unlimited time is easily careless.
Redeeming Time Is an Act of Wisdom
Paul connects redeeming time with walking:
“not as fools, but as wise.”
A fool may know that time is valuable and still waste it.
Wisdom applies truth.
The wise believer asks:
“What matters most?”
“What has God actually assigned to me?”
“What is stealing attention from that assignment?”
“What opportunity may not remain open indefinitely?”
“What must be done today?”
The Days Are Evil
Paul says to redeem the time:
“because the days are evil.”
The surrounding world does not naturally direct our attention toward:
holiness;
eternal souls;
God’s Word;
or faithful obedience.
The world continually offers ways to consume life through:
sin;
distraction;
fear;
controversy;
entertainment;
and empty ambition.
If the believer does not live deliberately, the days will carry him along with the world’s priorities.
Redeeming Time Begins With God’s Will
Paul continues:
“understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
Time cannot be used wisely until priorities are governed by God’s will.
A perfectly organized schedule may still be spiritually foolish.
A person may efficiently accomplish things God never required while neglecting:
prayer;
family;
church;
integrity;
health;
or the needs of people near him.
Efficiency is not the same as faithfulness.
Busyness Is Not Faithfulness
A crowded schedule may create the appearance of importance.
The person says:
“I am always busy.”
But busy doing what?
Busyness may be produced by:
poor planning;
fear of saying no;
the need to feel important;
unnecessary commitments;
or the refusal to rest.
Jesus was active.
He was not controlled by frantic activity.
Do not measure faithfulness by exhaustion alone.
Productivity Can Become an Idol
Productivity is useful when it helps us fulfil God-given responsibilities.
It becomes an idol when personal worth is measured by output.
A person may feel guilty whenever he is not producing.
He may neglect:
worship;
people;
sleep;
and health
because stopping makes him feel unimportant.
Your value before God is not determined by how many tasks you complete.
You are still called to be faithful.
Faithfulness is different from worshipping achievement.
Mary and Martha Reveal a Priority Problem
Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and served.
Service was not wrong.
But Scripture says she became:
“cumbered about much serving.”
She complained that Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet.
Jesus answered:
“Martha, Martha, thou art careful
and troubled about many things:
But one thing is needful…”
— Luke 10:41–42, KJV
Martha was doing something useful.
Yet useful activity had crowded out something more necessary.
The question is not only:
“Is this activity good?”
Ask:
“Is it the best use of this time in light of what matters now?”
Good Activities Can Compete With Better Ones
Many wasted lives are not consumed only by obvious sin.
They may be consumed by lesser things that continually displace greater responsibilities.
Entertainment may displace prayer.
Work may displace family.
Minor church activity may displace a primary calling.
Constant news may displace Scripture.
Helping everyone may displace care for those God specifically entrusted to you.
Wisdom learns to approve:
“things that are excellent.”
Not merely things that are permissible.
Not Every Opportunity Is an Assignment
An open door is not always your door.
A need is not automatically your personal assignment.
No human being can respond to every:
request;
problem;
invitation;
or ministry possibility.
Jesus did not heal every sick person in the world during His earthly ministry.
He followed the Father’s will.
You may need to say no to a good opportunity so you can remain faithful to a responsibility God has already given.
Saying No Can Protect a Greater Yes
Every commitment uses time that cannot be used elsewhere.
Saying yes to one activity may mean saying no to:
sleep;
family;
prayer;
preparation;
or another responsibility.
Before agreeing, ask:
“What will this replace?”
“What will suffer if I accept?”
“Am I saying yes from love and obedience—or guilt and fear of people?”
A wise no can protect a faithful yes.
Identify Your God-Given Priorities
Biblical priorities include:
fellowship with God;
obedience to Scripture;
care for responsibilities and relationships;
honest work;
local church fellowship;
service;
rest;
and concern for lost souls.
The exact schedule will differ according to:
marriage;
children;
employment;
health;
age;
ministry;
and season of life.
Priorities should be biblical.
The arrangement must also be realistic.
Ordinary Duties Are Not Spiritually Worthless
Some believers think only preaching, evangelism, prayer meetings, and Bible study possess eternal value.
But ordinary duties can be performed unto the Lord.
Paul writes:
“And whatsoever ye do,
do it heartily,
as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Knowing that of the Lord
ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:
for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
— Colossians 3:23–24, KJV
Honest work, caring for family, keeping commitments, cleaning, preparing food, and helping another person can honor Christ.
The issue is not whether the task appears impressive.
It is whether it is faithful.
Eternal Value Is Not the Same as Public Visibility
A quiet act performed for Christ may matter more eternally than a public accomplishment performed for praise.
A parent teaching a child truthfully;
a worker refusing dishonesty;
a believer praying privately;
a church member helping someone quietly;
or a person caring faithfully for a sick relative
may be using time for eternal value.
God sees the hidden life.
Work Is Part of Faithful Stewardship
Scripture honors diligent work.
Paul told believers to:
“study to be quiet,
and to do your own business,
and to work with your own hands…”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:11, KJV
Responsible employment and ordinary labor are not distractions from Christian life.
They are places where Christian character should be displayed.
Work honestly.
Work diligently.
Do not make work your god.
Work Can Become an Idol
Work becomes disordered when it consumes what belongs to:
God;
health;
family;
or conscience.
A person may justify endless work by saying:
“I am providing.”
Provision is important.
But ambition, greed, fear, or the need for approval may be hidden beneath the schedule.
Ask whether work is serving God’s purposes or controlling your identity.
Rest Is Not Wasted Time
Jesus told His tired disciples:
“Come ye yourselves apart
into a desert place,
and rest a while.”
— Mark 6:31, KJV
The disciples had been serving.
Jesus recognized their need for rest.
Sleep and appropriate rest are part of being human.
Rest can restore:
attention;
judgment;
patience;
and bodily strength.
A rested person may serve more faithfully than an exhausted person attempting to prove devotion.
Rest and Laziness Are Not the Same
Rest prepares for faithful activity.
Laziness avoids rightful responsibility.
Rest has a purpose.
Laziness repeatedly postpones what should be done.
Proverbs describes the field of the slothful becoming overgrown gradually.
Neglect rarely announces that it is destroying a responsibility.
It says:
“A little more sleep.”
“I will do it later.”
“There is still time.”
Anxious Overwork Is Not Faith
Psalm 127 says:
“It is vain for you to rise up early,
to sit up late,
to eat the bread of sorrows:
for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
— Psalm 127:2, KJV
This verse does not condemn early work or late responsibility.
It condemns anxious labor that acts as though everything depends upon human strain.
Sleep is an act of trust.
While you sleep, God remains God.
Seasons Require Different Schedules
Ecclesiastes says:
“To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV
A schedule that served one season may not fit another.
A new parent;
a caregiver;
a student;
a person recovering from illness;
and a retired believer
will use time differently.
Faithfulness does not require identical routines.
It requires recognizing the present season and obeying God within it.
Do Not Compare Schedules Unwisely
Another believer may spend more time in a particular ministry because he has different responsibilities.
Comparison can produce pride or guilt.
Ask:
“What has God entrusted to me?”
A person with limited health may serve faithfully within a smaller capacity.
A parent may glorify God through responsibilities that leave less visible ministry time.
God judges faithfulness according to what He has entrusted.
Plan Humbly
James warns:
“Go to now, ye that say,
To day or to morrow
we will go into such a city,
and continue there a year,
and buy and sell, and get gain:
Whereas ye know not
what shall be on the morrow.”
— James 4:13–14, KJV
Planning is wise.
Presumption is not.
Make plans while saying in heart and conduct:
“If the Lord will,
we shall live, and do this, or that.”
— James 4:15, KJV
Hold plans firmly enough to act and humbly enough to adjust.
A Schedule Is a Servant, Not a Master
Schedules help translate priorities into action.
But life does not always follow the plan.
A child becomes sick.
Someone needs help.
An urgent responsibility appears.
The believer should not become harsh merely because another person disrupted the schedule.
Use structure.
Remain available to God.
Some Interruptions Are Divine Opportunities
Jesus was often interrupted.
A sick person approached.
A grieving parent called.
A blind man cried out.
Not every interruption should control your day.
Some interruptions are opportunities to love.
Discernment asks:
“Is this a distraction?”
“Is this someone else’s lack of planning?”
“Or has God placed a real need before me?”
The schedule should support love, not eliminate it.
Create Margin
A schedule filled to its absolute limit has no room for:
delay;
need;
recovery;
or people.
Margin is uncommitted space that allows responsible adjustment.
Without margin, one small problem may produce anger and disorder.
Leaving room is not always poor stewardship.
It can be wise stewardship.
Redeem Small Periods of Time
People often wait for a large, uninterrupted block before beginning something valuable.
That block may never come.
Ten or fifteen minutes can be used to:
pray;
read Scripture;
send encouragement;
prepare for a responsibility;
or complete a small task.
Do not despise small periods.
Faithfulness in small moments shapes a life.
Do the Important Work Before Distraction
Attention is often strongest before it has been scattered.
Consider doing an important responsibility before opening:
social media;
news;
messages;
or entertainment.
Once attention becomes fragmented, meaningful work may feel harder.
Do not give the first and clearest part of your day automatically to the loudest device.
Technology Can Consume Life Quietly
Technology can be useful for:
communication;
work;
learning;
and ministry.
It can also absorb hours without producing rest, service, learning, or meaningful relationship.
A few minutes become an hour.
An hour becomes a daily pattern.
Ask:
“Did I choose to use this, or did it capture me?”
“Was I refreshed, instructed, or helped?”
“Or was time simply consumed?”
Measure Before Assuming
People often underestimate how much time is spent on:
phones;
streaming;
games;
news;
and unnecessary browsing.
For several days, record honestly where time goes.
Do not begin with shame.
Begin with truth.
You cannot steward what you refuse to examine.
Entertainment Has a Place but Must Not Rule
Appropriate recreation can refresh the mind and body.
It can strengthen relationships and provide enjoyment received with thanksgiving.
But entertainment becomes dangerous when it:
consumes primary attention;
feeds sin;
prevents responsibility;
or becomes the main purpose of free time.
The question is not only:
“Is this sinful?”
Ask:
“Is this proportionate?”
Procrastination Steals Future Time
Procrastination does not remove a responsibility.
It transfers it to a later time, often with greater pressure.
The person receives temporary relief now and anxiety later.
Procrastination may arise from:
fear;
perfectionism;
confusion;
fatigue;
or dislike of the task.
Identify the cause.
Then begin with one clear action.
Perfectionism Can Waste Time
A person may spend excessive time trying to make a minor task flawless.
Excellence matters.
Perfectionism may be driven by fear of criticism or the desire to control every impression.
Ask:
“What level of quality does faithfulness actually require?”
Do excellent work where the responsibility is important.
Do not polish insignificant details while neglecting greater duties.
Begin Before You Feel Ready
Motivation often follows action.
You may not feel ready to:
study;
clean;
write;
exercise;
or make the needed call.
Set a short starting period.
Begin faithfully.
The goal is not to wait until desire agrees.
It is to bring action beneath responsibility.
Complete What Should Be Completed
Starting many things can feel productive.
Finishing requires steadiness.
Unfinished commitments consume mental attention.
Review what has been started.
Some matters should be completed.
Some should be delegated.
Some should be cancelled honestly.
Do not allow neglected commitments to remain open indefinitely.
Faithfulness in Little Things Matters
Jesus said:
“He that is faithful in that which is least
is faithful also in much…”
— Luke 16:10, KJV
Large opportunities are built upon small faithfulness.
Answer the message that requires a response.
Keep the appointment.
Arrive prepared.
Complete the ordinary duty.
A life is not made faithful only through dramatic moments.
Use Opportunities to Do Good
Paul writes:
“As we have therefore opportunity,
let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them
who are of the household of faith.”
— Galatians 6:10, KJV
Opportunities are not permanent.
A person may be available today and gone later.
A child may be ready to listen now.
A neighbor may be open to the gospel today.
Redeeming time includes recognizing opportunities to love, serve, and speak truth.
Redeem Time Toward Lost Souls
Paul writes:
“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without,
redeeming the time.
Let your speech be alway with grace,
seasoned with salt…”
— Colossians 4:5–6, KJV
Redeeming time includes wise conduct toward unbelievers.
A brief conversation may become an opportunity to:
show kindness;
answer a question;
give testimony;
or share the gospel.
Do not treat people merely as interruptions to your task list.
They possess eternal souls.
Urgency Must Not Become Pressure or Manipulation
Because life is brief, believers may become frantic.
They may pressure themselves or others as though constant activity proves faithfulness.
Biblical urgency remains governed by:
love;
truth;
wisdom;
and dependence upon God.
You cannot save every person.
You can remain faithful to the opportunities God gives.
Do Not Postpone Obedience
Jesus said:
“I must work the works of him that sent me,
while it is day:
the night cometh,
when no man can work.”
— John 9:4, KJV
Christ understood the urgency of His earthly mission.
Our work is not identical to His unique saving work.
The principle remains:
earthly opportunity is limited.
Do not postpone clear obedience indefinitely.
Tomorrow Is Not Guaranteed
Proverbs says:
“Boast not thyself of to morrow;
for thou knowest not
what a day may bring forth.”
— Proverbs 27:1, KJV
You may plan for tomorrow.
Do not presume upon it.
The apology should not always wait.
The gospel should not always wait.
Repentance should not wait.
The necessary act of obedience should not be placed continually in an imagined future.
Do Not Live in Regret Over Wasted Years
A believer may look backward and grieve over time spent in:
sin;
distraction;
fear;
or unbelief.
That grief can lead to repentance.
It must not become another way of wasting the present.
You cannot redeem yesterday by staring at it endlessly.
Confess what was sinful.
Receive Christ’s mercy.
Learn from it.
Begin using today faithfully.
You Cannot Recover Time, but God Can Redeem a Life
Consequences may remain.
Opportunities may have been lost.
Yet God can use a repentant believer’s remaining years.
Do not say:
“It is too late for anything meaningful.”
As long as God gives life, there remains opportunity for:
obedience;
prayer;
love;
witness;
and faithfulness.
The amount of time remaining may be unknown.
The responsibility for today is clear.
A Biblical Time-Stewardship Pattern
1. Remember That Life Is Brief
Let the brevity of life produce wisdom rather than panic.
2. Identify God-Given Priorities
Clarify your present responsibilities, relationships, worship, work, service, and health needs.
3. Examine Where Time Actually Goes
Measure honestly rather than relying upon assumptions.
4. Remove One Unnecessary Drain
Restrict a distraction, repeated delay, or commitment that serves no faithful purpose.
5. Establish Realistic Routines
Give important responsibilities an actual place in the week.
6. Protect Rest and Human Limits
Do not confuse exhaustion with devotion.
7. Leave Appropriate Margin
Make room for people, problems, and providential opportunities.
8. Use Small Periods Faithfully
Do not wait for perfect conditions.
9. Review and Adjust
A schedule should change when responsibilities and seasons change.
10. Do Today’s Clear Work
Do not postpone obedience while imagining unlimited tomorrows.
A Time-Stewardship Examination
The responsibilities God has clearly given me are:
The people who presently require faithful time from me are:
The activity consuming more time than I realized is:
The good activity displacing something better is:
The commitment I may need to decline or release is:
The neglected priority I need to schedule is:
The rest or health need I have been ignoring is:
The opportunity to do good presently before me is:
Discipleship Questions
- What is the difference between redeeming time and attempting to fill every minute with activity?
- Why can ordinary work, family care, rest, and hidden service possess eternal value when performed unto the Lord?
- How can good activities become unwise when they repeatedly displace greater responsibilities?
- What is the difference between appropriate recreation, necessary rest, laziness, and distraction?
- Which present activity is consuming time that should be used for a clearer God-given priority?
Closing Exhortation
Redeem the time.
Your days are limited.
Do not live fearfully.
Live wisely.
Do not confuse busyness with faithfulness.
Do not worship productivity.
Do not treat rest as worthless.
Do not treat ordinary responsibility as spiritually insignificant.
Work unto the Lord.
Care for people God has entrusted to you.
Pray.
Read Scripture.
Serve.
Rest.
Leave room for love.
Say no when a lesser commitment threatens a greater responsibility.
Measure where attention goes.
Remove unnecessary distraction.
Begin before motivation arrives.
Use small periods faithfully.
Repent for wasted time without wasting today in regret.
Life is brief.
Souls are eternal.
God’s will matters.
There is still opportunity to obey while it is day.
A Prayer to Redeem the Time
Father,
My times are in Your hand.
Thank You for every day, hour, ability, relationship, responsibility, and opportunity You have given me.
Forgive me for time wasted through sin, distraction, laziness, fear, pride, entertainment, and careless living.
Forgive me also for worshipping productivity, measuring my worth by output, and neglecting rest or relationships in the name of accomplishment.
Teach me to number my days and apply my heart unto wisdom.
Help me understand Your will for this season of life.
Show me the responsibilities You have truly assigned and the commitments I need to release.
Give me courage to say no to lesser things so I can remain faithful to greater things.
Help me work diligently without making work an idol.
Help me rest without becoming lazy.
Teach me to use technology as a servant rather than becoming controlled by it.
Make me attentive to people with eternal souls.
Help me recognize opportunities to serve, encourage, witness, and do good.
Give me realistic routines, wise margin, disciplined attention, and humility when plans must change.
Where I have wasted years, lead me into repentance without allowing regret to waste the present.
Let my ordinary duties, hidden service, relationships, work, worship, and ministry be performed unto Jesus Christ.
Use the remainder of my earthly life for what will honor You and possess eternal value.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Next Step
For the next three days, record honestly how your time is spent.
Then complete these statements:
My Clearest God-Given Priorities Are
My Largest Unnecessary Time Drain Is
One Good Activity That Needs Less Time Is
One Neglected Responsibility That Needs Scheduled Time Is
The Rest or Margin I Need Is
The Opportunity I Must Not Keep Postponing Is
Remove or restrict one unnecessary drain.
Place one neglected priority into your actual schedule.
Complete one act of obedience today rather than assigning it vaguely to tomorrow.
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