Time isn’t money, but a gift! 

You may probably have heard of the saying: “time is money.” It is a very popular idiom that you hear about not only in the U.S., but in lots of other places around the world.

What I am suggesting in the following lines is that time is not just money, but a gift!

Money should not be the reason we have time, but a tool to help us wisely use time.

Let us also remind ourselves that, even though we may have plans for the future, but what we can truly manage is one day at a time. In other words, we can daily and only use the 86400 seconds we are given.

Here’s why I believe we are given time:

1. Time is a gift for us to honor God.

2. Time is a gift for us to love all people.

3. Time is a gift for us to care for our own selves.

First, [bctt tweet=”time is a gift, which we should use to honor God.”]

Time belongs to God. Scripture says that God created day and night (Genesis 1). God owns times and circumstances. He changes all of it. But, we only use what is given to us.

Because God has given us time as a gift, we therefore have to use it wisely. What this means is when we do so, we honor God.

Here are four concrete ways to honor God with your time:

1) Show gratitude every day for being alive;

2) ask God for wisdom to use the rest of the day in a way that is pleasing to God;

3) pray for other people; and

4) begin with God’s Word, which will serve as an anchor for you throughout the day.

Second, [bctt tweet=”time is a gift to help us love all people.”]

I personally look at every day as another chance in life. What this is you are given a new day to try again what you were not able to do the day before. The time you and I have is for us to use in order to love all people. People mean family, friends and the stranger. Using time wisely does not mean we fix people or things. That is not what I am talking about here.

We should use time to show love to all people by doing the following:

1) pray for them;

2) be there for them;

3) listen to them;

4) walk alongside and encourage them ; and

5) connect them with healthy communities for resourcing (spiritual, emotional, physical, intellectual, etc.).

Lastly, [bctt tweet=”time is a gift we should use to care for our own selves.”]

Caring for ourselves is very crucial not only just for us, but also for the people around us. This kind of care does not only mean the spiritual aspect: prayer, fasting, bible study or church involvement. All these are good though, especially for our spiritual being. How about our physical, emotional, intellectual and other needs? John prays for the church that “all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” (3 John 2). This points out that caring for ourselves means caring for all the needs: physical, emotional, intellectual as well as spiritual.

That means you and I have to set time for the following:

1) daily devotions;

2) eating well, which will require a plan for healthy meals;

3) daily exercising;

4) belong to a Christian community; and

5) continue learning.

Time implies relationships: God, self and People.

The way we use time affects not only us, but God and people that most dear to us.

Time isn’t therefore just about about money, but primarily as a means to honor God, to love all people and care for ourselves!