How Did You Spend Your Day?

 

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ne of the most important lessons I have learned since moving to Texas is how to manage my money and live on a budget.  I had always heard others talking about having or not having enough money in their budgets to do a certain project or buy something for themselves or someone else.  The concept, however, was simply lost on me.  I figured as long as I had money in the checking account, I was doing OK.  The only problem was, at the end of the month, I could never figure out where I had spent my money.  However, a quick perusal over my check register revealed that money had gone out for movies, restaurants, things I wanted, etc. but precious little, if any, had gone into savings or even to buy clothes. 

 

However, this all changed when I started seminary.  It became very apparent very quickly that I needed to apportion my earnings in a very precise manner in order to steward my resources wisely.  This is a lesson I have never regretted, and I am now thankful that God continues to show His faithfulness to me on a daily basis.  Each time I reconcile my banking statement, I am always amazed and humbled at how God has proved Himself over and over by keeping me right on track with my money.  The money belongs to God, my responsibility is to steward it wisely and faithfully. 

 

But there is another area in my life that I am finding very difficult to steward.  It is an area we all struggle with and an area in which we always seem to run a deficit.  That area is time.  No matter how early I get up, no matter how good my intentions, and no matter how much I rearrange my schedule, there never seems to be enough hours in the day.  If I go to bed earlier than normal, the next day finds me worn out before all my tasks are completed.  If I make more room in my schedule in the morning, something always crops up in the afternoon to rob me of the time I’ve saved. 

 

Isn’t it amazing that we will spend such a long time poring over our finances, making sure we spend just the right amount in just the right place, but we will completely ignore our daily schedules?  We always seem to spend our time poorly, neglecting to give God His time, failing to spend time with our families, forgetting to tell others we love and appreciate them, and pushing ourselves to the limit on a consistent basis. 

 

The prayer of Moses in Psalm 90 addresses just this issue.  Israel wondered in the desert for forty years.  They could have been in the Promised Land in a matter of weeks but due to their disobedience and stubbornness, they spent their time poorly and what a price they paid!  All those twenty years of age and older never saw the Promised Land.  They all died in the desert and their children entered in their place.  How tragic!  They forfeited all those years of happiness and all those years of blessing because they disobeyed God. 

 

Listen to the words of Moses from Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  There are two important points in this short passage of scripture.  First, Moses looks to God for instruction on how to account for his time.  Moses realizes that left to ourselves, we are poor stewards of the lives and resources God gives us.  Only with His guidance, only with His wisdom, and only with His grace can we ever hope to spend our time and our lives wisely.   

 

Second, the purpose of following God’s instruction and learning from Him is to gain a heart full of wisdom.  We can only do this when we make God a priority in our lives.  We must spend time with Him.  We must make our relationship with Him top priority and learn to apportion our time in order be in His presence.  If we fail to do this, we will wander through life, wondering what happened to all of our time.  

 

So, how do you spend your day?  Does the budget of your time show you are spending it wisely or are you running a deficit? Think about it!