“Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days. Don’t be vague but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of God.”   Eph 5:15-17 JBP

Time is the most precious commodity we have. Commodity? Yes. Time is a commodity because we have to exchange it – spend it – for the things we want in life. Groceries cost time whether you grow them or work for them. If you wish buy a car, you’ll have to spend some time gaining the necessary finances. Want to travel and see the world? That will take time. Desire to win someone’s heart? Spend the time.

In fact the most common complaint these days is that we just don’t have enough time! This time of year people talk a lot about managing their money, but it’s how we manage our time that will ultimately determine our success at everything else in our lives. When we fail, we suffer stress, burnout, anxiety, strained relationships, and financial losses.

So what is the significance of 8,760? That is the number of hours in a year. Subtract the time you spend eating and sleeping and that leaves just 5,110. Then subtract 40 hours a week for work and you have only 3030 hours left this year to make your life count! The days of our lives slip by one after another like grains of sand through an hourglass. With too many things to do – all good/needful – we must prioritize what is most important. If we do not understand God’s will for our lives and order our daily priorities accordingly – our time will eventually run out and we will not have finished our course. Prioritizing – the ability to determine what is most important and allocate the time it takes to get it done – may actually be the most important skill we can ever develop!