On Time

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” ~Ephesians 5:15-16

I recently had a conversation about the importance of being prompt: It’s a sign of respect to the one who expects you at a particular time; you haven’t wasted their time. It's a sign of discipline and foresight to plan to arrive somewhere at a specific time to which you’ve committed. It's a sign of orderliness to keep a calendar and fulfill obligations in a timely manner, and the Lord cares about orderliness (1 Cor. 14:40). But what about time that’s not committed to someone else? What about the time in between the times that are ordered? What should we do with those hours and minutes? 

Paul answers that question directly in Ephesians 5. We are to make the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Notice he doesn't say this only about our appointments and obligations — he says it about time itself, the whole of it, ordered and unordered alike. The Christian life doesn't pause between commitments. Every hour, scheduled or not, belongs to the Lord and is to be stewarded for Him and for His glory.

This doesn't mean every unscheduled minute must be filled with visible productivity. Rest is a legitimate use of time. God Himself rested on the seventh day — not from fatigue, but to model a rhythm of labor and rest that honors Him (Ex. 20:11). A Christian who never rests isn't more faithful with their time; they're often just as unwise as the one who wastes it, only in the opposite direction. Both errors are rooted in the same unbelief: that our time is ours to spend as we please, rather than a trust given by God to be returned with increase (Matt. 25:14-30). The restless and the idle both forget whose clock they're keeping. Wisdom with time means neither cramming every hour with activity nor letting hours simply evaporate without thought.

So what does wise use of unscheduled time actually look like? It starts with a simple test: Before reaching for the next distraction, ask whether this moment could be spent in prayer, in rest, in service, or in deepening a relationship that glorifies God. “I had nothing else to do” rarely holds up as a real answer. Left unguarded, our hours fill with something — and that something is far too rarely chosen on purpose. This is exactly what Paul warns against: failing to make the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

There's an eternal weight to this, too. We will one day give an account not merely for our grand decisions, but for the ordinary hours that made up our life (Rom. 14:12). Time, unlike money, can never be earned back once spent. A wasted afternoon is gone forever.

So examine your calendar and see how you’re doing with keeping appointments, but don't stop there. Examine the gaps in between, too. Are you making the best use of all your time — ordering your days, redeeming the hours, and exercising good stewardship of your minutes — to the glory of God and honor of your neighbor?

Rev. Kyle W. A. Lockhart, Pastor