Is What I’m Doing the Best Use of My Life?

In Ephesians 5:15-17 I read, “Be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise. Live wisely. I mean that you should use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. So do not be foolish with your lives. But learn what the Lord wants you to do.” (ICB)

If I want to make an impact with my life, I’ve got to do one thing: Get control of my time. My time is my life. If I don’t learn to manage my time, I’ll limit the legacy of my life.

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise. Live wisely. I mean that you should use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. So do not be foolish with your lives. But learn what the Lord wants you to do” (ICB).

We all have the same amount of time every week: 168 hours. It’s what I do with it that counts! I’ve only been allotted a certain number of days in this world, and if I waste them, I’ve blown it! If I waste time, I’m wasting my life because my time is my life. Stop and ask, “Is this the best use of my time? Is this the best use of my life?”

I don’t have time for everything. The good news is that God doesn’t expect me to do everything. So don’t feel guilty about it! There are only a few things worth doing in the first place.

Effective people figure out what’s essential in life and what’s trivial, and they spend more time doing the essential things and less time doing the trivial things. I won’t be able to eliminate all the trivia, but I can reduce it.

This sounds easy, but frankly it’s often difficult to choose between what’s best for my life and what’s easiest for my life—especially when I’m tired. When I’m tired, I don’t always want to do the best thing. I’ll want to do what’s easy. That’s why if I’m really going to make something of my life, I have to learn to get some rest. If I’m not rested, I won’t have the mental, emotional, and physical strength to say, “I’m going to do the right thing instead of the easiest thing.”

So I shouldn’t waste my life and settle for second best. Don’t go through life just existing. I was not created to just coast. God made me for a mission and a purpose. It starts by asking, “Is what I’m doing the best use of my life?”

In summary, I need to be very careful how I live my life. I need to live it wisely and not foolishly. I need to use every chance I have for doing good. This means learning what the Lord wants me to do. To make an impact with my life, I’ve got to get control of my time, because time is my life. We all have the same amount of time every week. It’s what I do with it that counts! I’ve only been allotted a certain number of days and if I waste them, then I’ve blown it! So I need to consider what is the best use of my time and life?  I won’t have time for everything, and God doesn’t expect me to. Effective people figure out what’s essential in life and what’s trivial, and they spend more time doing the essential things and less time doing the trivial things. It’s often difficult to choose between what’s best for my life and what’s easiest, especially when I’m tired. If I’m really going to make something of my life, I have to learn to get some rest. So I shouldn’t waste my life and settle for second best. Don’t go through life just existing. I was not created to just coast. God made me for a mission and a purpose. It starts by asking, “Is what I’m doing the best use of my life?”

As I reflect on this, work and watching TV take up most of my time. With work, other than helping others, it can be a lot of trivial things. At the end of my work shift and in the evenings, I do get tired and not wanting to do much more. Watching TV at night doesn’t really help my mission. Today I need to consider how best I can use my time at work and in the evening. Father, I ask for wisdom and guidance for today, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. I pray this in your Son Jesus’ name, amen.