Wasting Time?

Wasting time. What does it mean to you? I think some things we consider wasting time might be the best use of our time. Like...

1. Sitting with our children on the floor playing

2. Kissing my little baby over and over

3. reading a "silly" book to my two year old

4. cuddling with our husbands

5. just sitting outside and enjoying the outdoors

There are so many ways to use our time isn't there? Have you ever heard the saying: "Do you love life? Then do not waste time for that is what life is made of."? The important thing is to have God's perspective on using the time He has given us. The question is: How can we impact eternity while living here on earth?

There are only two things that last forever that we have now: The Word of God and people. If we are "wasting time" on either of these then we are making good use of our time. We can't take our house with us. It won't matter if it was perfectly clean or not. We can't take our computer with us. We can't take the television with us. It won't matter if you got to watch that "one show". We can't take our cell phones with us. You get my drift. "Waste time" on things that last and you will have no regrets.

Nancy Leigh Demoss did a series on priorities. You can check it out by clicking here. A few scriptures she pointed out ministered to me in regards on how we should prioritize our time. Here is what she said:

"Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6, verse 33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Seek His ways. Seek His pathway. Seek His kingdom. Seek what matters to Him. And all these other things in life that are not the priority—the ones that you need will be added unto you.

Proverbs chapter 4, verse 7: “Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom.” Where does wisdom come from? What is wisdom? Wisdom is looking at all of life from God’s point of view. Proverbs says that wisdom is the principle thing. Get God. Get a relationship with God. Get His perspective on life.

Colossians chapter 1, verse 18: “The goal,” Paul says, “is that in all things Christ might have the pre-eminence” (paraphrased). Pre-eminence. What does that word mean? I looked it up this morning. It means to be first—that Christ might be first. The head of all things. The spring of all things. The fountain of all of life. The supremacy of Christ. This is my priority.

Psalm chapter 27, verse 4, the Psalmist said, “One thing I have desired [one thing] of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple.” The Psalmist said, “My number one priority in life is to live in the presence of God, to learn from Him, to love Him with all my heart.”

Jesus said to the harried Martha, busy doing something very important, but missing out on the priority. He said, “Martha, only one thing is needful in life. One thing is absolutely necessary and that is your relationship with Me” (Luke 10:22, paraphrased). That’s what supremely matters.

Now, if we’re going to have first things first, if we’re going to prioritize God’s priorities for our lives (and the first one of those for every believer being a relationship with God), we’ve got to remember the necessity of the Word of God and spending time with God in His Word. Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, NIV).

Job chapter 23, verse 12, Job said, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” You want to fulfill that number one priority in life? It’s impossible apart from spiritual food, and we get that spiritual food in the Word of God. That means there has to be time in my day to be in the Word, to be in the presence of God, to be listening to God, to be responding to God."