Redeeming the Time, Part 1: Investing Your Life in What Matters Most

In recent days, I have been thinking a great deal about the responsibility I have to be a good steward of my time.

Some of you know that I recently “retired” from my position as Dean of the School of Music at Trevecca Nazarene University. Since then, more than one person has smiled and asked me, “Well, Vernon, what are you going to do with all that time?” It is a good question. And, quite frankly, it is one I have been asking myself.

More importantly, I have been asking the Lord. “Lord, how do You want me to use the time You have given me? How can I best serve You in this season of my life? How can I invest whatever years You choose to give me for Your glory and for the testimony of Jesus Christ?”

As I have prayed about those questions, Paul's words in Ephesians 5 have taken on fresh meaning: “Redeeming the time.” The idea is to buy up the opportunity. Take hold of the moments God gives you. Don't simply let them pass by unnoticed.

I am learning again that redeeming the time is more than managing a schedule. It is stewarding a life.

• Recognize Your Stewardship - The psalmist prayed, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

There is something wonderfully humbling about that prayer. Our days belong to God. Every morning is grace. Every hour is entrusted to us. Every opportunity is a gift. And I have discovered that most of those opportunities don't arrive with great fanfare. They come quietly, often disguised as ordinary moments: A conversation with a friend; Time with your spouse; A telephone call you feel prompted to make; An opportunity to encourage someone; A meal with your family; A chance to share Christ; or, A few minutes spent listening to someone who simply needs to be heard.

Sometimes we can become so focused on discovering the great thing God wants us to do that we overlook the person He has placed right in front of us. Acts 5 gives us a wonderful picture of this kind of faithfulness. After being threatened and beaten for preaching Christ, the apostles continued their ministry:

“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42).

I love that little word: daily. They understood that every day belonged to God. So does today.

• Refuse to Drift -  Paul tells us to redeem the time “because the days are evil.”

The Apostle doesn't say the days are really busy. (We all ALREADY KNOW our days are busy.) He says they are evil. There is a spiritual dimension to how we use our lives. The enemy does not always have to destroy a believer to make that believer ineffective. Sometimes distraction will do just fine. And distraction can be remarkably subtle. Good things can gradually replace the best things. Busy things can crowd out eternal things. Before we realize it, we can spend enormous amounts of energy without ever asking whether we are investing our lives in what matters most.

Then there is that familiar word: later.

Later I'll serve.

Later I'll make that call.

Later I'll spend more time with my family.

Later I'll share Christ with that friend.

Later I'll do what I already know God is asking me to do.

The problem is that “later” has a way of becoming a lifetime. (I’ve lived much of my life in this sphere … “I’ll get to it later.”)

And then there is drift. But, leave a boat unattended on the water and you don't have to teach it to drift. It happens naturally. Direction requires attention AND intention. The same is true in our walk with Christ. Nobody accidentally drifts toward deeper prayer, greater generosity, faithful service, or increasing Christlikeness. Those things grow as we continually surrender ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps this is a good place for each of us to ask a gentle but important question:

If someone looked at my calendar, my commitments, my attention, and my energy, what would they conclude matters most to me?

Not to make us feel guilty about yesterday, but to help us offer tomorrow more fully to Christ.

• Redeem Every Season - Perhaps this is the truth the Lord is teaching me most deeply right now:

God can use every season. There are seasons of growth when opportunities seem abundant. Serve. Give. Disciple. Invest.

There are also seasons of difficulty. The apostles certainly knew those. Acts 5:41 tells us that after being beaten, they left “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Even their suffering became an opportunity to honor Christ.

And then there are seasons of routine. Most of life happens there. We get up. We work. We care for our families. We go to church. We keep appointments. We pay bills. We have conversations. We encourage friends. We serve people. It doesn't always feel significant. And, sometimes, the routine makes us feel really insignificant.

But through the years, I have become convinced that extraordinary impact is usually the result of ordinary faithfulness repeated over time. Think about this:

• Retirement is a season.
• Young adulthood is a season.
• Raising children is a season.
• Building a career is a season.
• Caring for aging parents is a season.
• Grief is a season.
• So are health, illness, waiting, change, and new beginnings.

Maybe you are walking through a season right now that you never expected and certainly would not have chosen. The question may not be, “Is this the season I wanted?”

Perhaps the better prayer is: “Lord, how do You want to use me in this season for Your glory?”

• Reinvest in What Lasts

Eventually, redeeming the time brings us to an even deeper question: What will last when this life is over?

• People will.
• The Gospel will.
• The Kingdom of God will.
• And Christ will be worthy forever.

Doesn’t that change the way we think about investing our lives. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). The apostles lived that way. They invested themselves in people. They proclaimed Jesus Christ. They advanced God's kingdom. They chose eternal priorities over temporary applause.

The older I get, the more important that becomes to me. At the end of life, I doubt many of us will wish we had accumulated more possessions, received more recognition, or spent more hours entertaining ourselves.

• We will think about people.
• We will think about relationships.
• We will remember opportunities God gave us.
• And I believe we will care deeply about whether we were faithful.

That is one reason this new season of my life has caused me to think so seriously about time. I don't want simply to fill whatever days God gives me. I want to redeem them. I want to invest more intentionally in people. I want to teach what God has graciously allowed me to learn. I want to encourage younger leaders. I want to write. I want to serve the Church. I want to tell people about Jesus. And I want those closest to me to know that they mattered more than whatever work I accomplished.

Perhaps that is one way followers of Christ should think about “retirement.” We may retire from a position. But we never retire from the purposes of God. And that is not a burden. It is a privilege.

God still has people for us to love, prayers for us to pray, encouragement for us to give, truth for us to share, and opportunities for us to serve. As long as He gives us breath, there is still opportunity to live for His glory.

So wherever you find yourself today, don't spend too much time regretting opportunities you may have missed. God's grace is sufficient for yesterday.

Instead, give Him today.

I have a good friend who once preached a sermon entitled: Pay attention to what you need to pay attention to. Perhaps he was on to something. We all need to pay attention and … Choose with discernment. Live with purpose. Walk with intention. Recognize your stewardship. Refuse distraction. Redeem every season. Reinvest in eternity. Remember what matters most.

Remember this …

• Every day is a gift.
• Every opportunity is a stewardship.
• Every soul is eternal.
• Every act of obedience matters.
• And every season can be used for the glory of God.

Life is not measured by its duration, but by its devotion to Christ. So perhaps the question is not, “What am I going to do with all this time?” Perhaps the better question, for me and maybe for you, is simply this: “Lord, what would You have me do with the time that belongs to You?”

And then, by His grace, may we – may I – faithfully do it.

Was I faithful?

That is one reason this new season of my life has caused me to think more seriously about time.

I don't want simply to fill the days God gives me.

I want to redeem them.

I want to invest more intentionally in people. I want to teach what God has graciously allowed me to learn. I want to encourage younger leaders. I want to write. I want to serve the Church. I want to tell others about Jesus. And I want the people closest to me to know that they mattered more to me than anything I ever accomplished.

Maybe that is what “retirement” should mean for a follower of Christ.

We may retire from a position.

But we never retire from God's purposes.

So, wherever you are in your journey with Christ, don't wait for another season to begin living purposefully.

Don't wait until the children are grown.

Don't wait until the career settles down.

Don't wait until you have more money.

Don't wait until life becomes easier.

Don't wait until retirement.

Begin where you are.

Walk with intention. Choose with discernment. Live with purpose.

Recognize your stewardship. Refuse distraction. Redeem every season. Reinvest in eternity. Remember what matters most.

Every day is a gift.

Every opportunity is a stewardship.

Every soul is eternal.

Every act of obedience matters.

And every season can be used for the glory of God.

Life is not measured merely by its duration, but by its devotion to Christ.

So perhaps the question is not, “What am I going to do with all this time?”

Perhaps the better question—the one I find myself bringing before the Lord—is this:

“Lord, what would You have me do with the time that belongs to You?”