“Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do..” – Ephesians 5:16-17.
There are moments in life when time seems to stand still. That proud moment when you receive your college diploma or that moment when the past and future meld together when you stand at the altar with the person you will spend the rest of your life with or that incomparable moment when you hold your baby for the first time or when you stand next to the coffin of somebody you loved. These Hallmark moments lend themselves to reflection and introspection. These minutes are so important that they stick with us for the rest of our lives and in the midst of these moments, we pledge to make every minute, every hour and every day count.
What about an ordinary Wednesday? Is it possible to live this day as if it were one of those special days? More likely we spend our minutes trying to check off those empty checkboxes on our to-do list while trying to cover the ground between us and our goals. And then there are the interruptions. Unlike life-altering events where we savor every minute the ordinary day ends with us wishing for more.
The reality is that time is precious. We are fragile. Life is short. Eternity is long. Every minute counts. The goal is to be a faithful steward of the minutes that God has given us. The Bible talks about that very subject. Ephesians 5:16 (ESV): “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
I wonder if time stood still for Jesus on the last night before His death. Instead of rushing around to heal more sick people or giving a last-minute sermon, we find Jesus sharing a meal with His disciples. He set the stress and rush of ministry aside for the most important thing. “When it was evening, he reclined at the table with the twelve.” (Matthew 26:20 ESV) Jesus spent His last hours of freedom with His disciples, teaching them how to remember Him and sharing the foundations of the gospel with them. He prayed for them (John 17) and then prayed for the strength to walk the difficult journey to the cross (Mark 14:32-36). Jesus made every minute count by doing the will of His father and spending time with His disciples.
Jesus spent His whole life choosing to do the most important thing at any given moment. He stopped to heal the sick when they crossed His path. He sat on a mountainside to speak life to a waiting crowd. He prayed for children, even as His disciples scolded the people for bringing them to Him. He looked a bleeding woman, a blind man, and a beggar in the eyes and gave them personalized hope.
Our time on earth is short. We should want to make every moment count—not only because we aren’t guaranteed the next one, but also because this is exactly how our Savior spent His time here. We don’t want to waste a single one.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you live out the hope of the gospel every minute?
- What can you do to make God a priority today?