Daily Grace At Jesus` Feet

January 10, 2010

Counting Dollars! Or Counting Days!

Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom – Psalm 90:12

At the end of every week, our boys take an account of their chores list and count their allowance dollars as they accomplish the duties given to them on day-to-day basis. They also get dollars deducted for the undone tasks or disobediences. This is done in our home, so the boys can use their time wisely and also take responsibility of the duties assigned to them.

In Psalm 90:12, Moses, a man of God taking a stock of his life situations. He knew how he spent his 40 years in wilderness. He knew that life can be always busy and time can fly away. He knew that life can be filled with disappointments, pressures, struggles, and unfulfilled desires and dreams. He decided to ask God finally to help me to be careful in his time management. He further says that “even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away – (Psalm 90:10). What Moses essentially says is since our days are numbered, we need to learn and understand God’s perspective to lead a life that would please him and use time wisely. How are we to use our short life span so the time given to us in this world by our Lord was the most exciting, enjoyable, pleasing to Him and not regretted. Let us learn to count our days and take a careful inventory of our 24/7.  To carefully plan and like Moses to number our days, we may take a stock of our life situations and accordingly change the strategies and use time to benefit our lives. Our lives can be surrounded with busy schedules and the time can be easily spent in the areas that may not profit our lives. Time is a most expensive commodity in our lives yet this can be spent with out profiting our lives, families and without helping build His Kingdom. Is our time usefully spent?

Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, one of the foremost experts on Time Management documented the below interesting facts on Time management after 20 years of his studies and interactions with people:

- The average working person spends less than 2 minutes per day in meaningful communication with their spouse or “significant other”. - The average working person spends less than 30 seconds a day in meaningful communication with their children. - The average American watches 28 hours of television per week. - 78% of workers in America wish they had more time to “smell the roses”. 

According to another time management study, the average person spends two years of time trying to return calls to people who never seem to be in. Not only that, 6 months spent waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and another 8 months reading junk mail. These unusual statistics should help us evaluate our time management strategies. Once we recognize and understand that simple and proper "life maintenance" can chip away at our time in such huge blocks, we will see how vital it is that we don't busy ourselves "in vain"

David echoes the same ideas of Moses in Psalm 39:4-6, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.” David also tells us Gods’ perspective of our lives and how to use God-given times to profit in building His kingdom on earth. In short, to use our times wisely the way it will bring glory and honor to Him. David talks about the brevity of our life and our time is short and he urges us not to waste it. When we waste our time, the most essential, irretrievable, and unredeemable commodity of life is simply thrown away.

Yes, making phone calls, and waiting at the light are essential but what about the rest of our time? Are we using our precious time to help build God’s kingdom in our families, in our churches and ministries, and use the same to move closer in our relationship with Him? Is our time well spent?

"Good Time Managers do not allocate their time to those who “demand” it, but rather, to those who 'deserve' it" – Dr. Wetmore.

Are you carefully counting your days? Are you wisely using the most essential gift (time) given us?

Prayer: Lord, Thank you for this life you have given me as a gift and help me to use my time in a way that will honor you.

May you have a Well-spent Day!

 HOME