Redeeming the Time
As we say goodbye to the month of February, let’s take a moment to remember that February is National Time Management Month. Truth be known, I recently learned this fact while preparing for a sermon on stewarding time. It’s a good idea, in my opinion, to have a yearly reminder of the value and importance of time simply because most Americans are not particularly good at what we erroneously call time management. I say erroneously because in reality, time actually can’t be managed. No matter what easy solutions you may try, time slips on by one precious second at a time, and there is nothing you or I can do about it.
Author Charles E. Hummel rightfully corrects our perspective of the time management concept when he writes, “A person cannot do anything to time itself—delay or hasten, save or lose it—much less ‘manage’ it. The challenge is to manage ourselves under the lordship of Jesus Christ, from whom we get our goals and values. The basic question is what we do within the time frame granted to us—how we plan, decide, organize, evaluate, revise our tasks. The bottom line is managing ourselves to make the best use of our abilities and opportunities.”[1] In Galatians 5:23, self-control is listed as an important piece of spiritual fruit. Proverbs 25:28 paints a telling picture of what a lack of self-control looks like: “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Cities without walls are vulnerable to attacks and destruction. Believers who lack self-control leave themselves open to spiritual assaults and devastation. If we are to successfully make the best use of our abilities and opportunities, we must practice self-control when it comes to our relationship with time.
As you can see, the Bible is not silent on the importance of self-control. Nor is it silent on the issue of time. In the ninetieth Psalm Moses prays, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (v. 12). Paul commands believers to make “the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). The phrase making the best use of the time is a translation of the Greek word exagorazo, meaning to redeem or to buy up for one’s self or to make wise and use of every opportunity for doing good as indicated in the ESV translation. Exagorazo is a term that arises from commerce and the marketplace. Personally, I prefer the LSB and KJV rendering of redeeming the time since this seems to capture the words importance in the marketplace where money is used to purchase what is profitable for the consumer.
Inexplicably, thousands of gift cards each year remain unredeemed because they are either lost or forgotten. One survey conducted by the consumer finance company Bankrate found that 47% of U.S. adults had at least one unspent gift card or voucher with an average value of $187. That’s a total of $23 billion left unredeemed![2] That is a lot of money wasted. Makes me wonder, how much time do we waste each year? How many opportunities to serve our neighbors for God go unredeemed over the course of twelve months? According to Paul’s teaching, followers of Jesus must rest in the Holy Spirit’s power to practice the self-control required of people who are good stewards of time. God’s children are expected to redeem every opportunity that arises to make the most effective investment we can for the sake of his kingdom and glory.
Because so many people feel like they are constantly running short on time, time has become the hottest commodity in today’s busy-obsessed culture. Everyone seems to be looking for lost or misplaced time. Some people have enough friends. Others enough money. A few are having enough fun for all of us. But no one seems to have enough time. While we can’t print more time the way the government prints money, put time in a bottle, or save some in a mutual fund for later, we can steward our time in such a way that allows us to purposefully choose how to invest each precious second God entrusts to us.
An important number to remember is 168. This is the allotted number of hours each and every person roaming planet Earth have available to invest each week. Everyone stands on equal ground when it comes to time: Presidents. Prime Ministers. Dictators. Senators. CEOs. Entrepreneurs. Pastors. Athletes. Authors. Physicians. Teachers. Parents. Students. Retirees. We all receive the same 168 hours to invest or waste. No one—no matter how important, overwhelmed or exhausted they may be— is allotted more hours in a day than you or me. Think about time as the most important currency of life. Unlike money, you can’t get a second job and earn more. Time is the one resource you can’t earn back, refinance, or replace. Yet, we often live as if we are given an unending supply. Time is an unrenewable resource, making it an extremely valuable commodity that would be irresponsible to leave unredeemed.
As long as you blame others for your shortage of time, you will never practice the self-control needed to redeem your time. When you cry, “I don’t have enough time,” you are shifting responsibility to someone else for your time shortage. Perhaps it’s your boss you blame for his or her expectations. Or your spouse because of his or her lack of help around the house. Maybe it’s all society’s fault for constantly telling you that you should be doing more. The list is long, but no matter who or what you blame for your lack of time, this mindset is preventing you from being a good steward of the time God has provided. Our problem isn’t that we don’t have enough time. It’s that we fail to effectively manage ourselves in such a way that we can steward our time effectively.
When most people have a free hour to take a walk, sit by a lake, read a book, ride a bike, learn an instrument, practice a skill, listen to a sermon, or plant a garden, we simply turn on the television with no idea what we’re planning to watch or scroll through social media until your thumb cramps—then afterwards complain about not having time to think, plan, schedule, prioritize, exercise, read, swim, run, garden, paint, or spend time with the Lord. You just had an hour to do these things. But rather than redeem that sixty minutes, you squandered them on something less valuable than the productive, developmental, or spiritual activities you could have done instead.
Life is often planned in bold generalities. Someday, when I have time, I will… In a few years, I will have time to… Once I’m retired, I’ll have plenty of free time to… The problem with this type of thinking is it postpones life until sometime when someday actually becomes today. Truth is this rarely, if ever, happens. Postpone life until retirement and you may not have the health to do what you have always wanted to do. We are only promised this moment. Today is all there is. Time is distributed in twenty-four hour increments. If you want to become an accomplished violin player, you will have to schedule time to take violin lessons and practice. If you want to become an author, you will have to set aside time to actually put words on a page. If you want to become a singer, you have to dedicate time to take lessons, attend rehearsals, and practice for hours on your own (that’s what showering is for, I suppose). If you want to be proficient in German or Japanese, you have to invest time every day learning the language of your choice. If you want a vibrant marriage, you have to plan time to be with your spouse when you are not talking about grocery lists, kids, electric bills, or college tuition. If sometime when someday actually arrives you want to accomplish something, you have to start investing time today. As Jesus taught his disciples in John 9:4, “We must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” Capitalize on the days God gives you, and invest them wisely.
Our weekly allotment of 168 hours is a large enough sample size to develop an accurate assessment of where our time actually goes. Intentionally planned blocks of 168 hours are sufficient to accommodate the major responsibilities of life: Full-time employment, quality family time, rejuvenating hobbies, physical exercise, engaged worship, sacrificial service, and adequate sleep. In my mind, all of these are essential to the Christian life. Can you carve out four hours out of 168 to exercise? Can you spend five hours out of 168 learning a new language or training for a marathon? Can you invest six hours out of 168 into your family? Can you sacrifice 3 hours out of 168 to worship the God who created you? Research has shown that many people who believe they work way too much don’t actually work as many hours as they think. There are also those who work entirely too much because they are terribly inefficient. But let’s be honest, neither of these are time management problems. They are misconception problems or self-discipline problems. If you want to optimize your 168 hours each week while living in this severely distracted world, you are going to need a daily dose of Holy Spirit empowered self-discipline.
My dear friend, God has lovingly set boundaries around your life; you will only live on this earth for a particular season, and your opportunities will arise within these boundaries. You will live for a fixed period of time “as it is appointed for man to die once” (Hebrews 9:27). You have a divine appointment with your Savior on the day of your death. What will you do today to redeem the time you have left on this earth? How will you invest the life God has given you? How many opportunities will you let skate by before you start being a good steward of your time? Truth is, you are running out of time. This is why you must redeem every precious second the good Lord entrusts to you.
[1] Charles E. Hummel, Freedom from Tyranny of the Urgent (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 1997), 31.
[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gift-cards-unspent-christmas-2023/. Accessed: February 22, 2026.
Author Charles E. Hummel rightfully corrects our perspective of the time management concept when he writes, “A person cannot do anything to time itself—delay or hasten, save or lose it—much less ‘manage’ it. The challenge is to manage ourselves under the lordship of Jesus Christ, from whom we get our goals and values. The basic question is what we do within the time frame granted to us—how we plan, decide, organize, evaluate, revise our tasks. The bottom line is managing ourselves to make the best use of our abilities and opportunities.”[1] In Galatians 5:23, self-control is listed as an important piece of spiritual fruit. Proverbs 25:28 paints a telling picture of what a lack of self-control looks like: “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Cities without walls are vulnerable to attacks and destruction. Believers who lack self-control leave themselves open to spiritual assaults and devastation. If we are to successfully make the best use of our abilities and opportunities, we must practice self-control when it comes to our relationship with time.
As you can see, the Bible is not silent on the importance of self-control. Nor is it silent on the issue of time. In the ninetieth Psalm Moses prays, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (v. 12). Paul commands believers to make “the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). The phrase making the best use of the time is a translation of the Greek word exagorazo, meaning to redeem or to buy up for one’s self or to make wise and use of every opportunity for doing good as indicated in the ESV translation. Exagorazo is a term that arises from commerce and the marketplace. Personally, I prefer the LSB and KJV rendering of redeeming the time since this seems to capture the words importance in the marketplace where money is used to purchase what is profitable for the consumer.
Inexplicably, thousands of gift cards each year remain unredeemed because they are either lost or forgotten. One survey conducted by the consumer finance company Bankrate found that 47% of U.S. adults had at least one unspent gift card or voucher with an average value of $187. That’s a total of $23 billion left unredeemed![2] That is a lot of money wasted. Makes me wonder, how much time do we waste each year? How many opportunities to serve our neighbors for God go unredeemed over the course of twelve months? According to Paul’s teaching, followers of Jesus must rest in the Holy Spirit’s power to practice the self-control required of people who are good stewards of time. God’s children are expected to redeem every opportunity that arises to make the most effective investment we can for the sake of his kingdom and glory.
Because so many people feel like they are constantly running short on time, time has become the hottest commodity in today’s busy-obsessed culture. Everyone seems to be looking for lost or misplaced time. Some people have enough friends. Others enough money. A few are having enough fun for all of us. But no one seems to have enough time. While we can’t print more time the way the government prints money, put time in a bottle, or save some in a mutual fund for later, we can steward our time in such a way that allows us to purposefully choose how to invest each precious second God entrusts to us.
An important number to remember is 168. This is the allotted number of hours each and every person roaming planet Earth have available to invest each week. Everyone stands on equal ground when it comes to time: Presidents. Prime Ministers. Dictators. Senators. CEOs. Entrepreneurs. Pastors. Athletes. Authors. Physicians. Teachers. Parents. Students. Retirees. We all receive the same 168 hours to invest or waste. No one—no matter how important, overwhelmed or exhausted they may be— is allotted more hours in a day than you or me. Think about time as the most important currency of life. Unlike money, you can’t get a second job and earn more. Time is the one resource you can’t earn back, refinance, or replace. Yet, we often live as if we are given an unending supply. Time is an unrenewable resource, making it an extremely valuable commodity that would be irresponsible to leave unredeemed.
As long as you blame others for your shortage of time, you will never practice the self-control needed to redeem your time. When you cry, “I don’t have enough time,” you are shifting responsibility to someone else for your time shortage. Perhaps it’s your boss you blame for his or her expectations. Or your spouse because of his or her lack of help around the house. Maybe it’s all society’s fault for constantly telling you that you should be doing more. The list is long, but no matter who or what you blame for your lack of time, this mindset is preventing you from being a good steward of the time God has provided. Our problem isn’t that we don’t have enough time. It’s that we fail to effectively manage ourselves in such a way that we can steward our time effectively.
When most people have a free hour to take a walk, sit by a lake, read a book, ride a bike, learn an instrument, practice a skill, listen to a sermon, or plant a garden, we simply turn on the television with no idea what we’re planning to watch or scroll through social media until your thumb cramps—then afterwards complain about not having time to think, plan, schedule, prioritize, exercise, read, swim, run, garden, paint, or spend time with the Lord. You just had an hour to do these things. But rather than redeem that sixty minutes, you squandered them on something less valuable than the productive, developmental, or spiritual activities you could have done instead.
Life is often planned in bold generalities. Someday, when I have time, I will… In a few years, I will have time to… Once I’m retired, I’ll have plenty of free time to… The problem with this type of thinking is it postpones life until sometime when someday actually becomes today. Truth is this rarely, if ever, happens. Postpone life until retirement and you may not have the health to do what you have always wanted to do. We are only promised this moment. Today is all there is. Time is distributed in twenty-four hour increments. If you want to become an accomplished violin player, you will have to schedule time to take violin lessons and practice. If you want to become an author, you will have to set aside time to actually put words on a page. If you want to become a singer, you have to dedicate time to take lessons, attend rehearsals, and practice for hours on your own (that’s what showering is for, I suppose). If you want to be proficient in German or Japanese, you have to invest time every day learning the language of your choice. If you want a vibrant marriage, you have to plan time to be with your spouse when you are not talking about grocery lists, kids, electric bills, or college tuition. If sometime when someday actually arrives you want to accomplish something, you have to start investing time today. As Jesus taught his disciples in John 9:4, “We must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” Capitalize on the days God gives you, and invest them wisely.
Our weekly allotment of 168 hours is a large enough sample size to develop an accurate assessment of where our time actually goes. Intentionally planned blocks of 168 hours are sufficient to accommodate the major responsibilities of life: Full-time employment, quality family time, rejuvenating hobbies, physical exercise, engaged worship, sacrificial service, and adequate sleep. In my mind, all of these are essential to the Christian life. Can you carve out four hours out of 168 to exercise? Can you spend five hours out of 168 learning a new language or training for a marathon? Can you invest six hours out of 168 into your family? Can you sacrifice 3 hours out of 168 to worship the God who created you? Research has shown that many people who believe they work way too much don’t actually work as many hours as they think. There are also those who work entirely too much because they are terribly inefficient. But let’s be honest, neither of these are time management problems. They are misconception problems or self-discipline problems. If you want to optimize your 168 hours each week while living in this severely distracted world, you are going to need a daily dose of Holy Spirit empowered self-discipline.
My dear friend, God has lovingly set boundaries around your life; you will only live on this earth for a particular season, and your opportunities will arise within these boundaries. You will live for a fixed period of time “as it is appointed for man to die once” (Hebrews 9:27). You have a divine appointment with your Savior on the day of your death. What will you do today to redeem the time you have left on this earth? How will you invest the life God has given you? How many opportunities will you let skate by before you start being a good steward of your time? Truth is, you are running out of time. This is why you must redeem every precious second the good Lord entrusts to you.
[1] Charles E. Hummel, Freedom from Tyranny of the Urgent (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 1997), 31.
[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gift-cards-unspent-christmas-2023/. Accessed: February 22, 2026.
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