“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

Are we a prisoner of time?  Yes, unfortunately we are bound by time… Since we are frail creatures, time is for us a blanket of protection. Most of us want always to be the one who calls the shots, forgetting that there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. [Ecclesiastic3:1]

If we stop and think for a moment, our time on earth is fleeting — in fact, it is miniscule compared to eternity.  In our limited mindset, time can be a tyrant, ticking away relentlessly.

If we instead choose to live as God would have us live, we make the best possible use of our time.

The first step in order to manage our use of time is to seek God’s grace, yoking His plans with ours.

After all, He is the one who gives us the time. Knowing that we will have to give an account of our time to Him should motivate us to use it well.

How can we learn to master time, rather than allowing time to master us? Time well spent is a gift from God. The Bible teaches us to pray like Moses prays, [Psalm 90:12], “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”.

The apostle James echoes this: “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” [James 4:14].

And Paul cautioned the saints, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” [Ephesians 5:15–16]. Living wisely involves using our time carefully.

This can only be done when you focus your attention on God, seeking His presence the present time — it’s neither done in the past, nor in the future.

As you begin to change your focus, you will notice that the demands of time will begin to diminish.

There are great changes that can occur when you spend time with God. In God’s presence is the only place where you can become more like Christ. Once you spend time with God, He not only changes you, but also creates in you an appreciation of the value of time. The world will be astonished to see fruit that grows in your life when you have been in the presence of God through Jesus Christ.