Are You Spending Your Life on What Matters?
Ephesians 5:15-16 “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
I really liked this verse and wanted to talk to you about it today because I am not sure we realize how important time is. It matters how we spend our time. The first part of this verse talks about how we need to make sure we are walking circumspectly, not as fools but as wise. Circumspectly is a fancy way to say we need to think carefully before we act. This is hard for us sometimes. I feel like I say this a lot, but I think it is so important that we all become aware of it. We go through life on autopilot. There is so much of our day we spend just going through the motions. We aren’t actually making a lot of the decisions as we go through our day. We have all formed habits, good ones and bad ones, and those habits are what make a lot of the decisions for us.
It sounds like this is not a new problem. I think from the beginning of time this was a problem. We tend to default to whatever we have done in the past. It is not easy to always walk circumspectly. It requires us to pause and think before we do something. This is contrary to how we live out our day-to-day moments. Do you stop and think before you eat your breakfast? Do you stop to think if whatever you’re about to eat is actually the best thing for you to eat? Is it something that will nourish your body, or is it something you are just in the habit of eating? What about how you spend your time in the mornings? Are you spending this precious time in a way that is going to set your day up for success, or are you looking at your phone and then reacting to whatever you saw on your phone?
It is important that we look at how we are spending our time and try to stop and think before we do anything. I have been much more aware of how I am spending my time lately. I am trying to be more focused and stay on task better. I am trying to spend my time more wisely. However, I am finding it is very hard. I find myself slipping into old habits throughout the day. For instance, I will pick up my phone and check my email so many times throughout the day. I do not have a ton of important emails coming in throughout the day. I could easily spend 15-30 min at the end of the day and go through all my emails and be good for the day. However, I am in the habit of checking them, so I do. This is something I am working on changing.
I read something one time that said we all think our time is our own. However, it is a gift from God and one day He is going to want us to give a full account of how we spent His gift. I don’t know about you, but I thought this was pretty powerful. If you knew one day you would have to answer for how you spent your time, would you spend it differently? Would you spend as much time on that video game, or watching those Facebook or YouTube videos? Would you still binge-watch all 8 seasons of that TV show during work hours if you knew you would have to explain your actions to God someday? I ask that question in a loving way. I don’t picture God asking us in a very condemning way. I can picture Him asking us in a loving way. More of a response to us asking why we didn’t get to do all the things we wanted to do. God has amazing plans for each one of us, and no matter where we are on this journey of life, it is important to take a minute and think about how we are spending this precious time that God has given us. There is a song I love, and it talks about this very topic. It is called “Spend a Life” By David Dunn. (CLICK HERE) I will put a link to this song in the show notes, and I highly recommend you take a minute and listen to this awesome song. I am going to take a minute to read you the lyrics, no, not sing them, don’t worry. I think you all need to hear them, and I know we are all busy, so most of you probably won’t listen to the song.
Spend a Life by David Dunn
Everybody's got a balance
But no one knows how much
There's no way to run the numbers
No way to count it up
And we're pouring out our fortunes
In the moments
Both the big and the small
Yeah we gotta spend it all
All I have is what You gave
Watching seconds turn to days
I was made for more then just to watch it fly
A few more turns around the sun
Could be hundreds, could be one
Show me how to spend the treasure of my time
Show me how to spend a life, yeah
Show me how to spend a life
I have never seen a tombstone
Say I didn't work enough, nah
Nobody ever heard a father say
I held my kids too much
God I wanna run after
What really matters
So remind me when I fall
How a good man spends it all
Don't let me waste it
Don't let lose it
Don't let me steal it for myself
No, no
I know it's precious
I know it's priceless
I know my time is flying by
Show me how to spend a life
'Cause all I have is what You gave
Watching seconds turn to days
I was made for more then just to watch it fly
A few more turns around the sun
Could be hundreds, could be one
Show me how to spend the treasure of my time, yeah
Show me how to spend a life, yeah
Wow, did that hit you as it hit me? I got teary-eyed just thinking about all this song talks about. None of us know how much time we have. I love when the song talks about trips around the sun, and he says, could be hundreds, could be one. This is so true, and as much as I don’t think it is helpful to constantly be thinking about our death, I do think it is healthy to occasionally look at how we are living our lives and ask ourselves, would we be proud of how we lived our lives if we were to die tomorrow? Sometimes we put things off, and we say we just need to do x, y, or z, and then we will do the things we really want to do. We know in our hearts we aren’t prioritizing this correctly, and yet we tell ourselves we only have to do this for a few more years, just until we get that promotion, just until we make more money, just until…But we aren’t guaranteed anything. What if we lived our lives with the realization that tomorrow is not a given? What if we woke up each day grateful God blessed us with another day and then lived it as the gift it really is? What if we thought about how we are spending our time and consciously chose how we wanted to spend it? What if we realized we only get a finite amount of time and so we live each moment as if it is a precious gift? What if we stopped putting things off and did them right when we wanted to? Would your life be any different if you started walking into your days circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise? How can you redeem the time you have been given?
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, help us to notice how we are spending our time. Help us to take back control of our time. Lord, I know I really struggle with wasting time, and I know I can’t be the only one who struggles with this; please help us, Lord. We ask the Holy Spirit to nudge us when we are wasting time and help to bring us back on track. We ask you to help us realize how important our time is. We ask you to help us realize how finite our time is, but not in an anxious way where we stress out. We ask you to help us see it in a helpful way so we can take advantage of every minute you have given to us. Help us to be grateful for each and every precious second you give us, Lord. You are truly amazing, and we are so grateful for you. You are the light of the world, and the word made flesh. You are so kind to give us so many wonderful days; help us appreciate them more. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name. Amen.
Thank you for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. Share: Who is one person God is placing on your heart right now? Send this episode to them and let Him do the rest. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Remember Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in January 2026 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “What I want from you is hearts purposed for love. Love is not easy, but love is the greatest gift that you and I can give to the world.”
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