He was a good man. He had a wonderful attitude and was always pleasant to be around. He sang while he worked, told funny stories, and regularly expressed his appreciation for the job. In many ways, he was exactly the kind of person you would enjoy having on your crew.

However, we had one serious problem.

One day he might paint thirty doors. The next day, working the same number of hours, he might paint only two. The quality of his work was not the issue. The problem was that he did not yet understand how his use of time affected everyone around him.

I tried to help him. I explained that every job had a schedule and a budget. Customers were depending on us. Other employees could not finish their work until he completed his. If we took too long, the company lost money.

I was not asking him to become a machine. I was asking him to understand that his time affected more than himself.

Unfortunately, he was unable to make the necessary changes, and I eventually had to let him go.

I have thought about that experience many times. It taught me something about time that reaches far beyond running a painting company:

How we use our time affects other people.

That is especially true in ministry.

Time Is a Gift From God

The Bible begins with the words, “In the beginning.”

Before Scripture tells us what God created, it places creation within time. Genesis then shows God working in an orderly progression. There was an evening. There was a morning. There was a first day, a second day, and another day after that.

Throughout Scripture, we see that God works according to times and seasons.

Galatians 4:4 says:

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…”

Jesus understood this. He knew there was a time to work, a time to withdraw and pray, a time to speak, and a time to remain silent. He never appeared hurried, but neither was He careless with the time the Father had given Him.

That distinction is important.

Valuing time does not mean that we must always be busy. Busyness is not the same thing as fruitfulness. A full calendar is not proof that we are accomplishing the will of God.

Sometimes the best use of our time is:

• Working faithfully

• Praying and listening to God

• Sitting quietly with our spouse

• Listening to one of our children

• Helping someone who needs us

• Stepping away to rest

The question is not simply, “Did I stay busy today?”

The better question is, “Did I faithfully use the day God gave me?”

Your Time Affects Others

A pastor’s time never belongs only to him.

How you use your time affects your family, your church, your leadership team, and the people God has called you to reach.

If you continually postpone important decisions, someone else is left waiting.

If you fail to prepare, someone else must carry the weight of your lack of preparation.

If you spend every evening working, your family pays for the time you gave to everyone else.

If you never rest, the people around you will eventually receive a tired, impatient, and spiritually depleted version of you.

Our time affects other people.

There are moments when ministry requires sacrifice. Every pastor understands that. Emergencies do not ask whether it is a convenient time to arrive. People experience crises. Families need help. Sermons must be prepared. Decisions must be made.

But we must be careful that constant urgency does not become our normal way of life.

Not everything demanding your attention deserves your time.

Not every ringing phone must be answered immediately.

Not every problem belongs to you.

Not every opportunity is an assignment from God.

Learning to say no is not always selfish. Sometimes saying no to one thing is the only way you can say yes to what God has actually called you to do.

Time Is More Than Money

We have all heard the expression, “Time is money.”

I understand what that means. As a business owner, I knew that wasted time cost the company money. But time is far more valuable than money.

If you lose money, you may be able to earn it again.

You cannot earn another yesterday.

Once an hour has passed, it is gone. You cannot save it, buy it back, or relive it. Time is one of the few resources God gives us one moment at a time.

That is why Paul wrote:

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

—Ephesians 5:15–16

To redeem the time is to recognize its value and use it wisely. It means we do not allow our days to be consumed by distractions, unnecessary conflicts, or activities that have nothing to do with our calling.

Pastor, you only have so many sermons to preach.

You only have so many opportunities to tell your family that you love them.

You only have so many conversations in which you can encourage a young minister.

You only have so many days to fulfill the calling God has placed on your life.

This is not meant to frighten us. It is meant to awaken us.

Do Not Confuse Hurry With Purpose

I will be honest. Waiting is difficult for me.

Waiting in a doctor’s office can feel painful. Waiting for a car to be repaired can seem like time that should have been used for something more productive. When you carry several responsibilities, you become aware of every minute.

But I have also had to learn that people are not interruptions and rest is not waste.

Jesus allowed people to interrupt His journey. He stopped for blind men, children, grieving families, and people everyone else wanted Him to ignore. He understood His purpose well enough to know which interruptions were actually divine appointments.

We need that same discernment.

Some of us need to stop wasting time.

Others need to stop feeling guilty every time they rest.

Some need more discipline.

Others need healthier boundaries.

Wisdom is knowing what the present moment requires.

Take an Honest Look at Your Time

Consider these questions:

• Where is your time going?

• How much of it is being spent on things that will matter five years from now?

• What continually consumes your attention without producing spiritual fruit?

• Are the people you love receiving your best, or only whatever remains after everyone else has taken their part?

• Are you making time to pray and hear from God?

• Are you so busy doing ministry that you no longer have time to be ministered to by Him?

• What is God asking you to give more time to?

• What is He asking you to release?

These are uncomfortable questions. I know because I must ask them of myself.

I have ambitions. I have projects. I have people who need me. If I am not careful, I can give every available minute to something that appears urgent while neglecting something that is truly important.

You cannot do everything.

You were never called to do everything.

But you are responsible for what God has placed in your hands.

Moses prayed:

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

—Psalm 90:12

That should be our prayer.

“Lord, teach me to value the days You have given me. Help me know when to work, when to wait, when to speak, when to listen, and when to rest. Do not let me spend my life on things that do not matter.”

Your time is limited, but that does not mean it is inadequate.

If God has called you, He has given you enough time to accomplish what He has truly assigned to you. You may not have enough time to satisfy every expectation, pursue every opportunity, or solve every problem.

But you have enough time to obey God.

Consider your time today.

Where is it being invested?

Where is it being wasted?

Who needs more of it from you?

What needs less?

You cannot change how you spent yesterday, but you can be a better steward of today.

Remember—it’s your time.

More importantly, it is time God has entrusted to you.

Related Ministry Resources

• Article: The Weight of the Chair — Encouragement for pastors carrying the responsibilities, pressures, and personal demands of leadership.

• Sermon Outline: What’s the Time? — A sermon about recognizing the value of the time God has given us and using it with eternity in view.

• Pastoral Resources: Visit PastoralHelps.com for books and practical training materials created to strengthen pastors and church leadership teams.

• Missions and Humanitarian Ministry: Learn how OpportunityHope.org is serving orphaned and at-risk children, pastors, families, and communities in India.

About Pastor James Smith

Pastor James Smith of Valparaiso, Indiana, is the founder of PreachIt.org, OpportunityHope.org, and PastoralHelps.com.

For more than two decades, he has equipped pastors and church leaders with sermon resources, practical leadership training, and encouragement for the challenges of ministry. His writing grows out of a burden to help pastors lead with wisdom, remain faithful to their calling, and develop healthy, growing churches.

Through OpportunityHope, Pastor Smith also helps care for orphaned and at-risk children in West Bengal, India. The ministry provides food, shelter, education, clean-water wells, livestock, and other practical assistance to children, families, pastors, and communities in need.

Books and practical ministry-training resources, including Momentum in Ministry, are available through PastoralHelps.com.