Posted on May 16, 2008
Blog: May 16, 2008 24 / 168 / 8,760 Hours Yes, that is the number hours in a day, a week, and a year. Have you ever broken a week down and see where those hours go? For most of us between work and sleep we consume 75% of those hours during the work week. Seventeen to eighteen hours a day. That leaves us roughly six or so hours a day to do other tasks. So, where does that leave us concerning study of the word of God and the time allocated to that command as Christians? The weekend gives us a more favorable time allocation. We now have fifteen to sixteen hours of time we can decide how we are going to prioritize. It’s the weekend; a time for you right? It’s a time to get at those projects around the house or maybe just relax. Maybe you fish or golf. We tell ourselves we deserve those activities. Those things are not evil or unchristian. However, without the biblical balance our time allocation can get out of balance. In chapter 12 of “Confessions” I take a more detailed look at how we need to look at time in light of Scriptures. We need time to study God’s Word. As Christians we are commanded to be good stewards of all that God gives us including time. Each one of us is given the same set amount of time. There are twenty four hours in a day; (168 hours in a week-8,760 hours in a year). What is important is how we use the precious gift of time. How much of a priority is the study of God’s Word in your life? You can examine yourself by making an accurate review of how much time you devote to studying the Scriptures. Are you a ten percent person, (2.4 hr a day)? Maybe you’re a five percent person, (1.2 hr a day). Could it be that your only exposure to the Scriptures is Sunday morning? Look at these statistics for the average American:
- 3.7 hours a day watching TV
- 1.5 hours a day “day dreaming.”
- 1 hour a day idle talk.
Where are you as a Christian concerning your gift of time? Are you an average American? We are commanded to redeem the time. Take the gift of time and honor God. In able to do so, you are going to have to put together a plan. Let me take the liberty to help here. The plan must have these points:
- Purpose / (Honor God with my time)
- Prioritize / (I need to prioritize study time-what’s #one)
- Discipline / (commitment to plan, accountability)
- Act / The first three above will help you to ACT not re-act.
- Persevere / The continuation of your plan
Write it down and review it everyday. It will actually become a God honoring habit.