AUGUST 2026

Monthly Newsletter

Stewardship of Our Time: Living Each Day for God’s Purpose

Jean-Michel Etienne, Ph.D.

Time is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us. Unlike money, possessions, or opportunities, time cannot be saved, regained, or replaced; we all get twenty-four hours each day, and how we spend them reveals much about our priorities, our values, and our relationship with God.

Christian stewardship is usually linked to money, but biblical stewardship is much broader. It involves faithfully managing all that God has placed under our care—our bodies, abilities, relationships, influence, resources, and time. Hence the question that a Christian should ask is not merely 'How do I spend my time?' but instead 'How does God want me to use the time He has given us?'

1. Time Belongs to God

Christian stewardship rests on acknowledging that God is the owner and we are His stewards. The earth belongs to the Lord and to all that it contains, including the world and those who live in it. —Psalm 24:1, NKJV Since all things belong to God, He also has our time. Every morning we receive from our Creator another part of our life; we don't know how many days we will receive, but we are responsible for how we make use of the days we have. Moses prayed: Then teach us how to count the days, that we may obtain a wise heart. —Psalm 90:12, NKJV Thinking about the number of days we have doesn't mean that we live with anxiety about death; it means that we realize life is finite and therefore precious. The wisdom we have teaches us not only to fill our calendars but also to spend our lives on what is eternally important.

2. Time Is Life

Whenever we offer our time to another person, we are in effect giving them a part of our own life. In some cases, we can regain money we spend. Things we own can generally be replaced, but an hour once gone will never come back.

Ellen G. White strongly stresses this principle:

Ours is the time of God; each moment belongs to Him, and we have a most serious duty in improving it for His honor.
Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 342.

The Christian view of time management is thus altered: time is not merely something we arrange to be more productive, but something we set apart for God.

The Christian should therefore ask:

  • Does the manner in which I use my time honor God?

  • Am I not spending sufficient time on my relationship with Him?

  • Do I spend meaningful time with my family?

  • Am I using my gifts to help other people?

  • How much of my time vanishes into distractions which provide little value to my life?

  • Does my schedule actually reflect the things I say are most important?

Our calendars can act as spiritual mirrors and frequently show us our real priorities more clearly than our words do.

3. Scripture Calls Us to Redeem the Time

Paul gives Christians an important instruction: Then make sure that you walk with care, not like fools but like people who have wisdom, since you are to make the most of time for the days are bad. —Ephesians 5:15–16, NKJV To redeem time involves making sensible use of the opportunities which God provides. Paul goes on: So don't be foolish, but rather understand what the will of the Lord is. —Ephesians 5:17, NKJV Observe the connection: making good use of time is linked to understanding God's will. The aim is not just to be busier. One can have a full timetable and yet still overlook God's important priorities. What biblical time management involves is becoming purposeful, not just productive. He showed this quite clearly. The ministry that he carried out during his time on earth was very demanding since people continually wanted his attention; he had sick people to heal, disciples to teach, crowds to feed and communities to reach. Nevertheless, Jesus did not let the urgency of the situation take the place of priority. Mark records: In the morning, after he had woken up a long time before daybreak, he went out to a lonely place and prayed there. —Mark 1:35, NKJV Before having to meet the demands of the day, Jesus gave top priority to spending time with His Father. Since Jesus knew the need for prayer and for communion with His Father, shouldn't we too?

5. Beware of the Quiet Thieves of Time

People generally do not intentionally waste large parts of their lives; instead, they usually lose time bit by bit.

A few minutes add up to an hour, and an hour, when repeated every day, amounts to hundreds of hours in a year.

Modern technology has made this problem much harder. Smartphones, streaming services, social media, online news, games, notifications, and the endless amount of digital content constantly struggle to attract our attention.

Technology isn't automatically the enemy; we can use it in education, ministry, communication, and evangelism. The stewardship issue is whether we control the technology or it ends up controlling us.

Paul gives a useful principle:

Everything is lawful to me, but all things are not beneficial... I shall not allow myself to be subjected to any.
—1 Corinthians 6:12, NKJV

A useful personal question is:

Is this activity aiding me in carrying out God's purpose for my life or is it instead occupying time which should be given to more important things?

There is a rightful place for entertainment and recreation. Rest should not be considered as wasted time since God made human beings with a need for renewal. The difficulty occurs when recreation turns into an excessive distraction.

 

7. Stewardship of Time Includes Rest

Faithful stewardship does not mean working all the time.

God Himself established a rhythm of work and rest at Creation:

On the seventh day God completed the work which He had performed and then rested on that seventh day.
—Genesis 2:2, NKJV

The Sabbath is one of the main lessons that God gives us about time, since every seventh day he asks us to cease from ordinary work and to remember that our lives do not entirely rely on our productivity.

The Sabbath declares:

God is Creator.
God is Provider.
God owns my life.
The identity I have is more important than my work.
I am able to stop since I have faith in Him.

It allows us to regain our responsibilities having renewed ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Rest is thus not the opposite of stewardship; proper rest is in fact part of faithful stewardship.

9. From Time Management to Purpose Management

When considering time from a Christian perspective, one should go beyond asking, "How can I achieve more?"

A better question is:

What is my task as God has called me to accomplish?

Jesus prayed near the conclusion of His earthly ministry:

I have praised You upon the earth and have completed the work which You have given Me to do.
—John 17:4, NKJV

What a remarkable statement.

He never claimed to have done all that could be done; sick people still existed in the world, some cities still needed the gospel, and people were still seeking his attention.

He could still say, "I have completed the work which You have given Me to do."

That must be the aim of ours.

It is not the case that one does everything to be successful.

Success consists in faithfully carrying out what God has entrusted to us.

11. The 168-Hour Stewardship Challenge

Each week has 168 hours.

For a period of one week, keep a record of how you spend your hours, including time spent sleeping, working, commuting, worshipping, being with your family, eating, exercising, watching television, using social media, engaging in recreation, carrying out ministry, praying, studying the Bible, and all other activities.

Then prayerfully ask:

Does the amount of time I have used—168 hours—show what kind of person God is calling me to be?

Don't tackle the exercise with guilt; instead, treat it as a responsibility. Pick one or two reasonable changes that will make your schedule more in line with your spiritual priorities.

Redirecting just thirty minutes each day totals over 180 hours a year, so small daily choices can lead to important spiritual, relational, and personal outcomes.

4. Give God the First and Best of Your Time

A fundamental principle of stewardship is that God should receive whatever remains after everything else is done.

Although many Christians would like to pray, study the Bible, spend time with their family, exercise, serve others, or take part in ministry, these things are usually put off until the end of the day after work, following entertainment, social media, television, and a great number of other daily commitments.

When it comes to what matters most, almost no time or energy is left.

Jesus taught:

So look first to the kingdom of God and to His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.
—Matthew 6:33, NKJV

The word first matters.

To give God priority is to deliberately organize our lives around our relationship with Him, rather than trying to fit Him into the spaces left over.

Ellen White counsels believers to cultivate disciplined use of their hours and moments:

He will not demand a more rigorous account from us regarding the matter for which He has given us no talent.
Christ's Object Lessons, p. 342

Time is therefore not a small matter in the context of stewardship; it is one of the main resources by means of which all the other forms of stewardship occur.

We need time to worship.

We need time to provide service.

We have to take time to develop our talents.

We need time to look after our health.

We need time to strengthen our marriages.

We need time to bring up our children.

We need time to encourage other people.

We need some time if we are to take part in God's mission.

In the end, how we manage our time determines how we manage almost everything else.

6. Stewardship of Time Includes Our FamiliesThis is the heading

A truly sorrowful possibility is achieving public success while ignoring the people closest to us.

A person can financially support their children without being emotionally involved. A husband or wife can be physically present at home yet always be occupied with their phone. A church leader can spend a great deal of time helping others while failing to attend to their own family.

Scripture teaches:

These words that I am commanding you to remember must be kept firmly in your heart, and you must teach them thoroughly to your children.
—Deuteronomy 6:6–7, NKJV

You need to spend time to build healthy relationships with children.

Listening requires time.

Teaching requires time.

Creating memories requires time.

One of the most spiritual things we can do is to put the phone down, switch off the television, stop working, and pay full attention to the person we love.

8. There Is a Time for Every Purpose

Ecclesiastes reminds us:

There is a season for everything and a time assigned to every activity under heaven.
—Ecclesiastes 3:1, NKJV

Healthy stewardship requires balance.

It is appropriate to work and appropriate to rest.

There is a time for speaking and a time for listening.

There is a time to be engaged in one's ministry and a time to spend with one's family.

There is a time for action and a time for reflection.

There is a time to be with other people and a time to be alone with God.

The problem is not just carrying out good actions; it is learning to do the right things at the right time for the right reasons.

We have to say no to a good thing so we can say yes to one God regards as more important.

10. A Practical Christian Time-Stewardship Plan

A simple approach drawn from the Bible can change how we spend our days.

  1. Start the day with God.

    Before you let news, work, or social media draw your attention, take meaningful time to pray and study Scripture.

  2. Identify your priorities which have been given to you by God.

    Think about how you relate to God, to your family, to your health, to your work, to your ministry, to other relationships, and to your own personal development.

  3. Before the day takes control of you, make a plan by asking each morning, "What are the most important things that God would like me to achieve today?"

  4. Establish boundaries around distractions.

    Set deliberate limits on activities such as social media, television, unnecessary browsing, and other time-wasters that don't lead to any significant benefit.

  5. Schedule what matters.

    Don't just hope prayer, exercise, time with your family, Bible study, and ministry will happen; plan them into your calendar.

  6. Learn to say no.

    Each time you say yes, it takes up time, since agreeing to one activity means turning down another.

  7. Include rest.

    Honor the physical and emotional boundaries that God has put into the human body.

  8. Take time to review your day with God.

    In the end, ask yourself where you have properly used your time, where you have wasted it, and what changes you should make tomorrow?

12. We Will Give an Account of Our Stewardship

The lesson about the talents Jesus gives in Matthew 25 shows that those who serve God are responsible for what has been placed in their charge. Although the parable specifically refers to resources entrusted to people, the principle of stewardship applies more broadly to our lives.

One day, the question will not be how busy we were, how many meetings we attended, how many emails we answered, or how much entertainment we consumed.

The greater question will be:

What did we do with the life God gave us?

Did we love?

Did we serve?

Did we grow?

Did we invest in our families?

Did we share Christ?

Did we develop the abilities God entrusted to us?

Did we prepare ourselves and others for eternity?

The faithful steward longs to hear the Master's words:

"Well done, good and faithful servant."
—Matthew 25:23, NKJV

Conclusion: Make Your Time Count for Eternity

Time is more than minutes on a clock. It is the substance from which life is made. Every morning, God places another day in our hands. We cannot keep it. We cannot save it for tomorrow. We must spend it. The only question is how. Ellen White's reminder deserves to remain in our hearts: “Our time belongs to God. Every moment is His.” —Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 342 Christian stewardship therefore calls us to surrender not only our money but also our calendars, schedules, priorities, and daily routines to God. Let our prayer be: “Lord, my time belongs to You. Teach me to number my days. Help me distinguish the urgent from the important, distraction from purpose, and busyness from faithfulness. Give me wisdom to invest my days in You, my family, my health, your mission, and the people You have called me to serve. When my life's work is finished, may I be able to say, like Jesus, ‘I have finished the work which You have given me to do.’ Amen.” A Final Stewardship Question Before beginning each day, ask: “If today were a gift placed directly into my hands by God, how would He want me to use it?” Then live accordingly—because today is exactly that gift.