God is not looking for men who will give Him their spare time… but for those who will give Him the first place.— Oswald Chambers
We are so occupied with the urgent that we forget the important.— Charles Hummel
Time is one of the greatest gifts God has given us, and one of the easiest to misplace. Each day arrives with the same quiet offering: moments that can either be spent or stewarded. Scripture calls us not just to live, but to live wisely, to recognize that time is not endless, and that how we use it shapes what our lives become.
This brings us to a familiar scene. Jesus enters a home, and two sisters respond to Him in different ways. Martha opens her home and begins to serve, attending to all that hospitality requires. Mary, however, sits at His feet and listens to His words. Both responses seem right, but only one is called necessary.
When Martha, overwhelmed and distracted, asks Jesus to correct her sister, His answer is gentle but revealing: ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion…’ (Luke 10:41-42).
Martha’s service was not wrong. In fact, Scripture often commends acts of generosity and hospitality. The issue was not her service, it was her distraction. What began as something good became something consuming. Her concern, her anxiety, and perhaps her desire to get everything ‘just right’ pulled her attention away from the very One she was serving.
Mary, on the other hand, discerned the moment. She recognized that this was not an ordinary visit. The opportunity to sit, listen, and receive from Jesus was not something to be postponed. She chose what Jesus called the good portion, something eternal, something that would not be taken away.
Here we begin to see the tension we all live with, not between good and evil, but between what is good and what is necessary.
Life is filled with responsibilities. There are tasks to complete, people to care for, and plans to manage. But without discernment, even good things can crowd out what matters most. Sometimes it is not sin that pulls us away, it is excess. Too much activity. Too much concern. Too much attention given to what is temporary, at the expense of what is eternal.
This is why Scripture calls us to understand the times. The New Testament uses two words for time. Chronos speaks of the passing of hours and days, what we measure and schedule. Kairos speaks of appointed moments, God-given opportunities that carry purpose and weight.
To live wisely is to recognize both. To move through our days faithfully, while also discerning when God is inviting us into something deeper. Like the sons of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel ought to do, we are called to live with spiritual awareness, to recognize what this moment requires of us.
And this moment matters.
There is a sense of urgency in Scripture, not panic, but purpose. God is at work, and He is preparing a people who will walk closely with Him, bear fruit, and reflect His nature. But this kind of life is not accidental. It is formed in time, through attention, through surrender, and through choosing Him again and again.
Even creation teaches us this. Consider the ant, as Proverbs invites us to do. Without external pressure or visible leadership, it lives with order, diligence, and awareness of season. It prepares in advance. It works in rhythm. It does what is necessary when it is time to do it.
How much more should we, who have the Spirit of God within us, learn to order our lives with wisdom?
There are two dangers we must watch for. One is the distraction of sin, easier to recognize, but still powerful. The other is more subtle, good things done at the wrong time or in the wrong measure. For Martha, it was too much serving. For the sluggard in Proverbs 6, it was too much sleep. For those who refused the banquet, it was misplaced priorities. For us, it may be endless activity, constant noise, too much ‘cleaning,’ or overthinking, things that seem harmless but quietly consume the time meant for God.
So the call is simple, to redeem the time.
Not by doing more, but by choosing better. By giving God not what is left over, but what is first. By learning to build rhythms that make space for Him, not occasionally, but consistently.
Because a fruitful life is not built in a moment. It is built in daily, faithful, intentional time with Him.
God is doing something beautiful in this season. But every season has its purpose, and wisdom is knowing how to respond. When we align our time with His priorities, we begin to see what He is forming in us, something lasting, something fruitful, something that brings Him pleasure.
So today, consider this gently but honestly, how are you using the time you have been given?
What fills your days? What shapes your attention? What consistently takes the place that belongs to Him?
The invitation is not to abandon responsibility, but to reorder it. To seek first the King and trust that everything else will find its rightful place through His guidance and help.
Lord, teach me to steward my time with wisdom. Show me what is necessary, and give me grace to choose it. Help me to lay aside distractions, whether obvious or subtle, and to make room for You in my daily life. Let my time with You shape who I become, and let my life bear fruit that remains. Amen.