They used to say that you could tell what a person values by looking at their checkbook. In other words, what people spend their money on reflects their interests and priorities. I realize that this saying does not have the same impact today when checkbooks are not used much, but the truth remains that we spend our money based upon our perceived personal benefit.
The same basic idea is true with how we spend our time. Do we engage in a lot of selfish or frivolous pursuits? Or do we involve ourselves in selfless endeavors to benefit others? Are we spending much time trying to improve ourselves or are we just feeding our base desires? Do we try to do the right thing or do we simply concede to doing the expedient thing?
Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” It is true that our time on earth is limited and we don’t know how many days we have. Numbering our days does not mean to stay busy all the time. It does mean making the right choices and doing the right things with our time and efforts. By making the right choices we learn wisdom and multiply the benefits to ourselves and others. However, to make these right choices we need help. God’s Word gives us the truth to base our decisions on. And God’s Spirit enables His children to do the right thing. Submitting to the Word of God and His Spirit, then, are the first steps to living wisely. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. “
Reluctant Retiree 