Time is the new commodity that everyone must have. We live in a fast-paced world that zaps our energy and our time.

If you don’t know a young family with two, three, or four children or more, you should get to know them at church or somewhere else. These folks have a difficult time getting everything done and raising children who know and love God.

This is not new. The Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (4 BC-AD 65) spoke about time: “No person hands out their money to passersby, but to how many do each of us hand out our lives! We’re tight-fisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers.” Thom Rainer of Lifeway Christian Resources says, “Time is the most precious resource your church members have.”

How do we live in a time like this? How do we slow the world so that we can live joyfully and peacefully?

First, recognize the power of this moment. Live now. As you interact with family, or listen to friends, or spend time in fellowship with other believers, live fully in this moment. After all, you only have this moment. We don’t have a promise of tomorrow. We only have this day.

Second, put everything in perspective. Recognize the value of people and moments and choose those valuable moments. Be careful with social media or other areas that gobble up our time.

Third, don’t waste your time or other people’s time.

As a church pastor, I think of this often. Don’t waste people’s time. Make sure we know what we are doing as a church and why we are doing it. Start on time and make the time count. (Remember, fellowship among believers is not a time waster!)

Learning to use time efficiently is a great exercise.

Fourth, recognize that the real “time” that counts is eternity. We should seek to get as many people to heaven with us as possible. We also need to remember the words of Jesus. “For what does it profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).

I love the way Jim Denison expressed this truth, “There are always enough hours in the days we give to God. So, the question is not whether we have enough time, but whether we will use fully the time that we have.”