Learning to Tell Time
Redeemed by the Blood of Christ
Scripture Anchor:
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household.”
— Ephesians 2:19
I remembered the shock I felt when I realized some students did not know how to tell time without the digital clocks on the school wall.
Even Today, I see high school students look at the wall clock and struggle to read it. They pause, look again, and then ask, “What time is it?”
And the teacher graciously tells them.
But as I thought about it more, I realized something humbling.
I, too, did not truly learn how to tell time until I began working in schools and, even more so, when I began attending Bible study.
It was not only the schools that taught me about time. It was the teachers who used their time wisely.
Each class period is about ninety minutes long. Those minutes are set apart to teach, answer questions, learn, study, correct, and grow. And I have seen how frustrating it can be for a teacher when that time is wasted.
Time is a gift.
Time is a stewardship.
Time is an opportunity.
And once it passes, we cannot call it back.
That makes me think about my own life. I think about the time I wasted. The lessons I missed. The wisdom I ignored. The seasons I spent walking in foolishness. There are minutes, years, and opportunities I cannot redeem by going back and doing them differently.
But thanks be to God, I have been redeemed by the blood of Christ.
In Ephesians 2, Paul reminds us that we were once separated from Christ. We were excluded, strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.
That is a sobering picture.
Without Christ, we were not merely late to class. We were outside the household altogether. We did not know the time of grace. We did not understand the promise. We did not recognize the Cornerstone.
But God.
Through Jesus Christ, we are brought near.
My own strength cannot recover the time I wasted. But my life has been redeemed by His mercy. I am no longer a foreigner. I am no longer a stranger. I am no longer without hope and without God in the world.
I am a citizen of His Kingdom.
I am a member of His household.
I am built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone.
That means my past does not get the final word.
Foolishness may have wasted time, but grace has redeemed my life.
Sin may have separated me, but Christ has brought me near.
Ignorance may have delayed me, but mercy has taught me.
And now, I want to learn how to number my days with wisdom.
I want to use the time I have left well.
To listen.
To learn.
To Love.
To serve.
To teach when I can.
To ask questions when I need help.
To sit humbly at the feet of Jesus and let Him show me what time it is.
It is time to wake up.
It is time to walk wisely.
It is time to remember that every moment belongs to the LORD.
And it is time to give thanks.
Because in Christ, I am no longer outside looking in.
I am home.
Sacred Pause
Ask gently before the LORD:
How am I using the time God has given me Today?
Is there a place where I need to stop wasting time and begin walking in wisdom?
Prayer of Repentance and Redeemed Time
Heavenly Father,
I come before You in the Name of Jesus Christ. Forgive me for the time I have wasted, the wisdom I have ignored, and the lessons I refused to learn when You were patiently teaching me.
Forgive me for the seasons I walked in foolishness, leaned on my own understanding, or lived as though time belonged to me.
Thank You for redeeming me by the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank You that I am no longer a foreigner or stranger, but a citizen of Your Kingdom and a member of Your household.
Lord, teach me to number my days with wisdom. Help me use my time well. Help me listen, learn, serve, and walk humbly with You.
Let Christ Jesus be the Cornerstone of my life. Build me up in truth, grace, Love, and obedience.
Redeem what can be redeemed. Heal what has been broken. Teach me what I still need to learn.
May the time I have left bring glory to You.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Amen.