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This blog post is Part 2 of a series entitled "The Philosophy Of Life" by Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith of Donelson First in Nashville, TN. 

Message Date: January 12, 2025

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You are only given so much of it. Before you draw your very first breath, there is a pre-determined amount given to you. No matter how well you take advantage of it, when it is gone, it is gone. It one day will be gone for us each. The portion allotted to you is distinct and unique for you. You can waste it; misuse it; take advantage of it; and wish for more of it... But, regardless of how you respond to or ignore its position in your life, there is nothing you can do to change the reality that every day you are afforded less and less of it...Too, your daily decision in how you use it, will immensely impact how you spend eternity.

To what do I refer? Time.

Prior to the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century, the sun truly guided people’s lives, both for the busy and the not-so busy. Days began when the sun appeared over the Eastern horizon. Days ended when the sun finally set over the Western skyline. Even after the first clocks were invented, most could not afford to purchase one. And even for those fortunate who owned a clock, there was no standardized way of setting them, nor keeping one clock in sync with another. Did you know that there were no time zones anywhere in the world until 1810? In the United States and across Europe, time zones were developed by train companies in the early 1800’s to organize rail schedules. It too was the railroad industry that encouraged people to begin wearing a time piece, specifically a pocket watch, in order to make their scheduled trains. However it would be well into the early 1900’s before the wristwatch would be adopted as a popular and useful commodity.

Oh my... how far we have come. Now my watch does so very much more for me than merely display the correct time. With this timepiece on my wrist, I can monitor my heartrate, order a pizza, unlock the doors to my home, and even place a call! Yet, no matter how inventive and imaginative we become as a humanity in the ways in which we parade time... there is no escaping the reality... Time is but a vapor... time is short.

1 Corinthians 7:29

And because this is true, the question for you to consider this morning is this:

How are you using the time with which you have been entrusted?

Consider this sobering reality: This moment in time comes only once. It is then forever gone... never to be yours again. The attribute of time is such an important one in consideration of the philosophy of life by which you live. Paul wrote this beautifully fashioned statement about time to the Church in Ephesus:

Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. Ephesians 5:15-16

Until you comprehend the significance of time in your life, and learn to manage it well, you will never manage yourself well. Adopting the proper life philosophy as it relates to the usage of time in one’s life is one of the most important responsibilities of the follower of the Christ. Learning to steward your time well in this life is a priceless skill set... a commodity never wasted! The Christ follower is to be a practiced and proficient manager of time. The goal of the Christian should not be a longer life. Consider our Savior; His life was a short 33 years. Instead, the goal of the Christian should be an intentional life... a life incessantly aware of the brevity of time.

At the young age of 10, John Quincy Adams, in a letter to his father, John Adams, penned these words: “I wish, Sir, you would give me some instructions with regard to my time, and advise me how to proportion my Studies with my Play, in writing, and I will keep them by me and endeavor to follow them. I am, dear Sir, with a present determination of growing better.” John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States of America

Time is the most unique and odd and fascinating of realities in your life. On the one hand, particularly, when you are younger, you often think: Time is on my side. Or... Why does time move so very slowly? Or... I can’t wait until the time comes for me to stay up later; begin driving; make my own decisions; go to college; get my own place. As you get older, your position on time begins to shift to such thoughts as... Time is not on my side. Or... It’s time to take my meds. Or... It’s 7:30pm. Isn’t it time to go to bed! 

You know what is really interesting about time is that, with God, He operates in a space all-together outside of time. He is before and after time. He is forever and ever. He proceeds time. He surpasses time. God is time-less. Yet, for the human, you most definitely operate within a span of time. And as such, there is a requirement upon you to use this time well. This has been the mantra of God’s plan since the beginning of time on earth for humanity. In actuality, the categorization of time into days happened with God’s very first act.

Genesis 1:3-5

And so, all that unfolds on Earth from this instance forward occurs within a span of time. And upon Creation of Earth’s first human, Adam, God immediately assigned Him a responsibility to be a good steward of the time given to him in the garden. We know this because, we are made aware that Adam’s time in this most beautiful of places will soon be cut short!

Genesis 2:19-20

At this moment in time, did God already know that Adam would soon disobey Him? Of course, He did! Yet notice. Even knowing that Adam would fail and that his time in the Garden would be short, God still gave Adam a timely responsibility – the naming of animals! There are two realities at play here for Adam. And the same must be noted by you today. Because God too knows of the areas in your life when you, just as did Adam, will fail Him. Yet, these realities are ever-true for you today:

1. God has an expectation for you that surpasses your limitations or shortcomings. You are going to fall. God knows this. Yet amazingly, God still has a plan for you! You see...

2. God has an expectation for you, regardless of such failures, that necessitates you to manage well your time. In the only Psalm directly attributed to Moses, Moses wrote about man’s responsibility with time. In one statement, he says so very much about the destiny of time:

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Number / Greek / mana / v. = to destine

Moses is saying these two realities as it relates to one’s life philosophy in relation to time: Treasure your days; they are fleeting. Time today shapes the destiny of your eternity. This is a big responsibility, y’all! To fathom the knowledge that your time, though short, impacts in so very many ways your eternal destiny... and may I say...  the eternity of others.

I want to pause and add a minor disclaimer... What I am about to share with you, I presume, is not anything you have not heard before... But I can guarantee you this: If you take these ideas that I am offering to you today and allow them to define your philosophy of life in the way in which you treasure, and manage, and revere your time in 2025... I can guarantee you... This will be your best year yet in life! “Now, really Jeffrey,” you may be thinking... “Bigger than graduation; landing my dream job; falling in love; having kids; finally reaching retirement?” I say, “Yes!”, because the common denominator in all of these life-altering moments and so very many more wonderfully invigorating seasons of your life in days gone and in days to come... Making the most of your time while on earth.

Because think about it… in between the moments of graduation, and landing your dream job, and falling in love, and having kids, and reaching retirement, is the moment by moment, day by day, year by year, season by season of life. And it is how you choose to make the most of these moments that truly defines the fullness of your life! Take note of this... If you do not manage well your time, attribute the time you have been given to the things in life that matter most, then no matter what earthly accomplishments you master, you will have missed the true reason for the time on earth with which you have been entrusted.

Last Sunday on the front lawn post-worship, I met a man who was visiting here @ DF for the first time. I asked him, “What got you here? How did you hear about Donelson First.” He said, with tremendous excitement, I must add: “I was at the laundry mat last week and I met a lady who asked me if I attended church.” He proceeded to tell me that he shared with her that he, in fact did not. He then said with exuberance: “She said, ‘You should visit Donelson First. Me and my husband attend there and love it.’” Well... the rest is history! He did exactly this!

What a great story of one who fully understands the importance of, as the Psalmist reminds us, to “number well the days” and simply invite another to church. Now... turn again to Paul’s words to the Church in Ephesus. Read with me Ephesians 5:15-16:

Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

Opportunity / Greek / Kairos / n. = the right time; the appointed time; the harvest time

Do y’all see this? Paul is reminding you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, that there is “the right time; appointed time; the harvest time” for you, and it is now while you are living! Use it well!

In Part 1 of this series, I shared with you 6 truths about you that are unequivocally and undeniably true about you. Throughout the next 14 weeks, I will often remind you of each:

1. Your personality and temperament is unique.
2. Your skill sets are customized to align with your disposition.
3. You are created to accomplish what no other human can achieve.
4. Your life, from beginning to end, is designed to fulfill God’s plan for you in a way solely distinct to you.
5. Your legacy can be whatever you desire. 
6. Your past will never change the way God will perceive you nor influence the way God will use you.

Today, I offer truth #7:

7. No matter how forcefully you pursue success in this life, if your life philosophy does not align with God’s, you are foolishly wasting your time.

So, how can you seize the moment – “the right time; the appointed time; the harvest time” - with which you have been entrusted and align your life philosophy with that of the Creator’s in stewarding well the time you have been given? Let me offer several thoughts:

1. Manage time well with an ordered calendar.

As we have established, time is an ordained gift with which your life has been entrusted. To properly steward well this gift, it is imperative to keep a managed calendar. I’ll tell you how I do this: I work hard to implement these 4 objectives when it comes to ordering my calendar:

Plan prayerfully. Stewarding well the time with which you have been entrusted requires calendar control. Every Monday, it is my goal to begin my week praying over my schedule for the week.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3

The word “establish” in the Hebrew means to “loyally secure!” Now... this does not mean that one’s calendar cannot nor should not be tweaked as needed. This happens to me all of the time. But, to the contrary, adjusting one’s calendar as needed is much easier managed when one’s calendar is, first, in order. If you are not doing so, I encourage you to begin tomorrow, Monday, dedicate time at the beginning of each week to pray over your schedule, seeking God’s guidance for your priorities. Another way to order your calendar is to: Look... you know this... if your life is not well-managed, life will manage you... fast! So...

Secure non-negotiables. Designate non-negotiables on your calendar, or you will constantly be managing your calendar by the expectations of others. This one is sometimes hard for those around you who insist that you must spend time with them and are easily agitated when you do not oblige. This is when you must remember - - you do not answer for how other’s use the “opportunity” - the right time; appointed time; harvest time – you only answer for how you use yours! One more way in which you can order your calendar:

Eliminate distractions. This is a critical step to healthy, eternal-value, calendar management. Removing unnecessary commitments and activities that do not contribute to God-purpose actions is difficult, but too, extremely necessary to a life philosophy that honors God at every turn.

Several years ago, a lady in our church requested that I meet with her to discuss some challenges she was having in her family relationships. I agreed to do so. We met once a week for 6 weeks. Along the way I helped her establish some healthy steps to begin implementing in these relationships, and too, notified her that, after our 6th meeting, we would not continue meeting regularly. At first, she was super upset with me that we would cease meeting weekly. But several weeks later, she approached me and thanked me saying:“Thank you for the time you gave me, and for encouraging me to step out on my own. I realized that I was beginning to use our time together as a crutch, rather than developing the courage to work through the steps you gave me on my own.” Had I continued meeting with her, I would have in fact been enabling her to rely on our time together, rather than helping her develop the skills necessary to work through these challenges on her own (and with the Lord.) I too would have allowed for a distraction that was not beneficial for either of us. Consider this question this morning:

What distractions are presently preventing you from better managing your time?

I encourage you as families to unpack this question in greater detail together this week. I too encourage you to take this question to prayer. So... not only are you to “Manage time well with an ordered calendar,” ... secondly:

2. Rely on Scripture to define your life philosophy for time.

Y’all, it is so very true... Daily communion with God helps align your plans with His will. If I could choose one question, just one question, of which I have been asked above all others in my 34 years of ministry, it would be this question: “Jeffrey, how do I discover God’s plan for my life?” Y’all, I will always, always, answer this question in this way: “Get – in – the – Word!”

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

If you are truly passionate about aligning God’s will for your life and the time God has given to you in this life... Get in the Word!

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

3. Immerse time in eternal work above all else.

Now, before I walk through this one... I want to prepare you – this one is really, really hard. Because this one rages against mostly everything we hear in American culture... and dare I say, too, even within the Church. I too want to say that there is no one, no one in the room, more devoted to my family, my wife, and my girls, than me. I am sure you would quickly say the same of yourself. However... Such devotion is always, and must always, be secondary to the time I give to the things of eternal value. I’ve had it said to me so very many times before: “Jeffrey, I am not going to lose my family over my work or my ministry.” Well, I agree... that is the hope. But I also must say that such a mantra, though noble, is not biblical... it’s just not!

Now, of course, as Paul writes in Ephesians, I am to manage my household well as a leader – as a Godly father and husband; I am to remain united to and with my family! But the challenge does not end there! I am to couple this challenge with the sobering statements of Christ:

Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. Luke 9:23-24

If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even their own life - such a person cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26

Wowsie! Now, hear me clearly... these verses are not commanding me to so use my time on Earth in such a fashion that deliberately places me at odds with my family, my spouse and my children. Of course not! However, such verses do implore of me a willingness to do so, if such relationships come before my relationship with the Lord in any way. Look further at what Jesus said in Matthew:

Matthew 10:21-22

Matthew 10:35-39

We often view our lives, the use of our time, including those of us in ministry, through the lens of today’s western culture and comforts. But nowhere in Scripture is the Christian encouraged to consider one’s life philosophy merely through such a narrow view determined by one’s present situation and upbringing and religious experiences. Jesus did not embrace a life philosophy that purposefully separated him from family. But He did understand, that, to immerse time in eternal work above all, was the call on His life... and it too is the call on the life of every believer!  The life philosophy of Jesus was one immersed in eternal work above all else. As a matter of fact, the Savior said this in John 9:4:

As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. John 9:4

Day / Greek / hemra / n. = period of time

Jesus confirms that my days, your days, all of our days are numbered; they are but a period of time! Here... and then gone. How you choose to use the time you have been given each day is ultimately defined by the life philosophy you embrace. So... in actuality: I possess the proper life philosophy for my family of love and devotion when I immerse time in eternal work above all else.

Lastly, I offer this point - - aligning your life philosophy with that of the Creator’s in stewarding well the time you have been given must include your willingness to:

4. Cultivate time for rest and renewal.

Work hard. Play often. Rest well. Take these ever-familiar words with you today:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

Moments of solitude with the Lord can refresh your soul like nothing else ever can nor will. But listen y’all... if you do not calendar these times, these times will come fewer and fewer and you will be consumed more and more with the busy of life. If you want to live well, serve well, and do well the work of the Lord, you must calendar time to rest and renew well with the Lord. What does this look like? Well, there are uniquely countless and innumerable ways you can cultivate purposeful times of rest and renewal with God. 

Here are two I do well and one for which I am striving in 2025.

Establish daily time with God.

You will never arrive at your fullest potential for all God has for you if you are not purposefully consecrating a daily time of rest and renewal with God. Some might say, “Well, Pastor, that doesn’t sound like rest! Rest involves my feet up, my head back, and my eyes closed.” Yet, ironically, such rest and renewal can only be found in God. The Psalmist wrote words reminding you of how very refreshing time with God can be when he stated:

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Y’all, even but a brief daily moment with God can refresh your spirit and realign your focus.

Practice Sabbath rest.

The Sabbath day is not merely a weekly task to box check. It is instead a specific day for intentional rest and renewal as you avoid work and distractions and engage in the exercise of refreshing your soul. This is what this day is all about for the Christ-follower. God so understood humanity’s need for such that He added this to His top ten list of commandments He inscribed with His very own finger on tablets He gave to the nation of Israel atop the Mountain of God:

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. Exodus 20:8-10

Engage in personal worship.

Worship is such a de-stressor, because it shifts the focus of your busy and hectic life onto a holy and gracious God who awaits time with you. Personal worship – singing, meditating, walking, reading Scripture, praying – all of this helps you take the time to focus on the ways of God rather than the stresses of life.

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16

Ask yourself: Which of these attributes has the potential to lighten the load of stress in your life and replace such inner anxiety with peace and gratitude as you shift your perspective to a greater level of purposeful time with God in 2025?

Time is a difficult concept. And it often takes a lifetime of learning to manage well the time with which you have been entrusted. But too, note... it is gravely foolish to adopt the mantra, “I have all the time in the world.” The thing about time... there is no guarantee of tomorrow! If you fashion your life philosophy by learning now to master the management of time, you will have accomplished a feat few ever do!

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Jeffrey Dean Smith is a husband, father to Bailey & Brynnan, author, and the Senior Pastor at Donelson First in Nashville, TN. If you are in Music City, meet Jeffrey and enjoy iced tea on the front lawn each Sunday at 10:30a.