We are all allotted a certain amount of years and time in life. In Psalm 90, David reminds us of the brevity of life and instructs us to “number our days” and to pray for God to “teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NLT).

We will give an account to God on how we invest our time. (I Peter 4:10, 12-17) Some people kill time, waste time, do time, count time, or manage time. We need wisdom to know the time (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). We are to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16). Let’s consider some aspects of time that will help redeem the time and be ready for the nick of time.

First – TIME IS SHORT. In high school I had a bumper sticker on the back of my 1955 blue Ford. It read, “Life is short but eternity is sure.” How little did I realize the reality of that phrase until my teenage brothers and a cousin were taken into eternity when a drunk driver hit their car head on. Many of my classmates thought they had a long life ahead of them. But many of them died in the service of our country, some to drug overdose, car accidents, disease, and, tragically, a few ended their lives by suicide.

David tells us that normally, “Seventy years are given to us! Some may even reach eighty. But even the best of years are filled with pain and trouble, soon they disappear and we are gone” (Psalm 90:10). (James 4:14)

Second – TIMES REDEMPTION. Time is too short to waste. We must redeem it. (Ephesians 5:16) Make the most of every opportunity. David tells us to make the most of our time so that we may grow in wisdom. (Psalm 90:12) Developing God’s wisdom within us will teach us how to live God’s way. We grow in wisdom as we spend quality time with God in prayer, Bible study, and doing God’s will. (Romans 12:1-2)

Take time for friends and family. Invest your time in people. Work always calls us. But we must make time for friends and family when they call, too. Consider this poem by Robert Frost.

A Time to Talk
When a friend calls to me from the road
An slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,
No, not as there is time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

Third – LIVE IN GOD’S TIME. God’s time zone is different than ours. God inhabits eternity. David had this view of God. “Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, you are God, without beginning or end” (Psalm 90:2 NLT). That is awesome! Then he exclaims, “For you, a thousand years are as yesterday! They are like a few hours!” (Psalm 90:4 NLT)

All the great men and women of God throughout history lived with eternity in view. They lived on God’s time. (Hebrews 11; I Peter 1:17) “Life’s time on earth will soon be past, only what’s done for God will last” (author unknown).

Fourth – IN THE NICK OF TIME. Someone once said, “God is never early and He’s never late, but He’s always on time.” In your time of need trust God to be on time. Christ came to our world and was born as a babe in Bethlehem in “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4-5). When we were without strength and “going down for the third time”, in the nick of time God sent His Son to be our Savior. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (Romans 5:6-11).

Fifth – TIME TO WAKE UP. (Romans 13:11 KJV) “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead and Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5:14). Some people are literally and spiritually sleeping their life away. Some foolishly put off their salvation until tomorrow. But tomorrow may never come. “Today is the day of salvation.” “How shall we escape if we neglect so great of salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3)

You can redeem the time by receiving the Redeemer. He will redeem the years and time wasted by “the locust and cankerworms” in our life. It’s time to seek the Lord. How do we receive the Redeemer?

A - Admit you have sinned. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

B - Believe in Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

C - Confess and leave your sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)