86,400 Seconds: Are You Investing or Wasting the Time God Has Given You?
What if every morning at 6:00 a.m., $86,400 was deposited into your bank account — but at the end of the day, whatever you hadn't used was gone forever? No rollover. No savings account. Just gone.
That illustration stopped many of us in our tracks this Sunday. Because that's not a hypothetical. That's exactly the life we're already living — only the currency is seconds, not dollars. We each receive 86,400 of them every single day, and when the day ends, they're gone.
Pastor Jeff delivered a message this week that was equal parts conviction and invitation, reminding us that time is not ours to manage — it's God's gift for us to steward. As part of our year-long series, Faithful in Everything, Every Place, this week's focus landed squarely on one of the most overlooked areas of faithful living: how we use our time.
Walk Intentionally, Not Accidentally
Pastor Jeff anchored the entire message in Ephesians 5:15-17, where the Apostle Paul writes:
"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
He reminded us that in Scripture, the word "walk" refers to the whole of a person's life — how they move through the world, day to day. So when Paul urges us to "walk circumspectly," he's calling us to something far bigger than good time management. He's calling us to live with purpose, accuracy, and intentionality.
Too many of us, Pastor Jeff observed, are living like a spinning top — high RPMs, lots of activity, but no forward movement. We're busy, but we're not fruitful. Our schedules are full, but our hearts are empty.
Redeeming the Time Means Knowing What Matters
One of the most challenging moments of the message came when Pastor Jeff drew a sharp distinction between the urgent and the essential.
Life will always hand us urgencies. A crisis here, a demand there — something always seems to need our attention right now. But he challenged us never to let the urgent crowd out the essential. Time with God, time in Scripture, time with our families — these aren't luxuries we get to when the urgent things calm down. They are the foundation.
He made it personal, too. He reflected honestly on moments in his own life where he had let other things take priority over time with his children — and how, looking back, what he chose over them no longer matters, but they do.
That kind of pastoral transparency made the message land with weight. This wasn't a lecture. It was a shepherd who has wrestled with the same temptations inviting us to learn alongside him.
Your Calendar Reveals Your Priorities
Pastor Jeff offered a simple but penetrating diagnostic: if you want to know what someone truly values, look at their bank account and their calendar. Those two things don't lie.
He pointed out that the average American spends nearly 15 years of their life on a screen device — but only about 1.2 years in church over an entire lifetime. The average person reads their Bible less than 15 minutes a week. These aren't numbers meant to shame us. They're a mirror.
He also turned the conversation toward our closest relationships. Are we investing in our spouses — not just being physically present while mentally somewhere else, but genuinely present? Are we making time for our children while we still have it? Are we making room for the people of God in our lives, gathering together as Scripture calls us to do?
"We're not here today to change the world," he said. "We're here today to change each other." That reframe of why we gather together was quietly profound.
Time Is a Gift — Don't Waste It
Perhaps the most sobering thread running through the entire message was this: time is not ours. Every one of us is living on gifted time. God is the one who grants it, and he intends for it to be used for his kingdom — not squandered on things that won't last.
Pastor Jeff closed with the kind of urgency that only comes from genuine pastoral love. He reminded us that we don't set the clock for God. We don't get to schedule salvation for a more convenient season. The Bible calls today the day of salvation — and that means the time to respond to God's call is always now.
He invited anyone who doesn't yet know Christ as Lord and Savior to take that step — because time is precious, and none of us are guaranteed more of it.
A Few Things to Carry Into This Week
If you missed Sunday's service or want to revisit this message, we encourage you to watch the full sermon on our YouTube channel. And if it challenged you the way it challenged us, share it with someone who needs to hear it — because the time to do that is now, too.
That illustration stopped many of us in our tracks this Sunday. Because that's not a hypothetical. That's exactly the life we're already living — only the currency is seconds, not dollars. We each receive 86,400 of them every single day, and when the day ends, they're gone.
Pastor Jeff delivered a message this week that was equal parts conviction and invitation, reminding us that time is not ours to manage — it's God's gift for us to steward. As part of our year-long series, Faithful in Everything, Every Place, this week's focus landed squarely on one of the most overlooked areas of faithful living: how we use our time.
Walk Intentionally, Not Accidentally
Pastor Jeff anchored the entire message in Ephesians 5:15-17, where the Apostle Paul writes:
"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
He reminded us that in Scripture, the word "walk" refers to the whole of a person's life — how they move through the world, day to day. So when Paul urges us to "walk circumspectly," he's calling us to something far bigger than good time management. He's calling us to live with purpose, accuracy, and intentionality.
Too many of us, Pastor Jeff observed, are living like a spinning top — high RPMs, lots of activity, but no forward movement. We're busy, but we're not fruitful. Our schedules are full, but our hearts are empty.
Redeeming the Time Means Knowing What Matters
One of the most challenging moments of the message came when Pastor Jeff drew a sharp distinction between the urgent and the essential.
Life will always hand us urgencies. A crisis here, a demand there — something always seems to need our attention right now. But he challenged us never to let the urgent crowd out the essential. Time with God, time in Scripture, time with our families — these aren't luxuries we get to when the urgent things calm down. They are the foundation.
He made it personal, too. He reflected honestly on moments in his own life where he had let other things take priority over time with his children — and how, looking back, what he chose over them no longer matters, but they do.
That kind of pastoral transparency made the message land with weight. This wasn't a lecture. It was a shepherd who has wrestled with the same temptations inviting us to learn alongside him.
Your Calendar Reveals Your Priorities
Pastor Jeff offered a simple but penetrating diagnostic: if you want to know what someone truly values, look at their bank account and their calendar. Those two things don't lie.
He pointed out that the average American spends nearly 15 years of their life on a screen device — but only about 1.2 years in church over an entire lifetime. The average person reads their Bible less than 15 minutes a week. These aren't numbers meant to shame us. They're a mirror.
He also turned the conversation toward our closest relationships. Are we investing in our spouses — not just being physically present while mentally somewhere else, but genuinely present? Are we making time for our children while we still have it? Are we making room for the people of God in our lives, gathering together as Scripture calls us to do?
"We're not here today to change the world," he said. "We're here today to change each other." That reframe of why we gather together was quietly profound.
Time Is a Gift — Don't Waste It
Perhaps the most sobering thread running through the entire message was this: time is not ours. Every one of us is living on gifted time. God is the one who grants it, and he intends for it to be used for his kingdom — not squandered on things that won't last.
Pastor Jeff closed with the kind of urgency that only comes from genuine pastoral love. He reminded us that we don't set the clock for God. We don't get to schedule salvation for a more convenient season. The Bible calls today the day of salvation — and that means the time to respond to God's call is always now.
He invited anyone who doesn't yet know Christ as Lord and Savior to take that step — because time is precious, and none of us are guaranteed more of it.
A Few Things to Carry Into This Week
- Audit your time honestly. Look at your calendar and your screen time this week. What does it reveal about your priorities?
- Schedule what matters. Don't leave time with God, your spouse, or your family to chance. If it's not planned, it gets crowded out.
- Rest in him. If you're exhausted and overextended, Scripture gives you permission to rest — not in distraction, but in genuine stillness before God.
- Don't wait. If you've been putting off a step of faith, a conversation, or a commitment to Christ, today is the day.
If you missed Sunday's service or want to revisit this message, we encourage you to watch the full sermon on our YouTube channel. And if it challenged you the way it challenged us, share it with someone who needs to hear it — because the time to do that is now, too.
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