Multiply Your Time

“Whether rich or poor, we are all millionaires in time.” You have likely heard some version of this saying before. This is supposed to mean that everyone, regardless of social status, monetary wealth or age, has the same allotment and control over the millions of minutes in their lives.

But there is a problem with this idea. No one really knows how many minutes they have left “in the bank.” Some may have millions in front of them—others may not.

By going through life blind to their temporal net worth, some even become debtors in time. They think they have plenty enough to spend on unvaluable pursuits that will cost them later.

The apostle Paul addressed this tendency among brethren in Ephesus. In his epistle to the congregation, he instructed them to consider whether they had been wasting their calling. He urged those who had to begin “redeeming the time” (Eph. 5:16).

By telling members to “redeem” the time, the Church leader used a Greek word that meant to “wrest back from a competitor.” Paul knew Satan was competing for the attention of God’s called out ones. One of the devil’s main tactics is to dupe Christians into spending their days on fruitless pursuits, effectively choking out any time spent working on growth.

We face the same danger today. When you think back over the years, months and weeks, is it filled with would haves, should haves, could haves in regard to the tools of Christian growth? How you spent your time indicates how you will spend your time—and you cannot know how much you have left. But, as with money management, there is a way to reverse your habits and climb out of the red.

Note Paul’s instruction immediately before and after the “redeeming the time” verse: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,” and, “Be you not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (vs. 15, 17).

Wisdom. Understanding. Sound familiar?

These are signature terms of Proverbs, which also relays the same message for those wishing to net positive with their time usage. Proverbs 4:7 makes this clear: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding.”

What does this have to do with time?

Proverbs 9:11 answers: “For by me [wisdom] your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased.”

There are two separate benefits described here. Days “multiplied” can mean they will be “increased” and “grow great.” This is the same word used for animals and humans reproducing in Genesis 1.

God says wisdom has the power to multiply our days! What does this mean? While we may still have the same amount of time left in this life, we are promised to enjoy better quality time each day. In a sense, we can get a lot more out of each minute we have.

Now look at years “increased.” This word can mean “add, increase, do again.”

In most cases this Hebrew word was used throughout the Old Testament, it pertained to a repeat of something that already happened. For example, Genesis 8:10 describes Noah sending a dove a second time from the ark. In the same chapter, God promised He would “not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake” (vs. 21).

In the case of Proverbs 9:11, being wise will ensure you have a better life and—in a sense—receive a whole new set of years. This could be speaking of this life now, but it more naturally applies to when we are born into the God Family and receive eternal life.

Put all together, Paul and Proverbs agree. If you want to multiply your time by adding more meaning and quality to your life now—on top of receiving another “set” of years later—your number-one priority must be to seek and grow in wisdom.

What Is Wisdom?

As with love and faith, the word wisdom tends to get bandied about to mean just about anything from head knowledge to experience to the quantity of gray hairs on one’s head.

Yet if you are going to grow in wisdom, you should know precisely what it is.

The Hebrew word used for wisdom throughout Proverbs is the most precise. It refers to a wide range of abilities such as skill in war, administrative capability, shrewdness and prudence in religious affairs.

This is a lot! But the key is to notice each quality is tangible. In other words, a person with wisdom uses a combination of knowledge and ability to affect real-world scenarios.

Take the ultimate example. God created the universe and all living things in it “in wisdom” (Psa. 104:24). This means He not only had the knowledge to design every aspect of Creation, He also had the skill to create it!

By wisdom God makes perfect judgment. It inspired Paul to proclaim: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Rom. 11:33).

Again, the quality is different from knowledge, though it works in tandem with it. Grasping a concept mentally does not naturally result in the ability to make a perfect decision, act on that decision, and perform it.

A similar word in today’s English is skillful, which was also used throughout the Old Testament for the same word translated wisdom. An example is in I Chronicles 28 where King David introduces to Solomon all of the people chosen to work in the Temple: “And there shall be with you for all manner of workmanship every willing skillful man, for any manner of service” (vs. 21).

Achieving this level of wisdom as a Christian can seem daunting. “I’m just an average person—the weak of the world,” you may think. “I could never fit as a king’s servant, an Old Testament priest or a Bible writer. Wisdom is only for the gifted.”

But God indicates we are tasked to become “wise unto salvation” (II Tim. 3:15). He wants us to develop the abilities we will use in the future as members of the God Family. And it is not as overwhelming as it may seem. In fact, it is elementary.

Flipping the Hourglass

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,” James stated to members of the Church’s first era (Jms. 1:5). Any means any—regardless of background, status or intelligence.

Is it really that simple? Yes, and even better, God promises to “give to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him” (vs. 5).

(Note that the epistle of James was originally the first book to be read after the gospels and Acts as it contains in simplest terms the basics of Christianity. Mr. Pack explained in his epistles of Paul classes for Ambassador Center that the Roman Catholic Church changed the order so that Romans—the most complicated of Paul’s writings—came after Acts and James was placed near the end of the New Testament.)

There are no exclusions here. God gives to anyone who asks, and on top of that He promises to give bountifully. Yet you must be sure to “ask in faith” (Jms. 1:6), sincerely believing God’s promise to supply wisdom to any who ask.

Also, you must be ready to take on the “growing pains” as God enhances your capacity. This can include having to give up certain pleasures, habits and routines that do not tend toward growth. Recall how pleased God was when Solomon asked for it. Perhaps it was refreshing to the Father to be asked for such a capability when most were on the hunt for money, luxuries, comforts and other physical desires.

Christians must deeply consider what they are prepared to give up to multiply their time with wisdom.

A Daily Sacrifice

By asking God to increase your wisdom, you must be willing to accept a reset of priorities.

Performing what it takes to build wisdom, such as praying, studying and growing, can feel like an inconvenience or sacrifice.

And it is a sacrifice. When discussing praising God in prayer, Paul urged his Hebrew audience “to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

Paul listed some habits in his “redeeming the time” passage in Ephesians 5. Does the consumption of alcohol make the hours seem to go away so that you consistently “forget” to pray? The apostle warned “be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess [reckless waste]” (vs. 18).

Is there anything that is being “done in secret” (vs. 12) that should rather be spent on drawing closer to God? These things will ultimately put you to shame when “all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light” (vs. 13).

Even spending too much time on activities that are not wrong can cut into your time spent practicing Christianity.

Each time you feel remorse for abandoning what you enjoy, think of it as putting time into the ultimate investment. Though it may pinch now, the payoff is beyond worth it when you enter into salvation.

That is why Proverbs 8:11 states: “For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.”

Job agrees: “No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies” (Job 28:18).

If we give of ourselves now, then God pays off in ways even all the most precious materials cannot. After all, what material can purchase both better-quality days in this life and a whole new (and much, much better) set of years later!

But as with any kind of investment, the payoff comes after a long period of hard work.

Build Your Time Portfolio

Let’s jump back into more specifics on growing in wisdom.

The first step is to pray. Recall James 1:5—ask God for wisdom. Beckon Him for all the specifics of wisdom: for growth in skills, knowledge of ethical and moral matters, the ability to administer, and control of your impulses and time.

This is a way to begin applying Proverbs 9:10, which says “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Recognizing God as the source of proper guidance, and asking Him for it, fulfills this verse.

The second step is to study the Bible. The scriptures contain the power to “make you wise unto salvation” (II Tim. 3:15).

But this does not mean recalling a few memory verses and going to familiar passages. The Bible says we should study every part of it. The next verse in Timothy qualifies that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (vs. 16).

Explore some of the less-often read books in your Bible. A statistic from the website Bible Gateway revealed that readers favor Psalms, Matthew, John, Romans, Proverbs, Genesis and Acts, but tend to ignore the shorter and more obscure books such as the minor prophets and Philemon.

Do not settle for only part of God’s Word. Set out to read it cover-to-cover. Take a deep dive into the books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy)—which Israel’s kings were required to write out. Read through the dialogue chapters of Job instead of just the action at the beginning and end. Soak in everything God determined was important to include for us to examine.

When you study, think through warnings. Some commands of God do not list any consequences for wrong actions. This is because God wants to see who will believe Him at face value. Exercise your mind by visualizing what could happen to you should you disobey a biblical command.

On the other hand, think through promises. When God states He will do something in return for your actions, picture what that blessing would look like when applied to you. Let that motivate you to perform what would yield that promise.

All of these should give you takeaways that you can apply as you walk out the door and enter the “real world.”

Note that the fruit of wisdom are tangible actions, including skill, administration, shrewdness and prudence in religious affairs. All of these words reference literal actions and abilities. You must apply what you are learning in the Bible by exercising it—on the job, in Church services, at home, and in your private life.

Wrest Back Your Time!

Satan is actively working to take time from us, as he has done so in the past. “The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy,” Christ said in John 10:10.

But immersing yourself in God’s Word will grant a double victory. Jesus declared, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Growing in godly wisdom will ensure you enjoy more abundant success in this life. Ultimately, it will make you worthy to receive the greatest gift—what Proverbs calls having “years done again”—eternal life.

Do not let the devil bereave you of such an awesome promise! Remember that the sacrifices necessary to redeem the time are well more than worth it.