“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11 ESV)

I despise wastefulness.

I don’t like to throw away food.

I must display extreme self-control when I witness one of my kids get seconds at dinner, and then they end up scrapping uneaten food into the trash. It’s unnecessary waste.

I don’t like wasting water. I turn off the water when I brush my teeth to preserve those extra drops. I cut my paper towels into fourths, to make the roll last longer. I don’t like needless waste.

I rarely pay full price for clothing, shoes, or accessories. I like the mission of finding a good deal to save a $1. Though, I am currently a work-in-progress in declining “deals” on things not essential or not needed right away.

Though these tendencies can come across as controlling, it’s truly derived from a place of wanting to make things last and be a good steward of our First World amenities. I’m deeply aware of the luxuries I get daily, and my heart gets heavy realizing most of the world is not as fortunate.

Lately, I’ve been convicted of other types of wastefulness in my life.

Time waste.

Wisdom waste.

Gift waste.

Praise waste.

Truth waste.

As a Christ follower—having been brought from a spiritual death heading to an eternity in hell, to everlasting life with my Creator God, because of His mercy…I know my time, is really His time. And I waste His time. (Ephesians 5:16)

I know my wisdom is really His wisdom. And I waste His wisdom. (Proverbs 2:6)

I know my gifts are really His gifts. And I waste His gifts. (James 1:17)

I know my praise is really from Him. And I waste Praise that belongs to Him. (Hebrews 13:5)

I know my truth is really from Him. And I waste His truth. (Psalm 119:160)

My life is filled with excessive waste. Left to my own strength, independence, and free-will, I would marinate in this waste like a pig in mud. And I would like it. It’s truly appalling to think about. My natural nature is totally depraved and resists anything righteous and holy that points to our perfect glorious God.

Praise God that He marked me as His before the foundation of the world was set. Praise God that He had a redeeming plan for Christ’s blood to be shed on the cross at Calvary so I would no longer be captured in this sin nature that continuously rebels against the Lord! That means I’m not alone, and you’re not alone in these battles of sin that produce so much spiritual waste in our lives. We don’t have to accept this waste. We have an advocator—Jesus—Whom God sees when He looks upon us. He sees us as sinless, glorified, perfect, white as snow. He sees His Son’s perfect, spotless reflection when He sees us.

When I remind myself of these truths of the gospel, this good news stirs my spirit to radical obedience and a far-reaching desire to honor my God with His: time, wisdom, gifts, praise, and truth that He’s advanced to me. I want to give it all back to Him with abundance!

I get caught in a trap of time. I attempt to manipulate minutes and hours of the day to satisfy my needs and desires. I.Waste.So.Much.Time. I waste time: complaining, being lazy in certain areas, dreading difficult tasks, and avoiding things my Holy God has uniquely ordered me to. The instruction that Paul gives us in Ephesians is one to stamp on your heart continuously. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV). The Bible tells us our days are numbered (Job 14:5). One day that number will be complete. I lament over all the time waste I’ve added to my days.

I’ve wasted wisdom that comes directly from the Lord. I’ve known the wise way the Bible teaches, yet in many instances, I’ve chosen to abide in foolishness instead. I am sickened over my foolish ways that are aroused by the fickle glittering of this world intoxicated with idols. I am reminded of Solomon, the wisest man to have ever lived, and yet he attempted to loot happiness from the world, knowing in wisdom that only God can truly satisfy our souls. My heart yearns to abide in the wisdom of the Lord every day He gives me.

In James 1:17, James tells us that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James is saying that all things good, righteous, and holy are gifts from our perfect God. This speaks to God’s character of goodness and faithfulness to His children and His creation. I waste my God’s perfect and good gifts to me when I utter complaints about my fleshly plights and seemingly disdainful lots in life. As believers, we know that God’s gifts may not always seem like choose-worthy “gifts.” But, when He sovereignly delivers something to us that we wouldn’t choose, we know that growth, sanctification, and surrender are awaiting us. I must believe these are always good gifts and I don’t want to waste my Lord’s loving gifts to me any longer.

What about in seasons of trouble when my praise seems to have departed? But, with the Holy Spirit residing in me as a regenerated believer (John 14:15-17), my praise will never completely leave me. Though my praise doesn’t totally cease, it can be buried beneath my attraction to sin, or my discontent heart. My praise is wasted. The writer of Hebrews pens an instruction to the believer about our praise that comes from the Lord. “Through him (Jesus) then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Hebrews 13:15 ESV). I’ve wasted so many opportunities to acknowledge my glorious God’s name! I’ve held back so much praise to my wonderful Creator. I’ve wasted praise that belongs to only Him, and I’ve uttered praises to un-praise-worthy vanities and vapors of winds of nothingness. I crave to praise my God in every circumstance!

Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” This means there isn’t an iota of untruth in God’s Word. The totality of God’s Word is truth…His perfect truth. I have all the truth I will ever need in this life on earth, yet I waste it. I forget it. I don’t turn to it in all situations, thoughts, relationships, or difficulties. I praise my merciful Lord, who showers daily grace on me in my failures in wasting His truth and not sharing His truth at all times to those around me. I long for His truth to be deeply embedded into my heart, soul, and mind. I pray a love for His Word visits me all the days of my life.

I recognize these deep mournings of my heart are again…from Him. His reproof is beautiful and needed to penetrate the heart of every believer as His Holy Spirit exposes all the unfruitfulness that leads to spiritual wasting in our lives.

I challenge you to ponder areas of spiritual wastefulness in your life. I encourage you to lay pride aside and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal matters of the heart, that if viewed honestly, you know lead to wasting things that are from our wonderful God.

Though I have a deep dislike for the waste of the things of this world, my revulsion to my personal wastefulness of spiritual areas in my life is that much more extreme. I abhor my wastefulness of all that comes from my Heavenly Father. I am grateful to the Lord for overwhelming me with His grace and mercy through my failings and times of wastefulness. He’s not surprised or hindered by His children’s wastefulness of time, wisdom, gifts, praise, or truth. In fact, He will use His children’s wastefulness for good. Paul writes in Romans this wonderful truth, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 ESV). Our wastefulness as believers falls into this “all things” category Paul is referring to. What a gift we have in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t leave us as we are when He first drew us to salvation. He promises to use every area of our lives to refine, sanctify and draw us closer to Him, again, and again, and again… even through our spiritual wastefulness.

I Trust my God, I Trust my God, I Trust my God

Ardently His,

Jess Dennis

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