[Steve Myers] Here we are at the end of the calendar year. I don't know if you've noticed, calendars seem to dictate your life at times. Maybe it's your watch or your phone. You look at the clock and you've got to get things done. You look at the calendar, and did I get everything done that I wanted to do today? I think so many times we have that thought that, "Where did all the time go? Where did the day go?"

[Darris McNeely] We live a deadline driven life and we've got lists. We've got goals. We've got challenges. We've got things that we've got to do. That's the way life is for everybody.

[Steve Myers] This is my bad representation of a calendar and so many times we check off those days and it seems like we don't get the things done that we want to do. And so how important is that for you to accomplish the things most importantly that God wants you to accomplish? You see, there's an amazing passage that really tells us that God's given us the time that we need. Now, whether we use it the way we should most appropriately is really the challenge. So, over in Ephesians 5:15 it says, "Be careful how you live." That's in the New Living Translation. "Be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days." I think that's an amazing point that has to be thought of in the forefront of our mind. Make the most of every opportunity. Are we really doing that?

[Darris McNeely] Get your mind focused on spiritual matters. You know everyone with the turning of the calendar year, people make resolutions. We start doing our taxes. We start looking at our income and making - trying to get things in line. So much emphasis is upon the physical. Perhaps as a result of reading this verse, it can spur us all to think about the spiritual priorities and the fact that we are dealing with matters of eternity with our life. And to begin to really ask some serious questions such as, "What do we really need to be happy?" and getting our life paired down to the basics so that we make the most of each day and we're not driven necessarily by calendars, or days, or lists.

[Steve Myers] That's right. Don't let the calendar dictate you. Don't let your phone dictate to you. The end of that passage, verse 17, says, "Don't act thoughtlessly" (Ephesians 5:15-17). So, like you said, put some thought into it and it says, "Understand what the Lord wants you to do." Boy, you talk about framing your life. Don't let the calendar frame your life. Let God's will for your life frame what you do and how you act and what your priorities are.

[Darris McNeely] That's BT Daily. Join us next time.