More often than not, this passage is used by people to talk or think about money. Preachers have used it to help their congregations think about what they give (or don’t give) to God and how that affects their lives. I want to take a different approach.
What are your best hours of the day? Are you an early bird or a night owl? Think about that for a moment. What if you were to give God some of your best hours of the day—take some of that best time and set it aside to pray, to read the Bible, to reflect and meditate, to read classic Christian literature, or to grow deeper in your spiritual life?
Yes, I know we read that Jesus went out early while it was still dark (Mark 1:35). That works well for someone who thrives in the early morning. But to ask someone who is wired to be a night owl to get up and pray before the sun rises is like telling someone to eat glass.
Identify your best hours of the day and give some of that time to God. Then you won’t be surprised when the Lord honors you by enabling you to be more efficient and effective the remainder of the day.
My best hours come before 11:00 a.m. By 9:00 p.m. I turn into a pumpkin! Years ago I became an early bird, and I give God the first hour of my day. If Jesus were to ask me to pray with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, I’m afraid I would have been snoozing in my prayers just like the rest of the disciples.