Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 2
Sarah’s upbringing emphasized asking, “Is this a good use of your time?”—what picture of God’s priorities and ownership over our hours is assumed in that question, and where do you feel resistance to living as though time is something God will evaluate?
Another way to ask: When Sarah’s family asked, “Is this a good use of your time?”, what does that say about God owning our time and caring how we spend it? Where do you push back against the idea that God will judge how you used your hours?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript suggests the question assumes God owns our time and expects intentional stewardship—using hours “for the Lord” rather than wasting them on what is “not very helpful.” Resistance often shows up where we want time to be “ours,” not something weighed spiritually.
- Sarah says her dad repeatedly challenged her choices: “thinking about how I was using my time…‘Is this a good use of your time?’”
- She connects time directly to God: “Am I using it for the Lord, or am I frittering it away for other purposes that aren’t very helpful?”
- She says this shaped her “even to now,” implying ongoing accountability before God, not just parental advice.
- Later, she praises Followers of the Way for living “very strategically to use time and our energies in the best way possible.”
- She critiques an “easy gospel that doesn’t ask very much of us,” implying God’s priorities include costly, purposeful living.