A Matter of Quality, Not Quantity – Greg Laurie Devotion – May 09, 2026

Biblical Context

The book of Ecclesiastes gives us a straight look at life. It’s written by “the Preacher,” often understood to be King Solomon, a man known for his great wisdom and immense wealth. He explores what life is like “under the sun”—meaning life from a human point of view, without direct reference to the spiritual beyond. He tests out every possible way to find meaning: wisdom, pleasure, hard work, riches, and power. Time and again, he concludes that without God, it all feels empty and useless. Yet, through all his questioning, he keeps coming back to the idea that God is in control of everything, even the times and seasons of our lives. This perspective helps us see that while life can feel confusing or unfair, there’s a divine order at work, even when we don’t understand it.

Key Word Study

Let’s look at the word “time” from Ecclesiastes 3:1. In Hebrew, the word used here is zeman (זְמַן). This isn’t just about chronological time ticking by, like hours and minutes. Instead, zeman speaks to an appointed time, a specific period, a proper season, or an opportune moment set by God for a particular purpose or event. It carries the idea of an ‘occasion’ or ‘fixed period.’ So, when the Preacher says there’s a zeman for everything, he means there’s an exact, set occasion for every activity under heaven, all under God’s careful design. You can’t just pick any time for anything; God has His perfect timing for it all.

Life’s Appointed Seasons

The wise writer of Ecclesiastes lays it all out for us, saying, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 nlt). Think about that. Life isn’t just a random stream of events; it’s a series of appointed times, each with its own purpose. We’re born, we live, and we die. There’s a time for starting new things, like planting, and a time for seeing the results of our efforts, like harvesting.

Making Your Days Count

Ethicist Michael Josephson puts it very plainly, making us face a hard truth: “Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. . . . So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? . . . Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.” He’s not wrong. Our lives will finish, and what we do with the time we have here truly matters. It’s not about how long we live, but about how we live. We don’t get to choose the length of our lives, but we absolutely get to choose what fills them.

The Bible backs this up. The psalmist tells us, “My future is in your hands” (Psalm 31:15 nlt). And Job reminds us of God’s complete control, saying to Him, “You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer” (Job 14:5 nlt). Knowing that God holds our future and knows our last day might make some people feel a little anxious. It shows us just how important it is to be thoughtful about the choices we make, and to start making those choices early. It’s like this: what you do in the morning of your life really shapes what the evening of your life will be like.

Planting Seeds for Your Future

Think about health. If you start making healthy food choices and exercising when you’re young, and you stick with it, you’ll enjoy the good results for many years. It’s the same idea when it comes to your faith. If you start putting God first when you’re young and keep doing that throughout your life, you’ll get amazing blessings for as long as you live. It’s not just about getting to heaven; it’s about a richer, fuller life here and now.

The book of Proverbs gives us a great guide here: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 rsv). This isn’t just for parents; it’s a principle for all of us about establishing good patterns. What we learn and practice early on sticks with us. It forms who we become.

Making the Most of Your Time Now

So, if you’re in the morning of your life—if you’re young and have many years ahead, statistically speaking—this isn’t the time to make bad choices you’ll regret later. This isn’t the time to do things you plan to ask for forgiveness for later. No, now is the perfect time to set up the good habits, practices, and principles that will guide your entire life. It’s the time to dig into God’s Word, to memorize it and make it a part of every single area of your life. It’s the time to start praying consistently, setting aside time every day to talk with the Lord and hear from Him. It’s also the time to develop and sharpen your ability to share your faith with others. If you have time on your side, don’t let that amazing advantage slip through your fingers.

And if you’re in the afternoon or even the evening of your life, this same idea applies, just with a different clock running. It’s never, ever too late to start living in ways that honor God. You can always begin new, good disciplines. And remember this: right now, today, you’re as young as you’ll ever be again. You can start fresh, right now.

How can you really make it a point to live out God-honoring disciplines in your life, starting today?