The Value of Time and Energy
About 14 minutes, plus hands-on activity and discussion.
🌟 A Special Note for Kids and Parents 🌟
This lesson is extra important. In fact, the mindset you’re about to learn, that money is earned by using time and energy, could be the most life-changing truth presented in this entire course. Once you really understand it, it can affect how you choose to work, how you spend your time, and how you use your money.
For kids, this lesson can spark a whole new way of looking at money. Instead of just thinking of money as dollars in your pocket, you’ll see that it represents your life, your time and energy, that you traded to earn it. This way of thinking helps you make smarter choices, avoid waste, and value the blessings God gives you.
For parents, this lesson provides a powerful framework for shaping how your child will view money for years to come. When children begin to see the direct connection between their work, their time, their energy, and the money they earn, it lays a foundation for wise financial decisions, and life decisions, as they grow older. We encourage you to talk through this lesson as a family, and maybe even go through it twice—once together, and once letting your child reflect on it in their own words.
This is one of those lessons worth pausing on. If you and your child truly embrace it, it can reshape how you use money. Now let’s dive in!
Think about it
Have you ever worked really hard on something, like building a Lego set, practicing a sport, or cleaning your whole room, and when you finished, you felt proud? Why do you think you felt so good? Was it because of the finished product, or because you knew how much time and energy you gave?
Today, we’re going to learn how our time and effort are like little pieces of our life that we have to trade.
Let’s Learn
What is Time?
Time is one of God’s greatest gifts. Everyone gets 24 hours in a day, no more and no less. Once a moment is gone, it cannot be brought back. That is why the way we use our time matters so much. The Bible teaches that time is a precious gift from God. Our responsibility is to use the time that we have wisely.
“With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” —2 Peter 3:8
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…” —Ephesians 5:15–16
What is Effort and Energy?
Effort is the amount of energy you give to finish a job or task. Some things are easy, and some are hard, but when we give our best effort, it shows that we care about the work we do. The Bible teaches that our effort and determination matter to God. He wants us to work hard, not give up, and use our energy to do good things—whether it’s helping at home, learning in school, or serving others.
Energy is similar to effort. When you are tired you don’t feel like you have much energy, so it may be hard for you to put a lot of effort into the work that you’re doing. It takes energy to do things. You use energy to work and to play every day.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” –Colossians 3:23
Trading Time and Energy for Results
When we work, we are trading our time and our energy for something in return. Sometimes it is money, sometimes it is a finished project like a clean room, but every result costs us a piece of our life. This idea is similar to how we trade money for something we want to buy.
If you’ve ever completed something and said, “Well, that wasn’t worth the effort” or “That was definitely worth my time,” then you are considering the value of your time and energy.
the Life Trade
Have you ever thought about what time and energy have to do with money? Money isn’t magic! Do you remember what it is? Money is just a tool we use to trade for things we need or want. But before we can spend money, we have to earn it. And what do we usually trade to earn money? Our time and energy.
Your time and energy are really your life. Think about it:
- When you do chores, mow a lawn, or babysit, you give your time and your effort.
- In return, you get money.
- Later, when you use that money to buy something—like a toy, a game, or a snack—you are actually spending a little piece of the life you gave to earn that money.
The Big Lesson
So here’s the big lesson: No matter what we do with money—spend, save, give, or invest—it always costs us some of our life, because we worked for it first. First we give our time and energy, then we get money, and finally we trade that money for something else.
- We begin by giving our time and energy, which means giving a piece of our life.
- In return, we receive money.
- Then we use that money to buy things, save, give, or invest.
Everything we buy or do with our money costs us part of our life, because we had to trade our time and effort for that money first.
Why This Matters
If we don’t use our money wisely, we’ll have to trade more of our life to get more of the same money again. But if we manage it well, our time and energy are multiplied. That’s why choosing meaningful work matters, spending and saving wisely matters, and serving others with our time and money matters.
The Bible teaches us that everything we have—like our money, talents, and even our friendships—are gifts from God. He trusts us to take care of them and use them well. The Bible calls this being a steward. A steward is like a manager, someone who looks after things that belong to someone else. Since all our blessings come from God, we are His stewards. In later lessons, we’ll learn a lot more about what it means to be a faithful steward of the good things God gives us, like money.
Work Grows Us
The amazing part is that time and effort do not just give results, they also grow us. We get stronger, smarter, and more responsible when we work diligently. The Bible teaches us that when we work hard and do our best, we gain wisdom and strength, and God is pleased with our effort.
Using Time Well
Every day we get to make choices about how we use our time. We can use it wisely, or we can waste it by being lazy, putting things off, or letting distractions get in the way of what really matters. When we use our time well, we honor God and show love to others. But that doesn’t mean we should be busy every minute.
God designed us to enjoy time with friends and family, and even to have quiet time alone. He created time for work and for rest. The sun shines only part of the day, and when night comes, it reminds us that God made rest an important part of life too.
time is money? Not exactly
People often say, “Time is money.” That sounds true, but it only tells part of the story. Every dollar you spend, save, give, or invest represents the time and energy you already traded to earn that dollar. It’s not just time, it’s your life.
When we remember that money represents a piece of our life that we spent to earn the money, we will probably be much more careful about how we use it.
Story: Mr. Johnson’s Lunch habit
Mr. Johnson worked hard at his job and earned a steady paycheck. Every day, he bought lunch out, spending $10. That seemed small at the time, but after a year he realized he had spent over $2,500—money that represented an entire month of his life at work. And he couldn’t get that time or money back.
The next year, Mr. Johnson decided to change his habit. He started bringing his lunch from home, spending only $3 a day. The money he saved, he invested in his retirement account. Over time, that investment grew, and when Mr. Johnson retired earlier than most of his friends, he had more free time to travel and play with his grandchildren. By managing his money wisely, he gained back time and energy. He gained back years of his life.
Story: The Parable of the Talents
In the book of Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus told a story about three servants who were given money from their master. Two of them used the money wisely and invested it, so that when the master returned, they had doubled what they had been given. The master was pleased and gave them even more responsibility. Their wise use of money brought growth and blessing.
But the third servant was afraid and buried his money in the ground. When the master returned, that servant had nothing more than what he had been given. The master was disappointed because the servant wasted the chance to grow and multiply what he had.
This story shows that when we steward money wisely, we gain more than money—we gain freedom, responsibility, and trust. But when we misuse money, we also waste the life we traded to earn it.
We’ll talk a lot more about how to use our money, to steward it wisely, in the next section. For the next few lessons, though, we’ll talk more about how to actually earn money!
Words to Know
Time is the hours and minutes we have each day.
Effort is the amount of energy you use when you are working on something.
A steward is someone who takes care of the gifts God has given them.
Let’s Play!
Drag and Drop
Instructions: Is it temporary happiness or does it have lasting value? Drag the words into the correct category.
Bible Time
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
—Psalm 90:12
The Bible reminds us that our time is limited. Every day is a gift from God, and how we use it shows what matters to us. When we use our time and effort wisely—whether working, resting, playing, or giving—we show God that we want to live with wisdom.
With Your Grown-Up
If a grown-up or parent is nearby, spend a minute to discuss this topic.
Hands On
Put learning into action! Download the activity and dive into a fun, practical way to explore today’s lesson.
What we Learned
In this lesson, we learned that money is earned by using time and energy. Every dollar we earn represents the effort we gave and time we spent. When we spend money, save it, give it, or invest it, we’re really deciding what to do with a piece of our life. The Bible teaches us to use our time and energy wisely, to steward what God gives us, and to remember that rest and fun are also important parts of life. When we use money wisely, we may gain more freedom, more opportunities, and more time to enjoy the things that matter most.
Check Your Understanding
High-Five!
Hit play for your end-of-lesson video!