50 Bible Verses about Wasting Time

The stewardship of time is a profound theme woven through the tapestry of scripture, emphasizing its value as a gift from God. In a world where distractions abound, the Bible offers wisdom on using our time wisely and purposefully.

Ephesians 5:15-16 speaks directly to this: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” These verses call us to be mindful and intentional, recognizing the fleeting nature of time and the importance of living each moment with purpose.

The scriptures remind us that time is a finite resource, a treasure to be guarded and used in alignment with God’s will. King Solomon, in his pursuit of wisdom, learned this truth and shared it in Ecclesiastes 3:1: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” This timeless verse encourages us to discern the right use of our time, balancing work, rest, and service in a way that honors God and fulfills our calling.

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 also touches on the concept of time management, illustrating the importance of using what we have been given for the kingdom of God. The Bible teaches us that wasting time is not just a matter of lost opportunities, but a question of stewardship. Colossians 4:5 urges us, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” This is a call to be conscious of how we spend our time, ensuring that our actions and decisions contribute to our growth and the betterment of those around us.

This compilation of 50 Bible verses about wasting time seeks to provide guidance and reflection on how to use our time wisely. As you delve into these scriptures, may you find inspiration to live each day with purpose, making every moment count in service to God and to others. Let these verses be a reminder of the preciousness of time and the responsibility we have to use it in a way that brings glory to God and fulfillment to our lives.

50 Bible Verses about Wasting Time

Valuing Time

Ephesians 5:15-16

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

Colossians 4:5

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”

Psalm 90:12

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Proverbs 27:1

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

James 4:14

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

John 9:4

“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.”

Proverbs 10:5

“He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

Ecclesiastes 9:10

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”

Psalm 39:4-5

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”

Proverbs 6:6-8

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.

Working Diligently

Proverbs 14:23

“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.”

Proverbs 12:24

“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.”

Proverbs 13:4

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

Proverbs 20:4

“The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”

Proverbs 21:5

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

Proverbs 22:29

“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Ecclesiastes 3:22

“So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?”

1 Corinthians 15:58

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

2 Timothy 2:6

“The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

Avoiding Idleness

Proverbs 19:15

“Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.

Proverbs 31:27

“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”

1 Timothy 5:13

“Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.

Proverbs 24:30-34

“I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Proverbs 15:19

“The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.”

Proverbs 26:13-16

“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!’ As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.

Ecclesiastes 10:18

“Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.”

Proverbs 23:21

“For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.”

Titus 1:12

“One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’

2 Thessalonians 3:6

“Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.”

Stewardship of Time

Luke 14:28-30

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Lest haply, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Ephesians 4:28

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”

Matthew 25:14-30

“For it is like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.'”

Proverbs 16:3

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

Luke 12:35-40

Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.”

Proverbs 16:9

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Proverbs 4:25-27

“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”

Proverbs 21:25

“The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.”

Acts 20:35

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

1 Corinthians 3:8

“He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.”

Reflection and Growth

Psalm 1:1-3

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

2 Peter 1:5-8

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

James 1:22-25

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

Proverbs 3:13-18

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.

1 Timothy 4:15-16

“Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

Ecclesiastes 7:8

“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.”

Romans 12:3

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

Philippians 1:6

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Psalm 119:59-60

When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.

These verses collectively emphasize the importance of using time wisely, working diligently, avoiding idleness, practicing good stewardship of time, and reflecting for personal growth. They remind us that time is a gift from God and should be used effectively to serve Him and others, fostering spiritual growth and wisdom.