Look
carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of
the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but
understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:15-17
This past Saturday
night was the time change. When I was a
kid I loved this time change much better than the “fall back” change because it
meant that the days were longer and I could play outside later. After all, when you are a kid, who wants MORE
sleep? Not so now. I am a much bigger fan of “fall back” than
“spring forward”. It happens whether I
want it to or not. Just like the old
saying “time marches on”, it does change and move forward and we have no
control over it. We may not have any
power over time itself but we have control over how we “spend” the time we have
been given. Life is a gift, every breath
and every day, hour, minute and second is precious. God wants us to be good stewards of our time
just as He does with our money. Here are
five key principles for Time Management:
· Set PRIORITIES
The first
step in productive time management is to set priorities. Without this step you cannot use your time
wisely. You must determine what is the
most important or the most pressing thing for the moment. Some priorities change from day to day
depending on what needs to be done. But
there are some priorities that never change.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 Things like God, your relationship to Him,
your family, and your friends should all be considered a priority all the
time. Like the scripture says, put God
first and other things fall into place.
· Build RELATIONSHIPS
Brother Van
is always saying that “life is relationships.”
This is so true. Jesus tells us “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.
The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the
Prophets depend on these two commands.” Matthew 22:36-40 (HCSB) Jesus is telling us that these two
relationships are vital – our relationship with God and our relationship with
other people. All the stuff of life will
fade away but relationships will last.
Your relationship with God will determine how you spend eternity.
· Take Time To PLAN
“Careful
planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further
behind.” Proverbs 21:5 (MSG) Life is so much more fulfilling when
it is not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants experience. A wise person once said you need to hope for
the best but plan for the worst.
Planning is always a good idea but remember to commit your plans to the
Lord and know that He may change course at any time!
· Take time to ORGANIZE
We all know
what it means to lose something. One way to help save time is to take time to
organize. This always makes things go
smoother! You can be more efficient when
you know where the things are that you know you are going to need.
· Learn to be FLEXIBLE
Learning to
be flexible is the key principle because no matter how much you plan, organize,
prioritize, things could happen that will change everything. In a moment something can happen to change
our lives forever. God ultimately controls
our days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
When something changes, if we learn to “go with the flow” it will be
much easier on us.
God gives us
the gift of time – give it back to Him.
Make your relationship to Him the most important thing in your life
because it is the only thing that will last.
It will determine where you spend eternity and when all your things fade
away your relationship with God will still be there. It is forever with no time
limits or expiration!
Scripture to Claim:
So teach us to number our days that we may
get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
