Friday, March 14, 2014

Set PRIORITIES

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 

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