Time Management God’s Way: Not Enough Time?

^“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”  John 17:3

I hope you were able to read last week’s post where in looking at the account of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42 we discovered two important truths concerning Time Management God’s Way:

Truth #1 – God longs for us to simply be with Him.  THIS is the truly important.

Truth #2 – Learning to discern the truly important from the urgent is crucial.

Many of us live our lives as distracted souls – spending the majority of our time responding to the urgent rather than intentionally attending to the truly important.

We fall victim to “Busy-itis” wearing the title, oftentimes, as a badge of honor while our soul cries out and our relationships deteriorate.

Our mantra?  “I just don’t have time!”

How does our “hurry-scurry” lifestyle fit with God’s design for Time Management?  It doesn’t.

Contrary to our “there’s never enough time” mindset, God, in His sovereignty, HAS given us enough time —  Enough time to accomplish His purposes for our life.

No, we do not have time to do it ALL – all that we want to do, all that someone else wants us to do, all that we know we are capable of doing, all the urgent.

That’s why He commands us to be time redeemers – those who can separate the truly important from the urgent.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”  Ephesians 5:15-16

What matters most to God is HOW we live not how much we cram into our lives.

Look at Jesus our Lord and Savior.  His life on earth spanned only a few short years, yet in that time He accomplished the entire plan of redemption.  As He prayed to His Father near the end of His life, Jesus was able to say, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do” (John 17:4, italics added) and later from the cross, He was able to say the words, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

What work did Jesus accomplish?

Not the work He wanted to do, not the work someone else wanted Him to do, not all that He knew He was capable of doing, not the urgent…

BUT… “the work [His Father] gave [Him] to do.”

THAT IS THE KEY.

Biblical Time Management is an act of stewardship.

God’s expectation is that we properly steward or manage the time that has been allotted to us.  When we do this we will be able to accomplish the work God has given us to do during the time He has given us.

What a grand and glorious design:

We make time for the truly important (of which spending time alone with God is top priority), and He gladly teaches and guides us as we steward the time He has given us.

Biblical Time Management is Self-Management.

“It is not a matter of managing the clock but of managing ourselves with respect to the clock…the heart of Time Management is management of self.”  Alec MacKenzie, The Time Trap

Learning to be an effective manager of time is a lifelong process.  It requires permission, experimentation, discovery, reflection, adjustment, and readjustment.  It is a matter of growth much like personal and spiritual growth.

Learning to be an effective manager of time is a matter of self-control.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  Ephesians 5:22-23

No one else can manage our time for us.  We are solely responsible and accountable to our Heavenly Father for our use or misuse of the time He has given us.  But we have His promise that He will complete the work He started in us and that He is eager to help us grow.

Learning to manage time God’s way is all about relationship.  Our relationship with Him.  There is no method.  No one right way to do it.  No one size fits all.

Relationship and process within that relationship.

Are you ready to manage your time God’s Way?

Go ahead.  Give yourself permission.  Permission to break some old habits and develop some new ones.  Permission to try, to experiment, to discover, to fail, to succeed, to adjust and readjust.  To do what it takes to experience time as God designed it.

Next week we will begin to consider some strategies and techniques for Managing Time God’s Way.

“Many people think that time management is about cramming more and more into your day.  Time Management from a Biblical perspective is not about doing more things; it’s about doing the right things.  What it really comes down to is that time management is about life management.”  Dr. Brandon Park, Living on Borrowed Time: Time Management Principles.