Picture the life of a person who does not have a plan for managing their time. They are constantly responding to the tyranny of the urgent, so much so that at the end of the day they are exhausted and wonder why they did not get the important things done and why they never have time to do what they like. It’s like the life of a pinball in the old arcade pinball machine where the ball bounces from one stop to the next. The winner of the arcade game may have kept the ball bouncing the longest, but that is no way to win in the race of life.
To win at the race of life, we need wisdom.
Ephesians 5:15–17 (ESV) — 15 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. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Colossians 4:5 (ESV) — 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
You will notice how wisdom in the verses above are paired with one’s walk and particularly with wisdom. When you think about making the most of your 168 hours each week, it takes a plan to keep from acting unwise toward the allotted time that God has given you. Yes, the 168 hours each week is God’s gift to you as in His placing the time in your hands for which you as a steward must give account because stewards are required to be faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV) — 7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
1 Corinthians 4:2 (ESV) — 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
If you are faithful in the 168 hours in a week, you’re more likely to be faithful in other things which God will entrust to you. On the other hand, if you are unfaithful in the handling of your time, how can God entrust other things to you?
Luke 16:10–11 (ESV) — 10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
Handling time is very serious. Unfortunately, very few people are taught time management principles when they are young, and instead of learning the value of time, they learn that time is best spent in wasting or as it’s known “killing time” in thoughtless activities. The very devices that were developed to save time have become the greatest consumers of time as people thoughtlessly sit before a screen in non-productive activities from an early age.
It takes wisdom to come to the realization of the brevity of life and that the life we have could be gone in short notice. Therefore, we need a plan to make sure we make the most of our time, lest we come to the end of our days and have nothing but regrets for the way we have been less than stellar stewards of our time.
Psalm 90:10–12 (ESV) — 10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. 11 Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? 12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
I was caught off guard when I first entered the ministry and found myself overwhelmed by all that was requiring my time. I visited a pastor friend who seemed to have a good handle on managing his time and asked him his secret. He took out his Daytimer, ripped out the advertising page in the back, handed it to me and said order this and the tapes that go with it. That was 40 years ago, and it was the best advice I could have received. I became a student of time management and have never stopped seeking to learn and grow in this area.
It’s really a simple system of making sure you keep a calendar of activities, blocking off time for priorities, scheduling realistic times for events, including the work that must be done, and being diligent to keep your calendar current and prioritized. The second part of the system is the “to do” list. It’s easy to add things to the “to do” list but it’s harder to prioritize it, follow it, then update tomorrow’s list to avoid walking away from things half completed.
Whenever I have taught on time management and laid out these principles, I often receive negative feedback as people balk at the system they say allows no freedom, which is a complete misunderstanding. It’s a misunderstanding because it assumes that not having a plan is freedom. That is a mistake. Operating on the catch as catch can – responding to things as they come up – results in less productivity in the long run and prioritizes things that are the loudest and may not be such a high priority. There’s a difference between those that get things done and are able to spend time with their family and those who seem the busiest but rarely get home in time to be with their family and have very little to show for their busyness.
It takes discipline to operate under a plan, to work the plan, and then be diligent with the plan and priorities. Discipline leads to greater freedom and results speak for themselves. In addition, the principle of discipline in one area of your life leads to discipline in other areas of your life is true. Just as being undisciplined in one area of your life, like making the most of your time, spills over into an undisciplined life in many ways.
Luke 9:23 (ESV) — 23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Since Jesus taught the need for self-discipline in following Him, since He inspired various writers in the Old and New Testaments to remind us of the brevity of life, and since He practiced time management principles Himself, it only makes sense to awaken to the fact that we need to take heed, apply the wisdom of God, and make the most of our time.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
Check out Bob and JT on the PowerBreak podcast, available wherever you find podcasts or from Bob’s website: www.bobbrubaker.com
