August 31, 2021
Time Management 101
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time (Colossians 4:5, NRSV).
Friend to Friend
I’ll be the first to admit that I struggle with time management. I don’t even like the word management! What about you?
Time management is a dreaded and often ignored spiritual discipline. We choose where to invest our time, carefully planning everything from work-related meetings and lunch appointments to play dates and trips to the grocery store - but fail to schedule the most important activity of all, spending time with God. Discipline carves out time to sit at His feet.
Sin thrives in a life without godly discipline. Temptation happily dances across overcrowded schedules. Our minutes, hours, and days are precious commodities, gifts from God that can be unwrapped only once.
The apostle Paul says we are to make the most of our time so that we don’t miss an opportunity to share Christ with others.
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time (Colossians 4:5, NRSV).
I know what it is like to rush headlong through pointless days, trying to prove my worth. For many years, I was busy doing good things … some might even say great things … but they were not the highest things for my life. I crashed and burned, landing in a pit of clinical depression, a monument to my insecurity.
From the bottom of that pit, it was easy to see just how skewed my perspective of time really was. I needed to understand that my time does not belong to me. It is a treasure on loan to me from God.
Godly priorities embrace God’s plan.
I am convinced that much of our frustration in life comes from doing things we were never intended to do. Discipline guides each step and establishes a basis for obedience and success in our walk with God.
I am certainly no expert in the area of discipline, but I can share some simple ideas that work for me.
Prepare
Just as we budget our money, we must budget our time. Every day, we are presented with twenty-four hours, and every day we must choose to either spend those hours or invest them. Every Sunday afternoon, I plan the week ahead. I assign tasks to each day and prioritize those tasks in order of importance. Schedule one day a week to plan. The preparation will pay off.
Prioritize
If we don’t set priorities - others will do it for us. Time thieves will steal the hours and days as we allow them to impose their plans and demands on us. While it is true that different women have different priorities in different seasons of life, it is also true that one priority remains steadfast. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33, NIV). Once that priority is firmly established, the rest of life will fall into place.
Eliminate
Learn to leave the “lesser” things undone. This lesson is especially hard for me because I actually believe I can do it all. Choosing to embrace and employ God’s priorities instead of mine is a battle definitely worth fighting. Godly discipline brings a holy scrutiny to priorities and perspectives.
Yield
My greatest mission field is my home, my marriage, and my children and grandchildren. It does not matter how much I do or how successful I am in ministry. If home and family are left with only the scraps of my time, energy, and emotions, I am walking in sin and disobedience. I must learn to surrender my plan to the Father and seek His plan instead.
Discipline does not come naturally or easily. We will surely fail, but we can always begin again. Join me today in a new commitment to cultivate, apply, and relish godly discipline so we can make the most of the time God gives us.
Let’s Pray
Father, I want my life to be under Your control – not mine. Help me learn how to wisely invest my time in a way that pleases and honors You. Teach me how to set boundaries and establish priorities that will encourage my obedience to You.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read the following statements and check the ones that are true in your life.
___I have too much to do and too little time in which to do it.
___I enjoy my family.
___I have a daily quiet time.
___I spend most of my time on urgent things instead of the important things.
___I often feel guilty for taking time to relax.
___I have prayerfully set life goals.
Evaluate your answers in light of today’s devotion. Identify one change you need to make in order to invest your time wisely.
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© 2021 by Mary Southerland. All rights reserved.
Originally published Tuesday, 31 August 2021.
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