Time & Our Kingdom Purpose

I recently spoke at the Men's Bible Study here on Saturday and wanted to post a little bit of what I talked about.

“Time Management is arranging my life so that God can use me to my fullest potential"

Time. You’ve heard the expression time is money. Actually, time is more precious then money, because time is a non renewable resource. If you have some money and you waste it, if you know what you are doing you can get it back. But time you can’t get back.

James 4:14 “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

Think about your past. How many of us wish we could go back and do something different? Whether it was a dumb decision you made in high school, a stupid thing you said in a job interview or on a date, or maybe it was sacrificing time with your family in order to get something else accomplished.

So how do we best utilize the time given to us with the millions of things we have going on each day?

Perhaps the best known verse in the Bible concerning the proper use of time is found in Ephesians 5:15-17 (NASB).

"Therefore, be careful how you walk not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what will of the Lord is."

According to Paul a wise person is one who makes the most of his time he has here on earth. An unwise person lives with no time aspect in mind or doesn’t make the most of the opportunities given to them.

We are going to look at a few principles or pillars that I think that will help each one of us, in balancing our time between God, Work, our Family and other activities. When everything is in the right place and we make the most of the time God gives us then we accomplish more for His Kingdom.

1. Prioritize your Life & Relationships

• List your top 5 priorities based upon the time you commit to them, not what you want them to be but what they are.
• 5% Rule- I can't delegate these things out.

85 % of what you do anyone can do (meetings, answer phones)

10% of what you do someone with a modest amount of training can do

5% of what you do, no one else can do for you. (husband to your
wife, Father to your kids, Grow your relationship with God)

from Leading on Empty by Wayne Coreiro

• You can pay people to mow your lawn, fix your food, cut your hair, even potty train your child
• We often neglect the 5% and throw ourselves headlong into the other 95%.
  

2. Make more Deposits than Withdrawals

• In the workforce you’re expendable. At home you play a unique role. (You are the only Father your child will ever have, The only Husband that your wife should ever have, husband, father, mentor, primary discipler, financial supporter).
• When you take what is expected at home and give it to someone or something else you make a withdrawal
• If the deposits do not outnumber the withdrawals, you’ll have a negative balance and increased tension.
• Likewise you must continually invest in your spiritual life (deposit) and keep the withdrawals to a minimum.

3. Accomplish one productive thing a day in each category

• Strive to accomplish one productive thing in the categories of God, family, & work
• Invest in your own spiritual walk and pour out into others.
• Family do something together daily. Above and beyond praying and reading the Bible together. Dinner, play outside, go to a game, give positive encouragement, tell them how proud of them you are.
• Work- accomplish a task that has to get done.
  

4. Don’t be a “Yes” Man!

• We live in a world where everyone has an agenda. Our time, our money and our very lives are all viewed as resources to be tapped and exploited by others.
• If we do not begin each day with a clear understanding of what God wants us to accomplish for Him with our time, we will become the recruits or casualties of one evil scheme or another.
• You don’t have to say yes to everything that everyone asks you to do.
• No is a good word to get used to saying.
• If you say yes to everything that everyone asks you to do you will crash at some time.
• Showed a clip from Yes Man after Jim Carrey crashed from his night of partying and drinking red bull.

5. Learn to Disconnect

• Exodus 20:10- Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
• How often do you disconnect from everything and rest and recover from a hard week?
• If you are a task oriented person this is hard. But you need to get into the habit of having a Sabbath.
• Mark 2:27- "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
• The Sabbath was instituted by God for man. For our benefit. He knew we would get tired and wants us to focus on a day of joy and refreshment.
• Do what you need to remove the distractions, No cell phones (screen your calls), lock your doors, turn off the TV, leave the computer alone.
• Remember that you can’t get time back once it’s gone.

6. Work for God’s Kingdom

• Matthew 6:19-21- Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
• Col 2:2-3- My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
• Matt 13:44- The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.