The Bible and Time-Management

Time is precious.  You can run out of money and still have some life left over.  But if you run out of time, you run out of life.  It's no surprise then that the Bible has a lot to say about time.  The following is a brief overview of the Biblical teaching on time.
  1. Your time belongs to God (1 Cor 6:20; 1 Cor 7:23).  You were bought with a price -- the blood of Christ.  You are not your own.  Therefore, you can't just do whatever you want with your time.  It isn't yours; you are just a manager of God's time.
  2. You must glorify God with your time (1 Cor 10:31).  This means that Biblical time-management is not about getting more done in less time, but getting the right things done -- getting God's will done.  Biblical time-management begins with figuring out how God wants you to use your time, and then doing that first.  Everything else comes second.
  3. God has four time priorities for every Christian:  (1) Spiritual -- your relationship with God (Mt 22:37; Mt 6:33); (2) Spouse -- your relationship with your husband/wife (Mt 19:4-6); (3) Seed -- your relationship with your children (Eph 6:4); and (4) Self -- your relationship with self, or self-care (Mt 22:39; Eph 5:28).  A priority is that which is most important; that which comes first.  You must arrange your schedule in a way that keeps first things first.
  4. Your time is limited (Ps 90:12).  You will not live on earth forever.  This means you don't have time to do everything.  Therefore you must use your time wisely in order to make the most of your time.  One of the best ways to do this is to ask the following question about every opportunity and invitation that comes your way:  What is the wise thing to do with my time?  
  5. Your time is short (James 4:14).  Not only is your time limited, but the time that you do have -- eighty to ninety years, if you're fortunate -- is not much.  Therefore you don't have time to waste.  Get organized.  Don't procrastinate.  Get busy living.  If you know what God wants you to do, don't delay. 
  6. If you do what's normal, you will waste your time (Eph 5:15-17).  The Bible says that the days are evil; if you act like most people, then you will likely be very busy, but busy doing the wrong things.  Be intentional about avoiding the herd syndrome (Rom 12:2).  Immerse yourself in the Bible so that you will live according to Biblical values rather than worldly values. 
  7. God controls time (2 Kings 20:6; Joshua 10; Acts 5:1-11; Mt 10:28).  He can extend time, as He did with Joshua by making the sun stand still, and Hezekiah by giving him 15 more years to live, or He can cut your time short, as He did with the infamous Ananias and Sapphira.  Therefore to get the most out of your time you must live in the fear of God, and if you need more time, ask God!  
  8. You have enough time to accomplish God's will and His priorities for your life (Mt 6:33; Philippians 4:19).  How do I know this?  Everyone has the same amount of time -- 24 hours each day.  So you can't complain that you have less than others.  As well, wherever God leads, God provides.  When God sets certain time priorities for you, He also gives you the time.  Therefore, if you are too busy to find time for God's priorities, then you are doing more than you should.  Sometimes the most godly thing you can do is to say "No" to a good thing in order to say "Yes" to the best things.
  9. God will judge you according to your use of time (Eccl 12:14; Mt 16:27; Rom 2:5-6).  Don't think that time-management is not important.  For every minute invested, and every minute wasted, God will hold you accountable.  Keep that in mind if you're like the average American who spends 28 hours a week watching TV.

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