Ephesians 5:15-17, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
Ever felt like there’s not enough hours in the day? And definitely not enough hours at night for sleep? How can we make the most of our time?
(1) Look Closely at Your Life (Eph 5:15). God wants us to be wise in the way that we manage our time.We need to slow down or even stop, and take a good look at all that you are doing. What eats up most of your time, because that’s eating up your life? If you want to save time, you need to figure out where you are losing it first. Find out the time leaks, identify the time wasters. If you find yourself asking all the time, “Where did my time go?” You need to stop and inspect your lifestyle.
(2) Begin to plan your day (Eph 5:16) “making the best use of your time.” Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Schedule your day. Get a calendar and use it. The downside to scheduling the day is there will inevitably be failures, so celebrate the small victories. Its very easy to focus on the failures. Not being able to scratch another daily goal off the list can be very disheartening. Also don’t compare yourselves with other people and families, just because someone else is doing something one way doesn't mean its best for your family. Every family situation is different, just focus on honoring Christ with your time.
(3) Be wise and Don’t procrastinate (Eph 5:17). "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Prov. 27:1, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." Motivate yourself with the text. James 4:17 speaks very strongly against procrastination. He says, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Sin is not merely doing wrong, it is failing to do what you ought to do. We must cultivate a habit of instant obedience before God and motivate my heart to be prompt. After all this is what we require of our children is it not?
Procrastination takes away opportunities for growth. Procrastination and disobedience are two shades of the same sin. All of us have different areas that we procrastinate in and each area is different for all of us. What are you putting off when it comes to your spiritual growth? Have you ever heard someone say, “I would like to read my Bible but I just don’t have time.” Or have you caught yourself saying it or thinking it? Procrastination also takes away opportunities for service. James 4:13-14, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Hebrews 3:13, “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Galatians 6:10, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men.” God is always putting things on our heart to minister to others. So many times, we get so busy with our own needs and failures we neglect ministry. How often have you wanted to get involved in ministry and because of being behind on tasks, ministry takes a backseat. You cannot love and serve people without investing some of your time in them. You also cannot love and serve a church without investing some of your time in its ministries. Psalm 119:60 says, “I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments.”
Next I'll touch on three more principles of time management that I pray will encourage you to use your time to honor Christ.
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