I love to talk about biblical time management because I tend to bite off more than I can chew with my commitments at times. Like, how do I make this schedule work with this other schedule? You know it.. I've failed in wise-planning, been late tryin' to pack in too much. Our friend Jay Comstock always encourages me with the Scriptures though.. in lots of areas. Even in this. Feelin' grateful! And the word motivates me to quickly jot the ideas down so I won't forget em. Want to plan better, and also recognize that some ministry is more important than other ministry endeavors -- like simply worshipin' all alone with the Lord.
What does the Lord tell us about use of time? Well, the Bible tells us believers in the book of Romans 12:10-13 to "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality." Lord, I want to be a good witness in all areas, especially with the minutes you've given to me. Make me a world-changer like You were and are. Let rivers of living water flow. I still really need You in this area and desire You most. I ask for Your wisdom and Your will. What do you want me to focus on above other things today? Help us all to obediently maximize our minutes here for Your glory.. makin' the most of the time, teachings, talents and treasures we have from You.
Why spend time or waste time when you can invest time?
Sure, He came here in the Fullness of Time, and not a second too early. Yes, the Bible is clear that Jesus humbled himself coming at exactly the prescribed time.. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman" -- a virgin. And John (7:1-13) tells us how Christ drew a sharp contrast here on earth between His half brothers' time and plan for Jesus and His Father's ministry time for Him.
Are you well familiar with that New Testament passage I'm referring to? Go meditate upon the context of it when you get a chance. I politely challenge you to.
Hey, if you're using your time here as most in this worldly culture do, you aren't living by God's plan and time-scheduling for you. Simple as that.
Check it out real closely, Jesus' half brothers went up to that big religious feast but they went without Jesus accompanying them. Praying.. Jesus knew the Father had other ideas for Him that day, but they thought Jesus daily and eagerly sought to become famous.
Our exemplary Christ was sent by the Father or world-changing purpose -- He executed His mission perfectly daily being led by the Spirit, making His life for us worth imitating. He came to seek and to save that which is lost .. valuable people.. and to destroy the works of the enemy.
God is never late. Never has been. He's still punctual and for us.. that's all about being on time to meet needs.
Hey there could be traffic so for me.. better twenty minutes too soon, than one minute too late.
To be able to imitate Him, we each need to daily follow Him and consider how He managed His time during His three and a half-year ministry.
I say.. in order to know the release of the spirit we must first know the Restraint of the Spirit. When was Spirit restrains, it's time to say no to your fleshly nature. He told Paul no on going to Macedoiia some Paul stopped, but then said yes on opening up all of Europe to Paul). It's so radically important to know both the restraint of the Spirit and the release of the Spirit.
"God’s will"..that's what dictated His Son's calendar here on the earth. Just know that God has a special scheduling for you while here as well. It'll include ministry upwards and outwards, believer. So how will you use those minutes, hours and days to bless Him?
During Jesus' life on earth, Christ perfectly prioritized things based on God’s perfect will (not on God's so called permissive will), and He ensured that his every day counted. As He declared in John 6:38 – “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” Jesus remained loyal to His Father’s directions. At first, He willingly accepted coming here to be born of a virgin sinner woman now one of faith, to be taught how to dress up, how to read and write by the same people whose DNA he wrote. Like Jesus, we also need to remain steadfast in following scriptural guidelines since that’s the only way to get full satisfaction in our daily activities and ministry while also giving the Father all the glory. What was His top priority habit? Prayin'. Jesus would steal away to be alone with the Father. He would to pray fervently, and was refreshed regularly. One of the most important things to do is earnestly pray and then step out in faith applying what God shows us to do. Jesus epitomized this behavior of faith! Even when He had the opportunity to perform miracles or teach His disciples, He ensured that He made time to refresh. He would withdraw to a lonely place to listen and to communicate with God for spiritual refreshment. Like it’s written in Luke 5:15-16 – “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” While in the ministry, the best way to refuel is to spend own time praying and reading the word. I was telling my wife Liney today how God has never given to me what I asked and really Really wanted Him to. You can imagine her expression. I mean Lin.. with the college, the wife, and the career choice.. but God's always found the time to give me much better than I asked of Him and really Really wanted. Far better. He knew better than I, and He knows where it's best for you to invest times as well. : )
"God’s will"..that's what dictated His Son's calendar here on the earth. Just know that God has a special scheduling for you while here as well. It'll include ministry upwards and outwards, believer. So how will you use those minutes, hours and days to bless Him?
During Jesus' life on earth, Christ perfectly prioritized things based on God’s perfect will (not on God's so called permissive will), and He ensured that his every day counted. As He declared in John 6:38 – “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” Jesus remained loyal to His Father’s directions. At first, He willingly accepted coming here to be born of a virgin sinner woman now one of faith, to be taught how to dress up, how to read and write by the same people whose DNA he wrote. Like Jesus, we also need to remain steadfast in following scriptural guidelines since that’s the only way to get full satisfaction in our daily activities and ministry while also giving the Father all the glory. What was His top priority habit? Prayin'. Jesus would steal away to be alone with the Father. He would to pray fervently, and was refreshed regularly. One of the most important things to do is earnestly pray and then step out in faith applying what God shows us to do. Jesus epitomized this behavior of faith! Even when He had the opportunity to perform miracles or teach His disciples, He ensured that He made time to refresh. He would withdraw to a lonely place to listen and to communicate with God for spiritual refreshment. Like it’s written in Luke 5:15-16 – “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” While in the ministry, the best way to refuel is to spend own time praying and reading the word. I was telling my wife Liney today how God has never given to me what I asked and really Really wanted Him to. You can imagine her expression. I mean Lin.. with the college, the wife, and the career choice.. but God's always found the time to give me much better than I asked of Him and really Really wanted. Far better. He knew better than I, and He knows where it's best for you to invest times as well. : )
In Mark 1 we see Jesus keeping the main thing the main thing, instead of making secondary things the main thing like I've done before.. yes, I mean the "main thing" being the will of the Father for Him.
The Bible says, "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils."
"Make use of time, let not advantage slip." ~ William Shakespeare
Here's a good opportunity for you. Take some time to turn and trust the Lord.. if you haven't already. All else comes after this in importance. Yeah, right now is good, come as you are. No puttin' it off for another time. Facebook.com/shareJesus
"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." ~ William Penn
"If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got." ~ Lee Iacocca
"It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?" ~ Henry David Thoreau
