Online Articles
Time Management
What does the Bible teach about time management? Plenty! Our creator the inventor of time causes the earth to revolve every 86,400 seconds (24 hours) minus a few seconds which accounts for a leap year every four years. What this means to you is that you have one extra day this year to praise and glorify your Lord! We would all do well to follow the precision and exactness that our creator sets forth. We see precision all through the Bible, Noah's ark, the Tabernacle, and the day’s sunrise and sunset.
Time management is based on attitude, a habit of thought. Proverbs 23:7 says, "as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." If you consistently tell yourself that you probably don't have enough time or if you tell yourself you can probably make the time, either way you're probably right.
The two extremes about time management are sheer boredom or lots of stress by having way too many things to get done. Fortunately the Bible addresses both of these. Moses in his zeal for God, made the mistake of trying to do all of the work himself, Exodus 18:12-27 tells us of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses who observed that Moses taught the people himself all day long. "The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you: You are not able to perform it by yourself" (Exodus 18:17-18). At the advice of Jethro we see that Moses taught others to teach others. These were “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness"(Exodus 18:21). Because of this "they will bear the burden with you."
Practical Advice
The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 considers some real estate and buys it. Why don't we use similar reasoning toward time management? Let's just do the math, because awareness is the key. How much time do you have in your "time bank"?
Just suppose, (in one week)
60hr Hours work
56hr Hours sleep
116hr Total hours which leaves
52hr Hours for everything else!
168hr Hours in one week
In this illustration you have 52 hours per week to manage! This is the beginning of awareness, the key to time management.
2 Peter 1:3 tells us that "we have all things that pertain to life and Godliness." It's kind of like Ragu Spaghetti sauce, "It's in there!" Many devalue the power of the human brain. Some experts tell us that it is possible for one to learn fluently, 14 foreign languages. We don't, of course because we have no interest in learning 14 languages, just one or two perhaps. The Bible is about 700,000 words (Psalms through Job.) Why Psalms through Job? Many of us get bogged down and spiritually frustrated if we begin at Genesis (reading the Bible "from cover to cover.")
Enter Technology!
How would you like to be internally excited at the next traffic slow down (or at least a little less stressed out)? If you drive 12,000 miles per year (that's only 250 miles per week) and average 30 miles an hour, then you're in your car for 400 hours per year! And to listen to the audio Bible requires only 71 hours of our time.
You probably have not utilized the power of spaced repetition since you learned your ABC's! The tool is a powerful one. The more you listen the more you will remember and the more you remember, the more you will readily apply.
The Nature of God
The nature of God reveals that God is not pleased if we waste time, money, or energy. The divinely inspired prophet Isaiah (Ch 5:1-14) tells of much diligence exercised by our heavenly father to cause some special growth in Israel. He expected grapes and received wild grapes instead.
On the other hand, much joy and peace is waiting for you in the scriptures right now. On the holy pages the angels are still singing at the birth of Christ. Encouragement remains as well as wisdom virtually on every page.
The Bible has been preserved for you. The benefits of the Bible within your heart are truly with our limit. "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." (Proverbs)
Love, Peace and Outward Joy!
Isaiah 26:3 proclaims "peace, whose mind is stayed on thee". God is reliable and dependable. You can always rely on God's word for God changes not. Proper perception is essential; the happy man of Psalms is "meditating on the word of God day and night". Why? He must. The Bible is the magnet and we are the steel. Do you ever have 20 minutes un-interrupted? You can re-visit the moment "see and hear Jesus" as He delivers the Sermon on the mount. (Matthew chapters 5-7)
Being spiritually minded relieves stress. Lower stress levels enhance even your physical health. And because purpose determines much, your purpose in life regarding Christ Jesus shall formulate how you spend or invest your time.
"Lord, Increase Our Faith"
This is a prayer spoken by the disciples in Luke 17:5. The answer offered by Jesus is really interesting. "If your faith were... you could say to the mountains..." it is here that Jesus presents a "word picture." The word "if" is pivotal. In essence, "If you were to become this you could do that." Could we not say today that if you were better at time management your spiritual-mindedness, inner peace, and outward joy would increase?
Some Final Thoughts
I once went to a five hour time management seminar (as someone said, "why did it take five hours?!"). If time management were "duck soup" all of us would be proficient at it. "God is not the author of confusion" expresses a Biblical principle. Become clean about your current time habits simply by writing down where your time goes. Once again awareness is the key. Apply some songs too like "take time to be holy." Most of us don't understand the purpose of the brain. If you're trying to remember every schedule, every appointment, every promise that you make, then when you find the time to read and study the Bible you (just like Moses) have already worn yourself out and settle for less effectiveness.
Technology and your car may very well be two of your best 'friends'. Be aware of the convenience of audio even if that isn't your primary learning skill.
Time doesn't fly! It makes one huge leap every four years! The wise will lay it to heart. It's about time to "make your calling and election sure". Will you? Do you have the time?
Gerald Drawbaugh
