"Be very
careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of
every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16
It is important to know what time it
is but it is more important to know what to do with time. That is the essence
of what Paul is telling the Christians at Ephesus.
Here he equates wisdom
with the careful use of time and wasting time is unwise. Obviously, since time
is what life is made of using time wisely makes a lot of sense. Who can afford
to waste time?
Andy Stanley says,
"You can overeat, overachieve, overspend but you can't over live."
Wise people, careful
people, make "the most of every opportunity" . Or
literally, they "redeem" and "max out" the time.
It takes careful and prayerful
planning to "max out" each hour of each day.
A wise person once told
me, "Brad, if you don't set your schedule other people will set it for
you."
So, I set out to learn
wise time-management skills.
One of the wisest time
management tips I ever received was from Steven Covey's book, "7
Habits of Highly Effective People". In this book he talks about
the difference between the important and the urgent when prioritizing time.
Important refers to
anything related to your life purpose. Urgent refers to situations that are
random and unexpected. Often, urgent situations arise out of your failure
to plan wisely.
In order to know what is
important you must understand your purpose and have well-defined goals.
Otherwise, you will get distracted and derailed by the urgent. While it is
possible something can be urgent and important, urgency is often the biggest
challenge to the important.
As a Christ-follower,
important would apply to spiritual truths that have eternal significance.
Living out the Great Commandment is important. Carrying out the Great
Commission is important. Ordering your daily schedule around those priorities
is wise living. And when the random things happen you can evaluate if it is
important or an interruption.
What time is it in your
life?
Have you lived long
enough to regret wasted time?
Is it time to live more
wisely?
Do you know what on
earth you're doing for Heaven's sake?
Does your daily schedule
reflect that?
As you look over your
to-do list for today, how many important things are on it?
Are there more urgent
things or important things?