Thursday, January 22, 2015

January 23, 2015

"A  person's  days  are  determined;  you  have decreed the number of his months and have set the limits he cannot exceed." Job 14:5

If you were given something very valuable that you would only have one chance to possess, how would you treat that item?

Would you refuse it?


Would you take it and not use it?


Would you abuse it?


That is essentially the question we are considering this week and the valuable commodity is time. Your time is very precious. With each passing day it becomes more precious because you have less of it remaining! You have it in your hand for such a brief span and then it is gone forever and what you do with it matters!


In yesterday's post I considered the first of four observations on the important issues of time management.  Yesterday's important observation is "investing small amounts of time over time is cumulative".


Today's second observation is "neglecting to invest small amounts of time over time is also cumulative."

In other words, what you do with your time is vitally important and so is what you DON'T do with your time. Both decisions have consequences in time and in eternity.


I said yesterday that one incident of neglect has no apparent consequences and, by the same token, one investment has no immediate benefit. So, since it is easier to neglect than to invest the consequences of either are not immediately obvious you then to neglect rather than not. And by the time the consequences of your neglect become apparent it is too late to avoid the penalty of neglect.


For instance, missing one work out is really no big deal. But, because missing one is not big deal it becomes easier to miss  two, or three.


What happens when those few days become a few weeks and those turn into months?


The same goes for other important activities such as quiet time, time with spouse, time with kids, church or small group meetings.


Complicating this scenario is the fact that often when you chose not to do something productive with the time you end up doing something destructive with it.


If you would think back over what you did when you didn't do something productive you likely would not even remember what you did. That is how foolish neglect is. You traded something that would have helped over time for something that you don't even remember now.


So, while neglect is easy, neglect is also very costly.


If you think you can't afford the time to exercise, or to have your quiet time or worship regularly, wait until you discover how costly it was to neglect those things!


Is there something you have been neglecting that you are beginning to pay a price for?


Are there several things like that?


What will you do with the precious gift of time you hold in your hand right now?