Redeeming the Time

Title: Redeeming the Time

Scripture: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16

IntroductionA time management expert was teaching a seminar for executives. He placed a large, clear open-mouthed jar in front of the group. Next, he put seven or eight large rocks into the jar until it was full. “Is the jar full?” He asked. Everyone nodded. Then he took pebbles and filled up the jar with the small rocks until they reached the rim. “Is the jar full?” By now, they didn’t answer. So, he poured fine sand in. “Is the jar full?” Some nodded. He proceeded to take a pitcher of water and filled up the jar again. “What’s the lesson about time management?” he asked. Hands shot up, and everyone agreed “No matter how busy you are you can always fit more things into your schedule.” “Wrong.” he replied. “The lesson is: unless you put the big rocks in first, they never will fit in. You must figure out what the big rocks are for you.” What are the big rocks in your life? Giving time to God? Giving time to your marriage and to your children? If you don’t put those big rocks in first, someone else will fill up your jar.

Time is the referee of life that is most fair. He is impartial to any social, color or gender. He is constant at what he does and never change irrespective of the situation, circumstance or dilemma we might find ourselves. Every body in the world is given the same 24 hours a day, not more, not less. Time is the great leveller.

“Time is a resource that is nonrenewable and nontransferable. You cannot store it, slow it up, hold it up, divide it up or give it up. You can’t hoard it up or save it for a rainy day–when it’s lost it’s unrecoverable. When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.” – A.W. Tozer

Time is money. I discovered some years ago that we don’t pay for things with money, we pay for things with time. For example, you own an IPAD that can cost you £400. If your wages is paid at an hourly rate of £20 per hour. It means the IPAD would cost 20 hours of your life before taxes. There is a time cost associated to every device, gadgets or electronic we own. Time is the new currency.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalms 90:12

Every moment is a gift from God that must be managed wisely. How much time do you have left? Do you know? Time is a factor by which our lives is judged.

To Manage our Time effectively, I suggest the following:

Purpose: in order to manage time well, we must know our purpose. Prayerfully write down your purpose and goals for the New Year
Priority: keep the main the main thing. When our priorities are not healthy and clear, we end up attempting more things than we should and not doing any of them really well. We become stressed-out, over-committed, and spread too thinly.
Plan: Spend time planning which day before it commences.keep a clear to “To do” list for each day

When you’re 95 years old and looking back on your life, what will you say? Will you be happy with the way you have lived?
A survey taken a number of years ago of those aged 95 and above asked this question; what changes would you make if you could live your life over again. The top three changes they would make were:

They’d take more time to think and reflect on what they were doing and the meaning of life.
They’d risk more. In other words they would be more willing to step out of their comfort zones and be more courageous.
They’d do more things that outlive them; things that would have a positive effect on people and the world, even after they had died.

God bless you.

Prayer Points