Blessed in mission: when "my time" is not my own
God is so good to us: He knows what we need and how we will function best. It is not just that He wants our time, or that He is demanding; rather, He wants us to enjoy the fullness of life. How does it feel to be overwhelmed with demands on your time and energy? Are you feeling like every drop of life is getting sucked out of you, or maybe it’s already been sucked out and you just feel like you’re running on empty? That is not the feeling that comes with alignment with God. I can’t claim to know everything, but I do know He is the God of a thousand hills and He has overflow for you! I’ve felt it in the energy that comes with doing what He’s called me to do, and the miracles of deadlines being met. When we prioritize Him, and what He shows us to prioritize, He will make everything else good.
So, where do we even start with attempting to manage time- a “relative, yet fixed asset?”
You can read all kinds of books, and I can give you all kinds of tips and wisdom, convictions and testimonies, but the most important thing you can do is read His word and pray. Yes, this is the answer for every area of your life: to say, “not my will but Thine, show me Your way.”
Ask God for wisdom in using time, recognizing its limited nature, and prioritizing actions that align with God's will. He tells us that even in time, we can seek His guidance on avoiding idleness, and making the most of each day.
Let’s look at some more scripture to get you started.
1. Recognizing the Value of Time:
Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Consider that though time may seem infinite, because you don’t know when your time is up, its value is that of a limited asset. Don’t let the days go by without intentionality, but seek God in what you do with each day. I often feel like I just don’t have the time to “slow down and consider,” but it is the best thing I can do, so that I will do the best thing!
Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Again, the importance of seeking wisdom, God, for our time prioritizing. Time is an asset in high-demand. Satan loves to steal it with distractions that don’t edify God, ourselves, or others. How easy it is for me to lament and turn into a ninny when I see my kids “wasting” time on a screen. I know that my time is in high demand: I have all the things on the calendar, all the things on my to-do list, the things I’m convicted of, the things I expect of myself for my husband and children, and the interruptions that will come and I can’t hardly imagine throwing time out the window watching something or playing a screen game. But have I asked God about how I’m to execute all the previous things? I am no better if I’m going about my own way.
James 4:13-17, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
There are many great opportunities out there, and many people who would love to receive your help and time, but we must ask God where He wants us. To assume that we can just do the next thing without consulting God, is dangerous. I am very guilty of this, I will confess! I would venture to say time is where we could really see God’s graciousness as He watches us over and over again fall to temptations, habits, and commitments made without seeking Him, and squandering our time.
2. Prioritizing God's Will:
Matthew 6:33-34, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
If we "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," we will reap the rewards of our priorities being aligned with God's purposes: the provisions we otherwise toil over.
Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
If you cannot say with confidence that you are working where the Lord wants you, that is the first thing to bring into submission to Him. Trusting He will give you work that provides and honors Him. Secondly, we have to continually ask ourselves if we have changed our focus to pleasing man in our daily work. Though we might answer to a supervisor, or our productivity is measured, our self-value and the value of our work must still come from what God says about us and that we know in our hearts we are glorifying Him first. It is great to receive compliments and encouragement for our work, even promotions, this may be confirmations that you’re in the right place; but don’t fall into that trap of getting value from what man says about you. You will receive a reward here on earth and in heaven when your value is based in glorifying Him.
3. Avoiding Idleness and Spiritual Apathy, and Seeking Diligence:
Proverbs 6:10-11, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest– and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”
Proverbs 12:24, “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.”
When we are not focused on doing God’s will we will find ourselves serving man and losing value. This could look like financial ruin, passionless work, or losing our source of provision altogether.
Amos 8:11-13, “Behold, the days are coming,” declares, the Lord God, "When I will send a famine on the land– not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it. “In that day the lovely virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst.”
Zephania 1:12, “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, “the Lord will not do good, nor will He do ill.”
Hebrews 10:38-39, ‘But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”
Matthew 21:43, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”
Hebrews 6:10, “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show the same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
Over and over again, if you read these scriptures and consider the stories throughout the old and new testament, you will see there is an imperative to align our lives with God’s will and pursue His righteous ways. We will toil without fulfilment, even if we do receive an earthly reward, it will feel empty, if we are not seeking Him. There will be a constant unrest in our soul when we are missing the relationship of seeking after Him and being in close proximity to Him because we are serving Him with our time.
I think of my kids, who as young “helpers” between 2-6 years of age or so, think they are helping when they are trying to x x mimic something they saw me do. Sometimes my response is, “I did not ask you to do that. Though it is a good thing, truly helping is doing what I ask you to do, and I asked you to do this…” How often does God say that of me? “You are doing a good thing, but it is not what I asked. Ask me, I have a mission that is just for you. You may do that at a different time, but I need you to do this now…” We must ask and listen for God’s ways. And He will give us the strength, the courage, and the staying power when we choose to Honor Him. For it is in this way that we would be able to say with Paul, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13.
Every day is a day to live with purpose. Lord, help me today to see what it is that You desire of me!
So, where do we even start with attempting to manage time- a “relative, yet fixed asset?”
You can read all kinds of books, and I can give you all kinds of tips and wisdom, convictions and testimonies, but the most important thing you can do is read His word and pray. Yes, this is the answer for every area of your life: to say, “not my will but Thine, show me Your way.”
Ask God for wisdom in using time, recognizing its limited nature, and prioritizing actions that align with God's will. He tells us that even in time, we can seek His guidance on avoiding idleness, and making the most of each day.
Let’s look at some more scripture to get you started.
1. Recognizing the Value of Time:
Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Consider that though time may seem infinite, because you don’t know when your time is up, its value is that of a limited asset. Don’t let the days go by without intentionality, but seek God in what you do with each day. I often feel like I just don’t have the time to “slow down and consider,” but it is the best thing I can do, so that I will do the best thing!
Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Again, the importance of seeking wisdom, God, for our time prioritizing. Time is an asset in high-demand. Satan loves to steal it with distractions that don’t edify God, ourselves, or others. How easy it is for me to lament and turn into a ninny when I see my kids “wasting” time on a screen. I know that my time is in high demand: I have all the things on the calendar, all the things on my to-do list, the things I’m convicted of, the things I expect of myself for my husband and children, and the interruptions that will come and I can’t hardly imagine throwing time out the window watching something or playing a screen game. But have I asked God about how I’m to execute all the previous things? I am no better if I’m going about my own way.
James 4:13-17, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
There are many great opportunities out there, and many people who would love to receive your help and time, but we must ask God where He wants us. To assume that we can just do the next thing without consulting God, is dangerous. I am very guilty of this, I will confess! I would venture to say time is where we could really see God’s graciousness as He watches us over and over again fall to temptations, habits, and commitments made without seeking Him, and squandering our time.
2. Prioritizing God's Will:
Matthew 6:33-34, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
If we "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," we will reap the rewards of our priorities being aligned with God's purposes: the provisions we otherwise toil over.
Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
If you cannot say with confidence that you are working where the Lord wants you, that is the first thing to bring into submission to Him. Trusting He will give you work that provides and honors Him. Secondly, we have to continually ask ourselves if we have changed our focus to pleasing man in our daily work. Though we might answer to a supervisor, or our productivity is measured, our self-value and the value of our work must still come from what God says about us and that we know in our hearts we are glorifying Him first. It is great to receive compliments and encouragement for our work, even promotions, this may be confirmations that you’re in the right place; but don’t fall into that trap of getting value from what man says about you. You will receive a reward here on earth and in heaven when your value is based in glorifying Him.
3. Avoiding Idleness and Spiritual Apathy, and Seeking Diligence:
Proverbs 6:10-11, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest– and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”
Proverbs 12:24, “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.”
When we are not focused on doing God’s will we will find ourselves serving man and losing value. This could look like financial ruin, passionless work, or losing our source of provision altogether.
Amos 8:11-13, “Behold, the days are coming,” declares, the Lord God, "When I will send a famine on the land– not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it. “In that day the lovely virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst.”
Zephania 1:12, “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, “the Lord will not do good, nor will He do ill.”
Hebrews 10:38-39, ‘But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”
Matthew 21:43, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”
Hebrews 6:10, “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show the same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
Over and over again, if you read these scriptures and consider the stories throughout the old and new testament, you will see there is an imperative to align our lives with God’s will and pursue His righteous ways. We will toil without fulfilment, even if we do receive an earthly reward, it will feel empty, if we are not seeking Him. There will be a constant unrest in our soul when we are missing the relationship of seeking after Him and being in close proximity to Him because we are serving Him with our time.
I think of my kids, who as young “helpers” between 2-6 years of age or so, think they are helping when they are trying to x x mimic something they saw me do. Sometimes my response is, “I did not ask you to do that. Though it is a good thing, truly helping is doing what I ask you to do, and I asked you to do this…” How often does God say that of me? “You are doing a good thing, but it is not what I asked. Ask me, I have a mission that is just for you. You may do that at a different time, but I need you to do this now…” We must ask and listen for God’s ways. And He will give us the strength, the courage, and the staying power when we choose to Honor Him. For it is in this way that we would be able to say with Paul, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13.
Every day is a day to live with purpose. Lord, help me today to see what it is that You desire of me!
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