If you had to grade yourself on your time management skills, would you come in at A plus or closer to a D or F? I think most of us have heard a lot about time management techniques—whether it’s using our smart phones, or a calendar, or a to-do list or some other method. But you know, the method you choose is not the most important factor in your ability to manage your time well. It’s your commitment to managing your time that is the key.

Jesus once said to his disciples, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:17). The blessing comes in the doing, not the knowing. So, knowing the techniques of time management is only effective if you implement them consistently. These principles are not focused on techniques, but rather on your attitude and commitment toward being a really good manager of your time.

Here’s another principle:

3. Time Management is essential for your success.

Well, yes, you’re probably thinking—everybody knows that. That’s probably true—that everybody knows that principle—but if you consider how many people implement and practice really good time management, I think you’ll realize that there’s often a lot of talk but not a lot of action. And so I would ask you, do you really understand that the way you manage your time is a key factor in your success—or your lack of success?

You can define success in whatever terms you wish—whether it’s business success or spiritual success or relationship success or whatever—and this principle will hold true. You will be successful in reaching your personal goals to a large degree on how well you manage your time; how disciplined you are to stick to your time management commitment.

That doesn’t mean that you are a workaholic. Really good time managers have time for recreation and celebration. Good time managers also know that it is crucial to switch off at the end of the day and leave work behind—that there have to be boundaries in our lives. And that’s harder and harder to do these days when we are never beyond the reach of technology. How hard is it for you to shut off your phone? To close down that email interaction—even for an evening? Good time managers know how to draw those boundaries.

So, check up on yourself—are you truly committed to becoming a better time manager? It’s essential for your personal success.

If you had to grade yourself on your time management skills, would you come in at A plus or closer to a D or F? I think most of us have heard a lot about time management techniques—whether it’s using...

Would you agree that time is your most valuable asset? We all have twenty-four hours in a day; we are all given the same amount of time each day. How we spend that time makes all the difference in our lives, doesn’t it?

The first time management principle was: time management is about balance and prioritization.

Here’s the next one:

2. Time Management is about getting the right stuff done.

You can be very busy, do lots of stuff, look very efficient, but wasting a lot of time because you are busy getting the wrong stuff done. In fact, sometimes I’ve noticed that I purposely stay busy doing the less important things just to avoid or postpone getting to the stuff that really needs to be done.

I remember in the first corporate job I had many years ago, there were certain people who stayed late almost everyday, looking very busy and important. And I was a bit intimidated by them, because every morning they would tell me how late they worked the night before. But gradually I began to realize that they were stretching eight hours of work into ten! They stayed busy doing stuff because it made them feel effective and important, when in reality what they were doing wasn’t adding any value to their work product.

It is better to complete one very important task than one-hundred unimportant tasks. You remember when Jesus was in a crowd of people, when a woman with an issue of blood just touched his garment, hoping to be healed. Jesus stopped right in the midst of that crowd, interrupting this journey to the home of an important man, to heal this one woman—a woman who was an outcast in her society because of her physical condition. It was that important to Jesus—that one person in the midst of all the demands on him.

When you take time for that one person—that one act of kindness that comes your way, it may be the most important thing you do all day. That one thing could be reading a Bible story to your children. Or it could be taking a nap to recharge your batteries. Or spending time listening to someone who needs a friend. Don’t forget that God often has those divine interruptions for us that may appear to be wasting our time, when in reality, they are truly important and effective uses of our time.

Would you agree that time is your most valuable asset? We all have twenty-four hours in a day; we are all given the same amount of time each day. How we spend that time makes all the difference in our...

Time management is a skill that most people would like to improve. I know that I’m very aware of time—saving time, managing time, spending time—and yet there have been too many days when I had to recognize that my time management was sadly lacking. I was busy, yes, but I didn’t get much done. Do you ever feel that way?

I want to take another look at time management—at five key principles that will help us do a better job. Paul wrote to the Ephesians (5:16) that they were to redeem the time—make good use of their time. As Christ-followers we are to be good stewards of the time God is giving us.

Time Management Principles 

Time Management is about balance and prioritization.

We make choices everyday as to what will claim our time and attention, and good time management means that some things will have to wait and some things may have to go.

I remember a time when my daughter was a teenager, and we were planning to wallpaper her room. I was so stressed out because I had planned to get the job done on a certain day, and it just wasn’t working out. In my fretful mode, my wise daughter simply said to me, “Mom, it doesn’t have to be done today.”

Of course it didn’t have to be done that day, but in my mind it had become a priority and that created unnecessary stress for me and my daughter. Believe me, I’ve had to learn that lesson many times over in the years since.

As you face each day, make realistic assessments of what is truly important to get done that day—even if it’s not the thing you want to do. Then get that done first, and who knows, you may have time left over for other things too. One thing I’ve learned to do which has helped me immensely is this: Whatever I have to do today that I don’t want to do, I do it first! Believe me, that is a great help in managing your time.

And don’t forget that you have to make time for what you need to function well—good food, lots of water, exercise, rest, companionship—and of course, most importantly, time with God each day. Leaving those things off for prolonged periods will cause your performance to suffer and you won’t have the strength and motivation to do what has to be done.

Time management is a skill that most people would like to improve. I know that I’m very aware of time—saving time, managing time, spending time—and yet there have been too many days when I had to recognize that my time...

For those who may not have heard these Fran stories before, they are told as though Fran has an ongoing conversation with Jesus. My purpose is to help us all realize that as Christ-followers, we indeed have his presence with us all the time and we can talk to him, cry out to him, and listen to him throughout our day, if we just take the time. And Fran’s conversations with Jesus are always based solely on scripture.

As Fran is working at her desk this day, her friend, Louise, a fellow believer, walks into her office and shuts the door behind her. “What is it, Louise?” Fran asks. “What’s happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Fran, have you read this latest memo from the home office? Listen to this,” Louise reads from her phone:

In order to make certain that our company provides adequate protection for all of our employees and is compliant with Federal and State guidelines, everyone is required to attend a training session addressing these concerns. These are two-hour sessions which will be conducted by an outside organization and will focus on our individual responsibility to affirm and respect everyone in our company. Please select the day you can attend and sign up below.”

“I have not seen that,” Fran replies. “What do you think it’s all about, Louise?”

“Oh I know what it’s all about. I talked to Sandra in HR – you’ve met her.”

“Yes, I know her—she is a fellow believer. I like her a lot,” Fran replies.

“Well, she told me that this training is to tell us how we are to treat LGBTQ people. She said they are making new policies on how we address them, especially cross-gender people, and stuff like that,” Louise says with anxiety in her voice.

“I don’t see a big problem with that, Louise. Do you?” Fran says.

“Well, yeah, I do. They’re trying to make us accept what is against our belief—our doctrine. This is the politically correct culture gone amuck, Fran. This is just step one; what will be next?” Louise is truly upset about it.

Fran gives it some thought. “Louise, we already treat these people like we treat anyone else, right? So, they’re not going to make us do anything we don’t do already—that’s the way I see it. If they just want us to never discriminate and always treat them with respect, I can agree with that. That’s what I think Jesus would do.”

“You just don’t get it, do you Fran?” Louise says with some frustration. “We have to stand for what we believe and not be intimidated by this culture. Everyday you hear about new attacks on our Christian beliefs. They let boys—you know, cross gender girls who were boys—compete in women’s sports and that’s not fair.”

“Well, I understand what you’re saying, but that’s not really what this training is about, is it?” Fran tries to stay calm.

“Like I said, Fran, this is just step one. If we don’t take a stand, who knows what will be next?” And with that, Louise leaves Fran’s office.

Whew, Fran thinks, Louise is really upset. I’ll call her tonight and talk more. So, that evening after the kids are in bed, Fran calls Louise to continue their conversation. “Louise, I didn’t mean to upset you today, and maybe I’m missing something here, but I just don’t see the danger in this training.”

“Fran, I talked with my friend at church tonight, and she agrees with me that if we don’t take a stand now and let the company know our opposition to this kind of training, it will just keep on going. So, I’ve decided to tell Ben that I’m choosing not to go to this training because it is against my beliefs. I know they might fire me for it—who knows? But I think I have to do it to stand true for Jesus.”

Whoa, Fran thinks to herself. Louise is taking this much more seriously than I am. Is she right? She says, “Louise,

For those who may not have heard these Fran stories before, they are told as though Fran has an ongoing conversation with Jesus. My purpose is to help us all realize that as Christ-followers, we indeed have his presence with...

What does a vision look like?  Here are five signs to help you identify your God-given vision: Sign Number 1 – It won’t go away. As you pray about it, it gets stronger, not weaker. Sign Number 2 – There...

What does a vision look like? 

Here are five signs to help you identify your God-given vision:

Sign Number 1 – It won’t go away. As you pray about it, it gets stronger, not weaker.

Sign Number 2 – There is a need for it.

Sign Number 3 – God will open doors for you. You will see some small and/or large miracles as God opens these doors. You will be amazed, frightened, awestruck, and excited.

Sign Number 4 – Your spiritual leader(s) will encourage you.

Sign Number 5 – God will give you the right people to help you.

Elsy Riungu is my friend in Nairobi, Kenya. Several years ago at our conference there I spoke on this topic—asking God for a vision. As always, Elsy took to heart what she heard. She prayed about it, and then began a ministry to help save marriages. She rented a venue near her home—with money she didn’t have to spare—and started a monthly meeting for couples. She got speakers, planned the programs, advertised and invited, and for several years she continued that ministry.

After she began she wrote: “Couples ministry is running on well as we meet once a month. It is exciting to minister to mostly young couples. I have had three separated marriages, and after counselling, two of them are restored and enjoying their union. My desire this year is to reach families in the rural areas, where the need is enormous. Pray for me.”

She had no money, no support system backing her up. God gave her a vision, and she was obedient to it, and she was filled with joy to be doing what God has called her to do.

Are you willing to ask for a vision? It begins with prayer, but at some point you have to put feet to your prayer. Start walking through open doors and just keep taking the next right step.

Remember, when it comes to pursuing your vision:

If you don’t go for it, it will fade and you’ll miss the blessing. Use it or lose it.

The more you pursue God’s vision for you, the more ability and gifts you will have to do it. God will stretch you and gift you like you’ve never dreamed. But that won’t happen until you take that first step.

If you would like to read the entire week’s message, click here to view/download the PDF.