Family T.I.M.E.
The Importance of Family T.I.M.E.
• Benjamin Franklin: “Do not
squander time, for it is the
stuff life is made of.”
• Psalms 90:12 (ESV) “So
teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of
wisdom.”
• Don’t blame technology.
Blame ourselves.
The Importance of Family T.I.M.E.
The Importance of Family T.I.M.E.
The four letters in the word
TIME can help us learn about
the importance of family TIME.
• Treasure
• Invest
• Manage
• Enjoy
T Is For Treasure
We should treasure time as a
valuable commodity.
• Colossians 4:5 (KJV) Walk
in wisdom toward them
that are without,
redeeming the time.
• Colossians 4:5 (ESV) Walk
in wisdom toward
outsiders, making the best
use of the time.
T Is For Treasure
The most valuable asset to
share with our families is our
time.
• Many parents spell love
“T.H.I.N.G.S.” but children
spell love “T.I.M.E.”
• Husbands and wives, give
each other your time; it’s the
perfect gift for every
occasion!
I Is For Invest
John 9:4 (ESV) We
must work the works
of him who sent me
while it is day; night is
coming, when no one
can work.
I Is For Invest
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•
•
•
•
168 hours each week
56 sleeping hours
24 necessity hours
50 work hours
35 hours of
“discretionary” time
• 5 hours per day.
What we do with that 5
hours says a lot about us.
I Is For Invest
A study at the University of Michigan of 1,500 households
found:
• Mothers working outside the home spend an average of 11
minutes a day on weekdays, and thirty minutes a day on
weekends with the children (not including mealtime).
• Fathers spend an average of 8 minutes a day on weekdays and
14 minutes a day on weekends in different activities with their
children.
I Is For Invest
“I don’t spend much
time with my family,
but the little time I do
spend is ‘quality time.’”
• “Quality time” is really
a misnomer.
• There is no substitute
for investing a large
quantity of time with
your family.
M Is For Manage
Same phrase, different application.
• Ephesians 5:15-16 (KJV) See then
that ye walk circumspectly, not as
fools, but as wise, Redeeming the
time, because the days are evil.
• Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV) Look
carefully then how you walk, not
as unwise but as wise, making
the best use of the time, because
the days are evil.
M Is For Manage
In his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen
Covey writes: “The challenge is not to manage time, but to
manage ourselves.”
M Is For Manage
If we don’t manage our
time, someone else will
manage it for us.
• Romans 6:16 (ESV) Do
you not know that if you
present yourselves to
anyone as obedient
slaves, you are slaves of
the one whom you obey,
either of sin, which leads
to death, or of
obedience, which leads
to righteousness?
E Is For Enjoy
• Psalms 127:1-5 (ESV) Unless the LORD
builds the house, those who build it labor
in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the
city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is
in vain that you rise up early and go late to
rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he
gives to his beloved sleep. …
• What city is God talking about?
• Why does he say it is vain to eat the
“bread of anxious toil”?
E Is For Enjoy
Psalms 127:1-5 (ESV) …
Behold, children are a heritage
from the LORD, the fruit of the
womb a reward. Like arrows in
the hand of a warrior are the
children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man who fills his
quiver with them! …
E Is For Enjoy
Say NO to time-robbers.
• There is always something else to do.
• There is always somewhere else to be.
• Nobody on their deathbed ever said, “I
wish I had spent more time at work.”
E Is For Enjoy
Our family time is short, so make some happy memories!
• James 4:14 (ESV) … What is your life? For you are a mist that
appears for a little time and then vanishes.
Conclusion
Psalms 90:1-11 (ESV) Lord, you have been our dwelling place in
all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or
ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting
to everlasting you are God. … For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.
You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like
grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes
and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. …
Conclusion
Psalms 90:1-11 (ESV) … For all our days pass away under your
wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our
life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their
span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
… So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of
wisdom.