Managing Your Time
The Trust
God’s Plan for a Successful Lifestyle of
Stewardship
Ray of Hope Christian Church
September 13, 2011
Teach us to number our
days aright, that we may
gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
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.
Ephesians 5:15-17
• Redeem the time that we have been
given.
• Redeeming time requires skillful
management of the limited fleeting
moments entrusted to us.
If you don’t manage time
well, you won’t manage
anything else well either.
What does time mean to you?
“Dost thou love life? Then
do not squander time. For
that’s the stuff life is made
of.”
Sir Walter Raleigh
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every
activity under heaven; a time
to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to
uproot, a time to laugh and a
time to cry. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Everything has its
moment in time and
every moment is
important.
Though eternity is timeless. The way
we use time here is certain to effect
how we spend eternity.
Time is invaluable and
indispensible. It is important
that we value time and not
waste it or take it for granted.
Truly successful people are in
charge of their time.
Truly successful people are in
charge of their time.
One of the great secrets of success
is learning to take each moment as it
comes and investing it in the best way
possible.
The late Benjamin E. Mays was
famous for saying!
I’ve only just a minute
Only 60 seconds in it.
Forced upon me, can’t refuse it.
Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it,
But it’s up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it,
Give account if I abuse it.
Just a tiny little minute,
But eternity is in it.
-Benjamin E. Mays
Life is Brief.
•I Chronicles 29:15
•Job 7:6, 8:9, 9:25,14:2
•Psalms 39:5
•Psalms 90:5-6, 10,12
Life is Fleeting!
St. Augustine of Hippo says,
“Time never takes time off”.
Remember your Creator in the
days of your youth, before the
days of trouble come and the
years approach. “When you
will say, I find no pleasure in
them”.
-Ecclesiastes 12:1
TIME IS SHORT!
Life is not only brief;
it is uncertain.
Do not boast about
tomorrow, for you do not
know what a day will bring.
Proverbs 27:1
James 4:13-16
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 then vanishes. Instead, you ought to
say, if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do
this and that!
To succeed in life we must
make wise use of our time.
• Count each day because each
day counts
• Understand the value of a day,
an hour, a minute, a second
• Understand to whom time
belongs
Some of us are careful to
guard “our” time, but time is
really not ours.
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are My
God”. My times are in your hands.
Psalm 31:14-15
Time is a precious gift from our
heavenly Father, who is the
originator and owner of time.
Our times and time is his.
Time is to be redeemed! We
have to make the most of our
God given time!
Ephesians 5:15-17
Be careful how you walk not as
unwise men and women, making
the most of your time, because the
days are evil. So then do not be
foolish, but understand what the
will of the Lord is.
The KJV says we are to walk
“circumspectly” conducting
ourselves “carefully” in the world.
That word “circumspect” means to
“look around, walk strictly,
straightly, without stumbling”.
The Greek word from which circumspect
comes, carries the idea of “precise and
accurate”. We must walk with exactness.
Successful people never let
an opportunity pass without
taking advantage of it or at
least checking it out!
Time is packed with potential for
immense good.
Time Stealers are:
1. Laziness
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Proverbs 18:9
Proverbs 19:5
Proverbs 22:13
Proverbs 24:30-31
Ecclesiastes 10:18
II Thessalonians 3:11
Hebrews 6:12
Remind yourself that
incredible opportunities are
lost forever when you curl up
on the couch and choose to
do nothing with the precious
time you have for too long.
Time Stealers are:
2. Idleness
Idleness is the devil’s workshop or
playground. Ecclesiastes 10:18
The word idle means lacking worth
or basis useless, not occupied or
employed; not turned to
appropriate use; inactive.
Time Stealers are:
3. Procrastination-to put off until
tomorrow what we should do
today.
Procrastination is the intrusive,
nagging urge that prompts and
pushes us to excuse ourselves
from present responsibilities.
The word of God says that some
of the causes of procrastination
are:
a. Worldly entanglements-Genesis-19:16
b. Family cares-Luke-9:16
c. Unbelief-Acts-17:32
d. Personal Convenience-Acts 24:25
Fear is the root of procrastination!
Procrastination hurts us in two
ways:
First, we waste valuable time
and energy putting off what we
should be doing.
Second, we then have to use
more time and energy making
up for what should have already
been done.
“You may delay, but time
will not.” Benjamin Franklin
The Harvest is past, summer is
ended, and we are not saved?
Jeremiah 8:20
Have you ever missed something
important because you
procrastinated?
Procrastination is the grave in
which opportunity is buried.
Time Stealers are:
4. Distractions
Time is the ballot that records
your vote on what matters
most in your life.
Successful people focus
on the significant.
Philippians 3:12-14
As he approached Jerusalem,
he set his face like flint.
Luke 9:51
Make a decision to stay
focused, decide the one
thing that you will do and
do it. Say “no” to
attempts to distract you
and derail you from your
goals.
The people who make
the best use of their time
have the most to spare.
Those who make the
worst use of their time are
usually the ones who
complain of never having
enough time.
1.
Pray and plan
2.
Prioritize your day the
night before.
a. Each night write down the six
most important things you
should do the following day.
b. List them in order of
importance.
c. The following morning, start
doing whatever tops the list.
3. First things first-Take urgent issues
right away. In order to be
successful, we have to do the
significant first.
4. Difficult things first5. Complete things first- Finish
unfinished projects
6. To do list-Work from a to-do list with
deadlines. Keep your deadlines.
7. Select and reject. Be courageous enough
to say “yes” and “no” to demands on your
time.
8. Do your homework. Find out what you
know to succeed.
9. Delegate. Have others help you
accomplish your mission.
10. Evaluate your day. At the end of each
day, note how you did. Resolve to improve
tomorrow.