It's All About Timing

At the conclusion of creation we find, "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (Genesis 2:1-3) We note that all creation was completed in six days and the Lord God added a seventh day to rest. Everything in creation was exactly as God wanted it including the precise time in which it all came together. In short, God is the Author and Master of time. 

Looking at the scriptures we also find some very interesting situations concerning time. One of these concerns Joshua. Joshua, commissioned by God to takes Moses' place in bring Israel into the Promised Land, was in a battle and needed more time to finish the battle, "Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon. So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day." (Joshua 10:12-13) 

We take away a few things from this miraculous event. First, Joshua's spoke to the Lord, exercised faith and commanded the sun and moon to stand still. Although Joshua's understanding was limited concerning this, God honored his faith. The reality is, the earth stopped in it rotation. Image if you can, the earth rotates at 1000 per hour and it came to a stop. Another thing that we can take away from this event, is, in essence, Joshua became the master of time to complete this task of high importance and high urgency. However, most people struggle with prioritizing their time and therefore seem to say, "I do not have enough time." This is actually a negative confession and will become what is spoken. Believers need to see themselves as masters of time, simply because we are the children of the Author and Master of time. 

For believers to take charge of their time, they must come to understand a few things. So, let's define some words. Important and or importance is defined as, that of great significance or value; likely to have a profound effect on success, survival, or well-being; having high rank or status; influential. Urgent and or urgency is defined as, that requiring immediate action or attention; done or arranged in response to a pressing or critical situation; earnest and persistent in response to a pressing situation; importance requiring swift action; insistence. Priority and or priorities, the fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important; a thing that is regarded as more important than another; the right to take precedence or to proceed before others. 

Now that we have defined some terms, let's put some things in order that we may see great results in our effectiveness and efficiency as masters of our time. Looking back to Joshua, he saw what was of high Importance and high urgency and tackled it above everything else. This is the first consideration for those who truly want to take control of their time and get the most out of it. Next on our list of priorities come things that are of high importance but low urgency. With these items we need to set deadlines for completion and get these projects worked into our daily routine. Next, come the things that we determine as low importance but high urgency. With these, we find quick, efficient ways to get this work done without much personal involvement. If possible, delegate these items to a person who can get the job done. Finally, come the things that we determine are of low importance and low urgency. Now, because this is busy or repetitious work in nature we do not forget them but simply stack it up and do it in one-half hour segments either daily or if possible weekly or again, you get somebody else to do it.  

Every person is either an initiator or a reactor when it comes to prioritizing and planning. An example is our calendar. The question is not, "Will my calendar be full" but "What will fill my calendar." Always remember, a life in which anything goes will ultimately be a life in which nothing goes. Another important thing to keep in mind is do not put off until tomorrow something you can do today. This will help in getting our days in order which can open the door for "free" time throughout our week. We also keep in mind that priorities continually shift and demand attention. This means that we must re-evaluate them to stay on top of life. 

Finally, most people can prioritize when faced with right or wrong issues. The real challenge arises when we are faced with two good choices. Now what should we do? Let's return to Joshua, "Then Joshua spoke to the Lord." As Joshua, we must always consult the Lord. This is where faith with patience is to be exercised, "That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." (Hebrews 6:12)  These two qualities enable us to act correctly when faced with two good choices. 

These are simply practical principles that believers can apply to their life to overcome the challenges we face daily. Rather then confessing our lack of time, let us confess, "Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]" (Ephesians 3:20 AMP) and be the masters of time as Joshua.   

Redeeming the Time

As time goes by, it seems that most people, even believers, have less time. Of course every person has the same amount of time every day, every week, every year. However, how do we make use of the time we have? The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us, "See then that you walk circumspectly, (careful consideration of all circumstances ) not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:15-17) To redeem the time is, "making the most of your (the) time...making the most of every opportunity...laying hold of, and understanding the special significance of life as a whole." Notice, that Paul does not say "time," but "the time." Believers are to apprehend the significance of every moment of time as an opportunity for a special work for building God's Kingdom.

When the Apostle Paul looked around at the world, he saw that he was living, (as believers also live today), in evil times. All matter of evil and wickedness surrounded Paul, as they also surround us. The evil of these days can cause opportunities to do good to slip away and be consumed unless we act. It’s as if we have to rescue and redeem these opportunities from the clutches of an evil world. It may seem that we are in a tug-of-war where opportunity is in the middle, and we are struggling, pulling one way while the evil days are pulling the other way. However, the reality is, opportunity is not in the middle. Paul is telling us that opportunity is in hostile territory, because the days are evil. The opportunities we have to do good and to bring glory to God are on a course to be swallowed up by busyness and our worldly mindsets. Believers can no longer just “go with the flow” of our culture. If we do, we will find ourselves wasting time and always saying, "I don't have enough time."

Honestly, redeeming the time involves sacrifice. Our top priority should always be, spending time, having fellowship, with the Father and the Son. (1 John 1:3) So, we must look at our lives and see what can be adjusted or even cut out to make time available for God. We must take a candid look at how we spend our time and learn to maximize our daily time with God. Again, this means cutting out the non-essentials in our routine and arrange things so we can spend profitable time every day with the Father and the Son. This requires a change of thinking. The Apostle Paul tells us, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)

You may be thinking, "well I have a spouse, children, a job that requires much of my time." Know this, God knows the importance of a job to supply for ourselves and family and also know, that family is very important to Him. God is the author of family, and we were created to become part of His divine Family. Therefore, family time should be a high priority in our lives. However, we can find ourselves faced with two dilemmas when it comes to family. Sometimes we can become so busy, we tend to place family time on the back burner. On the other hand we can become so consumed with family we miss the point of what quality time with our family truly is. For those working full time jobs, (especially stay home moms), those in ministry, and or in ministry working a full time job, scheduling a regular weekly family day and or night to enjoy one another is a priority. (Keep in mind I am not saying that we can only spend one day or night with family, but scheduling time is important or time will slip away).

My wife and I have lived most of adult lives working full time jobs, (my wife being a stay home mom for many of those years) and being in ministry with a full time job. So I offer some things that we have found to be successful quality family time. First, we purposefully scheduled a regular weekly family day and or night to enjoy one another and did everything possible to keep it. We did Bible studies; took walks together; went to parks, playgrounds; played games; and enjoy other activities, (to many to list). But most important communicating with each other. Our objectives were to have our children know their importance and value to us, the importance and value of family, their importance and value to God, their importance and value to God's Kingdom, and to have a balanced, productive life as children of God for His glory. (Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 5:16)

Finally, another important aspect of redeeming the time. Everyone needs some “space” now and then, that is, some time to be alone; time to slow down, rest and recuperate. We all need to take some solitude time to think and meditate on what is truly important in life, which includes what God's divine purpose is. Jesus is our example of this very thing, "However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." (Luke 5:15-16) Jesus also had His disciple do the same, "And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves." (Mark 6:31-32)

It is important to God and should be for us also, to live a balanced life. There is a time to commune with the Father and the Son, a time to be with family, a time to work, a time for ministry, a time to play, and a time to be alone. The good news is, the Father and the Son, through the Holy Spirit, has given us unlimited resources to redeem these opportunities from the clutches, the mindsets, of the world. (John 16:13-15) Through Him we can seize these opportunities, and through Him we can act on them. The evil days don’t stand a chance with the Holy Spirit working in and through us. So, to redeem the time, we must apply the words of Jesus to our daily lives, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (opportunities, if you will) shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33) This means that we may need to make some adjustment to accomplish these things. However, if we live by Matthew 6:33, God will show us how to redeem the time. The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.