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.