3 Ways To Help You Make The Best Use Of Your Time

Are you managing your time or does it seem like you “never have enough time?”

When I hear the heartfelt stories of how people survived car accidents, almost drowning, beating their cancer diagnosis and so many other scenarios the survivor tells the reporter, “I’m so grateful that God has given me a little more time to live.”

Time is a gift from God. Why do so many of us struggle with managing and prioritizing our time?

“…making the best use of your time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16

In Colossians 1:16 Paul writes, “God created everything” and in James 1:17 we are told, “every good and perfect gift is from Him.” God created time as a gift for humans to enjoy and treasure.

I was blessed to have a godly Mentor who taught me how to apply the Word of God to my life.  The Bible wasn’t just words on a page to me anymore. I learned who God was, His character, and how much He loved me. This was a game-changer for me. I began to pray in a whole new meaningful way. I started to reevaluate my life.

It never occurred to me to include God in my plans or what I did with MY time. I had no idea He cared. To my surprise, I read how he cares about me and every detail of my life. My Mentor suggested I read a Psalm and Proverb each morning to begin my day. At first, I wasn’t very consistent but I eventually read a verse in Psalm 37 that said God cares and directs my path. I decided if God cares about every detail of my life then I guess I should too.

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23

Here are 3 Ways to Make the Best of Your Time!

1. Evaluate your Life Style.

Be gut-honest. Keep it simple. How much time do you spend each week with God, spouse, family, friends, work, church, community and personal free time? Everyone gets 168 hours per week. Calculate your time.  Is there any place for improvement in your lifestyle?

Ephesians 5:15 “So be very careful how you live!”

2. Make use of Each Moment.

God doesn’t waste time and neither should you and I. Every moment of the day you and I are depositing our life experiences and choices into our account in heaven. God has a meaning and a purpose for our lives. At different moments in time, God will use those life experiences to help us be used by Him for the good of others. Everything matters from rest and sleep to serving others, learning and life experiences.

I read a great quote by Sully Sullenberger now a retired airline pilot who is a national hero in the United States. He successfully executed an emergency water landing in the Hudson River in Manhattan, NYC while piloting a US Airways Flight back in 2009. All of the crew and 155 passengers aboard the aircraft survived.  When the TV Journalist asked Sully how he would explain the way he handled the crisis, his reply was:

“One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years, I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on January 15 the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

What are you and I depositing in the bank of experience, education, and training and does it include God?

3. Prioritize

What’s important to God should be important to you and me too! Nothing sets us apart from the rest of the world than our tender loving care of how we use our time.

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Here is a great resource for learning how to make our time count:

Make Today Count: The Secret of Your Success Is Determined by Your Daily Agenda by John Maxwell

You won’t want to miss this thought-provoking video-  The Time You Have!

Now is the time to ask yourself this question: “How much of what I’m spending my time on is going to count for eternity in five or 10 years from now?”

Let’s begin each day on our knees in prayer and asking God to be in the details of our lives and help us make the days count for the Kingdom. There is POWER in prayer!