Using Time Well

Can't help myself to post this one from CROSSWALK (In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley)

This is very timely for me...This is what i really need to do as of this moment. =)

Matthew 25:14-28

As today's passage indicates, the Lord gives us resources and abilities, and He desires that we use them well. One such gift is time.

In order to manage our days effectively, we should continually review them: What activities did we choose? How long did each one take? What were the results? This discipline will reveal what is most important to us.

In looking closely at our assessments, we can determine what drives our decisions about how to use time. Some people merely respond to circumstances for a majority of their day. They jump from one thing to the next, answering phone calls, reorganizing shelves, or doing anything that appears in their world at the moment. But this style of living misses the mark.

Other people spend their time according to desires. They want to relax, so they get home and watch television for the evening. Or they love to hunt, so they use their time to research equipment and locate wildlife in the forest. Desires are not bad, but they should not drive the bulk of our actions.

Thankfully, there are also people who live according to what they deem important. Loving God and serving others, for instance, are two biblical values that should, ideally, determine what we do with our time.

If you itemize your activities and their time consumption over the course of a week, you might be surprised at the dominating events. Each moment is a gift, so set aside a few minutes each evening to plan. Then revisit the way you spent the last 24 hours. This will help you to live purposefully.

For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.

Click here to watch Dr. Charles Stanley & In Touch Ministries Video Online
and
click here to listen to Dr. Stanley at OnePlace.com.