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Priorities

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The 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule of time management says that in any undertaking,  20% of the activity will produce 80% of the results.  For example, a good salesman knows 20% of his clients will produce 80% of his sales, while the remaining 80% of clients produce only 20% of sales.

In the church world, 20% of the people take 80% of the pastor’s time,

20% of the people give 80% of the money, while another 20% will do 80% of the work.

At church picnics, 20% of the people eat 80% of the food..

Well, that one might be a little off, but you get the idea…

To be an effective Christian, identify the 20% of today’s tasks that will most advance God’s kingdom.  Then focus on accomplishing these high payoff activities.  If we do those top 20% and nothing more, we can end our day with a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, knowing we’ve redeemed the time.

 

Are You Losing your Marbles?

If you live long enough you will eventually loose all your marbles.  Here’s how.

The Bible, in Psalm 90 speaks of a full life as being 70 to 80 years, which is about what life expectancy runs in much of the world today. Consider the fact that if you live to be 70 years old you will live approximately 3600 weeks.  If you are now 50 years old that means you’ve already lived about 2600 of those weeks and you have approximately 1000 more weeks left to go.

To help visualize just what that means, one man went to a toy store and bought 1,000 marbles while in his 50’s.  He put them in a large plastic container and every Saturday he took out one marble.  He found that as he watched the marbles diminish it helped him stay focused on what was really important. 

There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help keep your priorities straight.  The truth is, we are all loosing our marbles, but those who realize it will be a lot more likely to redeem the time.

 

The Air Freshener

"Ma’am, how did this accident happen?” asked the policeman.  “I was driving along when this tree suddenly appeared on the road in front of me” she responded.  “I swerved to the right but another tree appeared so I swerved to the left and another tree appeared, then I …” Ma’am, the officer interrupted, “There are no trees on this road.  That was your air freshener swinging back and forth.”

This driver obviously had a problem distinguishing the little things from the big things.  And that’s a problem that keeps a lot of people from effective time management.  Their focus is so consumed with the little trinkets dangling before their eyes that they miss the real issues God wants them to deal with. 

You might spend an entire day cleaning house and never invite your unsaved neighbor to share a meal.  You might work overtime to buy the new car, but never take time to pick up a child for church.

Avoiding distracting trinkets is redeeming the time.

 

Choices

Two fleas were at the bottom of a hill.  One said to the other, "Shall we walk or take the dog?"

Life is full of choices.  There are big and little choices.  By the end of your day today you will have made hundreds of choices:  the solid tie or the striped one, chocolate or vanilla, lunch with Bob or Ted.

With all those decisions to make, it’s important to have some way to determine God's will in every decision, no matter how small.  We do this by principle-centered living.

Most people make decisions based on the urgency of the moment, the expectations of others, doing what we are comfortable with, or just whatever happens, without really even thinking about it.  Principle-centered decision making on the other hand looks for God's will in the little things as well as the big things and tries to find a principle from Scripture that will guide us down the path of greater effectiveness.

Applying broad scriptural principles such as character development, humility, and a servant's heart has far reaching impact to guide us and help us redeem the time.

 

Rocks in the Jar

TEACHER:  Attention class! Welcome to time management 101. Today's lesson is on priorities. As you see I have on the table a jar and several large rocks.  As I put the rocks into the jar. I want you to tell me when you think the jar is full.

STUDENT: OK, the jar is full,  professor .

TEACHER:  Yes, it looks full, but what you didn't realize is that under the table I also have some gravel which I will now add to the jar to fill in the empty space around the big rocks.

STUDENT: It must be full now!

TEACHER: But wait, I also have some sand which we can pour over the gravel. Now is it full?

Crowd mumbling

TEACHER:  You're catching on because I also have a pitcher of water which I will pour over the and to make the jar full.   Now students, the jar is finally full!

STUDENT: But what does that have to do with priorities

TEACHER: Suppose I had tried to put the gravel, sand and water in first.  Could I have ever gotten the big rocks in ?

STUDENTS: No way!

TEACHER: That's why Jesus said seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness They have to be the big rocks that go in first or they don't get done.  Seeking God FIRST is redeeming the time.

 

Balancing Between Air Balloons

With no parachute, Mike Howard walked across a 19 foot beam only 3 inches wide between two hot air balloons at a height of 18,800 ft.  By the end of his adventure, Mike and his helicopter film crew had covered over 65 miles of Michigan countryside at a speed of more than 45 miles per hour!

Mike Howard is a man with an unusually good sense of balance.  He gives us an excellent illustration of good time management.

We misuse our time by getting out of balance in any area.  Work is a good use of time, but it has to be balanced with recreation.  Recreation is a good use of time, as long as it is balanced with work.  In the spiritual realm, study of Scripture is wonderful, as long as it is balanced with outreach.  Witnessing is great as long it is balanced with deepening our own souls as well.  Any good activity has to be balanced with other good activities.

Keeping the different areas of our life in balance will help us redeem the time.

 

Don’t Carry Extra Rocks

God met with a man and asked him to take three rocks in a wagon to the top of a hill.  Eager to please God, the man cheerfully obeyed, singing praises to the Lord as he went.

Soon a friend heard where he was going and asked if he would mind carrying an extra rock he had been needing to get up the hill himself, but he just hadn’t had time.  “Of course,” the man replied.  And off he went, a bit more burdened, but grateful he could serve his friend while serving the Lord.

But in each town he passed while going up the hill, another friend persuaded him to take another little burden of theirs until finally until as he neared the top, the load became so heavy the man gave up the journey.   He became angry with God asking, “Why did you give such a heavy load to bear?”  Then God took out the extra rocks and the burden became light again.

Remember, extra rocks can hinder you from redeeming the time

 

Excuse Yourself

From time to time we all find ourselves in situations we wish we could escape because they are a waste of our time.  Perhaps it’s a social function or a committee meeting you volunteered to participate in but now you really wish you hadn't.  What can you do in those cases?

Sometimes it may be impossible for you to tactfully escape.  And certainly if you have given your word you should keep it and do what you've promised.  But in other cases, the most God-honoring thing to do is to politely excuse yourself and move on to something else.  God holds us accountable for our time and He expects us to use it well.

So, next time you get caught in an over-long meeting or trapped into the second hour of your neighbor's home videos, just remember, learning to gracefully excuse yourself from time-wasting activities is not being rude, its redeeming the time.

 

Doing Something

What could be a worse use of time than doing nothing?  The answer?  Doing something that is really nothing. 

The person who is doing nothing generally realizes they are doing nothing, so they stand a decent chance to correct their situation if they stop and think about it.  But the person who is doing something that amounts to nothing is deluding himself into thinking he is doing something  when he is really doing nothing.  This is a more dangerous predicament to be in than simply doing nothing!

Satan continually tries to fill our lives with activities of little or no value.  As long as we are doing something it helps us rationalize and avoid doing the thing God really wants us to do.  It's not enough to just substitute doing something for doing nothing.  The important thing is to be sure you are doing God's best!  Do the thing right now that you'll wish you had done at the end of the day.

 

Invest in your Children

Politician:  "And so my dedicated campaign workers, I want to thank you for your efforts and I want you to know I am actually glad I lost this race because what I really wanted all along was to spend more time with my family."     Crowd cheering

Defeated politicians aren't the only ones who talk about their plans to spend more time with the family.  A great majority of Christian fathers today will readily admit they do not spend enough time with their children.  Yet we seldom make the changes we  need.  If we're serious about producing children of character who will become fruitful workers in God's Kingdom, spending more time with our children has to become more than theory.  Make a commitment right now to your children.  Set a date for a meal at a restaurant, a fishing trip or a walk through the park.  Don't let anything short of an emergency deter you from that commitment.    Until your actions match your words, you will be no more convincing than our defeated friend.  Start your campaign right now to redeem the time.

  

The Value of Delegation

A Christian landlord owned several rental properties which he always managed himself.  He mowed the yards, picked up trash and did all the maintenance he could himself to save money.

After a few years he moved to another state and was forced to hire a property manager until the properties could be sold.  But once he moved, he realized he was still earning 80 percent of what he had earned before, but in only 5 percent of the time he had previously spent on his real estate.  The landlord kept the first properties and bought more property in the new state, but this time he hired a property manager to take care of them.  The landlord learned the value of delegation. 

There will be seasons in your life when economic necessity means you must mow your own yard, and fix your own vehicles.  But learning to delegate these whenever possible might free more time to spend with your family or with the Lord.  And that would redeem the time.

 

First Things First

Nearly every night many of us go to bed with a gnawing feeling that we have somehow left undone the things we should have done that day.  While at the same time we did other things we should have avoided altogether.

Maybe you began your day with a list of 10 "to do" items, two of which were most important-- the things you really felt God was telling you to do that day.  In the morning you had every intention of doing those items.  But, as the day unfolded, you got sidetracked and indulged in trivialities that gave you a sense of immediate accomplishment but did not contribute anything of lasting value.  Now you are at the end of your day, and the most important things are still not done.

The way to prevent this is by remembering to focus on the things that matter most, such as reading God's Word, before giving time to trivialities.  Remember, there is always time for the thing you do first.  When we learn to do first things first we learn to redeem the time.

 

The Wise Fisherman

A retired businessman met a fisherman returning from the sea early one morning and asked, "Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

He replied, "I have enough to support my family.  Now I'll use the rest of the day to play with my children, take a stroll with my wife and visit the village where I tell stories and play guitar with friends.”

The businessman scoffed, "You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat.  With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats.  Eventually, you would have a whole fleet of boats which you could sell and make millions."

The fisherman asked, "But, how long will all this take?"

“About twenty years,” the business man replied.

“Then what will I do with the millions,” the fisherman asked.

“You could retire, and move to a small coastal fishing village where you could play with your kids, take a stroll with your wife, or tell stories and play guitar with your friends," the business man replied.

Remember, take time today for what's really important.  It's a sure way to redeem the time.

 

The Sin of Omission

A poet wrote:

It isn't the thing you do dear,

It's the thing you leave undone

That gives you a bit of a heartache

At setting of the sun.

The tender word forgotten,

The letter you did not write,

The flowers you did not send, dear,

Are your haunting ghosts at night.

For life is all to short, dear,

And sorrow is all to great,

To allow for slow compassion

That waits until too late;

And it isn't the thing you do, dear,

It's the thing you leave undone

Which gives you a bit of a heartache

At the setting of the sun.

That poem captures the essence of the sin of omission.  We know the Bible teaches us to help and encourage others.  We desire to do right, but poor time management leaves us with no time to fulfill those desires.

Take a moment right now and think of how you can demonstrate the love of Christ to someone right where you are.  Don't put it off.  Do it now, and you'll redeem the time. 

 

The Boll Weevil

Two boll weevils grew up in South Carolina. One went to Washington and became a famous statesman. The other stayed behind in the cotton fields and never amounted to much. The second one, naturally, became known as the lesser of two weevils.  Too many Christians are like that second boll weevil.  We're settling for a lot less than God's best for our lives.  Not that everyone is to go to Washington and become a statesman or Wall Street and strike it rich, but many of us are achieving less than our full potential because we simply don't use our time in ways that produce results.

Did the television program you watched last night really bring you any closer to getting God's best for your life?  Can you honestly say you were closer to the Lord after viewing it? 

What you are doing might not be horrible, but just the lesser of two evils.  But if you aren't doing God's best, you really aren't redeeming the time.

 

Buy some Marbles

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings.  Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work.  Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.  A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other.  What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.  Let me tell you about it. 

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net.  Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice.  You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business.  He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles".  I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job.  I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much.  Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet.  Too bad you missed your daughter's piano recital."  He continued, "Let me tell you something, Tom, that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." 

And that's when he began to explain his theory of a thousand marbles.  "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic.  The average person lives about seventy‑five years.  I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy‑five years.  Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.  Now stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part."  "It took me until I was fifty‑five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty‑eight hundred Saturdays.  I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy‑five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."   "So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had.  I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round‑up 1000 marbles.  I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.  Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away."  "I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.  There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight." 

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign‑off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast.  This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container.  I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time.  And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."  "It was nice to meet you Tom.  I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band.  75 year Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"  You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off.

 I guess he gave us all a lot to think about.  I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.  Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss.  "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."  "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids.  Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out?  I need to buy some marbles."

 

What you didn't do

Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed over the things you did not do than by the things you did which failed."

Many of us as Christians plod through life doing what we've always done the way we've always done it because, well, that's the way we've always done it.  Why not take five minutes today to consider if there is something out of the ordinary which you could do that would point people to Jesus.

Maybe you could stop by a Christian bookstore on the way home from work today and buy five Gospel tracts to leave in a restroom or phone booth.  How about dropping your pastor a note of encouragement or volunteering to help a widow from your church or community.  These are things which don't take much time, but they do require initiative.  They require us to think and to be alert to the opportunities God is continually bringing into our lives.  And that's a vital part of "redeeming the time".

 

A Rash of Good Luck

Did you hear about the genetic engineer who tried to combine a 4 leaf clover with poison ivy?  He was looking for something to give him a rash of good luck.

Unfortunately lots of people today are like that scientist, looking for luck to make them successful or to give them the break they need to get ahead in life.  But the Bible never speaks of anyone getting lucky or having bad luck.  Rather, God says in Proverbs that “The hand of the diligent shall prosper, but the slothful shall be under tribute.”  God promises that those who apply themselves will be rewarded accordingly, both in this life and for those who are saved, in the life to come.  Another Scripture says, “In all labor there is profit.”

When we lose the mentality of luck or fate controlling the events of our life and begin to accept full responsibility for our actions, while acknowledging God’s sovereign control, we gain the true frame of reference we need to redeem the time.

 

The Firefighters

In 1978 the British army took over firefighting during a strike by London firemen.  On Jan 14^th they received a call from an elderly lady to retrieve her stranded cat which they did to the delight of the grateful lady.  In fact, she was so thankful she invited the rescuers for tea.  Later, as they drove off amid smiles, fond farewells and waves, they ran over the cat and killed it.

Like those firemen, we can invest lots of time and energy into a project only to see it die because we never bring it to completion.  We miss God's blessing when we grow weary in well doing and divert time from things that matter most.  What project or relationship have you invested time in hoping to see spiritual fruit?  Satan would love to sidetrack you with diversions that will keep it from completion.

Identify your most important project today and don't run over it, run with it and redeem the time.

 

One Carrion

Two vultures tried to board an airplane, each carrying two dead raccoons for an in-flight snack when the flight attendant stopped them and said, "Sorry, gentlemen, only one carrion allowed per passenger.”

The vultures learned that some things in life have limits placed on them.  We have speed limits, spending limits, weight limits and time limits.  A wise person will establish wise time limits for certain activities.  Television, internet, newspaper, and hobbies are activities that tend to require limitation, regulation, and in some cases, elimination if we are to use our time most effectively for the Kingdom.

What is it that you tend to spend too much time on?  Make a decision right now as to how much time you'll spend with that activity this week.  Let someone else know about your decision.  Purpose to stick with that limit and by doing so, you will redeem the time.

 

Over Cleaning

Man: “Honey, it’s three in the morning.  Why are you making the bed?”

Wife: “George you KNOW I can't stand an unmade bed in my house.  Why, what if there was a fire and the firemen were to see such a mess right here in my own bedroom!”

Man:  “But dear, I only got up to get a drink!”

Wife: “I don't care!  Margaret's husband is a fireman and if he were to see...”

Keeping a clean house is part of keeping a good testimony.  And certainly God does expect us to keep our homes in order.

But how much TIME is wasted in Christian homes by striving for PERFECTION in housekeeping?  Remember your home is first of all a place to LIVE, to minister, to raise your children.  It's not a museum showpiece or a fine art gallery.  We don't have time for that!

So relax, spend some extra time with God this week and think of the dust as a protective covering for your china cabinet.   One hundred years from now you'll be glad you did.

 

Rat Poison

Did you know rat poison is not all poison?  To be effective, it has to have enough good tasting substance in it to attract the rat and make him want to eat it.  That's a picture of how most activities that are traps from Satan to waste our time,  will have a good and respectable element to them.  It makes it easier to rationalize something if we can point to some small benefit we gain from it.  There are many activities which are profitable in moderation, like reading the newspaper, surfing the internet or playing sports.  But they become poisonous time wasters when they get out of control and the good they produce is outweighed by the time they consume.

If we are to be found good stewards of our time, we have to zealously guard against allowing our schedule to be overrun with these "good" things.

So make a commitment now that you won't take the enemy's bait.  Rejecting the good so we can experience God's best is smart strategy for redeeming the time.

 

Procrastination

Procrastination is the assassination of your motivation.  When God gives a revelation we get filled with inspiration and pledge to do things beyond imagination.  But then comes a hesitation and an evaporation of our determination, allowing procrastination to become the assassination of our motivation.

To the student, procrastination means the deterioration of your education.  In the workplace it can lead to the termination of your occupation--which means the elimination of your compensation.

Procrastinate on changing your oil and you will see the disintegration of your transportation.  If it’s home repairs, it will be the dilapidation of your habitation.

Procrastinate on spending time with your children, and you'll experience the alienation of cherished family relations. But the worst procrastination of all is when we procrastinate on the things of God. This may lead to the expiration of God's offer of salvation.

Procrastination is the great serial killer of all God wants us to do in life.  So don’t procrastinate.  Redeem the time.

 

Invest Your Life for God

Author Wesley Duewel wrote the following poem called, “Invest Your Life for God”:

Invest your time for eternity;

Invest your life for the life to be.

Forever gone are the hours you’ve lost.

Don’t waste your life; count again the cost

Your money place in the Savior’s hand;

It’s only safe when on heaven’s strand.

You never lose what you give to God,

But lose all else when beneath the sod.

Invest your work in the Savior’s plan;

Work hard for God and His will for man.

Don’t count the hours that you toil and plod-

You’ll reap again all you do for God.

Don’t waste your life for a passing joy;

Don’t sell your soul for a fragile toy.

Give till it hurts; give your very blood-

You live but once; live all out for God.

That beautiful piece of poetry expresses well the great rewards awaiting those who redeem the time.

From Measure your life 1992 Zondervan.

 

Punctuality

“Quick, honey, pass me the binoculars, I think it’s them!" A man exclaimed.

“Oh, OK, here,” his wife replied.

“Yes, yes, it’s them, they're here again, right on time!”  he said excitedly.

“And it’s just like last March 19th.  Never a moment late!” confirmed his wife

 Each year on March 19^th the sea side town of San Juan Capistrano CA is visited by a migrating bird called the cliff swallow.  These birds are a good example of the punctuality we need for good time management.  Punctuality means showing esteem for other people and their time by always being on time ourselves.  It means doing the right thing at the right time, and not damaging our Christian testimony by showing up late or not keeping our appointments.  Everyone appreciates a punctual person.

What commitments do you have today?  Leave early enough to make them on time, even if you encounter a minor setback.  Keep a good witness with your employer and your coworkers by demonstrating that punctuality isn't just for the birds.  Redeem the time.