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LESSON 30
EFFECTIVE USE OF TIME
Why is it significant to have Effective Use of Time? It is significant because effective use of time relieves stress (Proverbs 6:6-8), it improves your decision-making ability (Matthew 5:37), and it enhances your work-life balance (James 4:17). It is significant because I see myself as a creator, one who is powerful. It is a choice. I can hear my self-talk improving.
Tips/Nuggets
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17
The practice of effective use of time relieves stress, it improves your decision making ability and it enhances your work-life balance. Not to mention it also is part of what Jesus communicated on the sermon on the mount. In Matthew 5:37 Jesus said, “let your yes be yes and your no be no, for whatever is more then these is from the evil one.” Jesus is communicating through this passage that we as believers are to mean what we say, and also do what we say.
When you are not allowing yourself to operate in time effectiveness, you will find yourself stretched thin and scattered. With too many plans, obligations and commitments you will eventually begin to not be those believers who do what they say, and mean what they say. It is very easy to get caught up in being pulled in several different directions. When you have families, friends, jobs and various hobbies, time seems to always be at the essence.
Keeping a calendar and also having days when your calendar is not filled, is a deliberate way to practice effective use of time. Decide what is of utmost importance, prioritize and learn to say no to “busywork”. Remember to carve out some time for yourself to spend time with the Lord, take a deep breath, journal, and take a time out of your extraordinary life to rest. 
“One always has time enough, if one will apply it well.”~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Going Deeper in the Word
The Bible gives the perfect demonstration of how effective the use of this practice is, as God portrays it in Genesis Chapters 1 & 2.
See below:
The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Chapter 2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
God shows how he planned and executed creation in the beginning. Chapter by chapter and verse by verse, there is an account of precise time management and intricate details of His majesty. Can you imagine if he decided to slack off one day? The havoc that could’ve been caused or the incomplete earth that we now live on? God used His time wisely and effectively. This is his blueprint to effective use of time. Now, you aren’t going to create the heavens and the earth, but your time, purpose and life are valuable. You have work to do on this earth and the same 365 days, 7 days a week and 24 hours everyone else does. The question is, how are you going to choose to use it?
Real Talk
How you make use of your time impacts your life in various ways. There are rewards and fruitfulness if you are managing your time effectively. There are also consequences if you are not managing your time effectively. Your personal relationships can definitely suffer if you are trying to play catch up on the many tasks you overbooked yourself with. Your family dynamic can become overwhelming and leave your loved ones let down or disappointed by broken promises. (I’ve been there) Not to mention the toll it takes on your mental health and self esteem when you feel like you are a disappointing people. (Just keeping it real).
There are many other ways not using your time wisely can affect your day-to-day life. Job struggles, stress and anxiety, dissatisfied in life etc. This lesson is not a doomsday lesson, but a tool to help you use your time wisely, to give you ideas and motivation to become organized in this area of your life. The goal is for you to have freedom to enjoy the blessing of every day, every hour, and every minute that God gives you. With a little rearranging and planning, wasteful time can be a thing of your past. So…strap your boots on, get excited and get to work!
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” ~ unknown
Resources
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When you utilize the workbook along with these resources, you will create lasting and undeniable results!