TIME MANAGEMENT: LEARNING FROM JESUS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight?
A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by
this word’s light. It is when he walks by night that he
stumbles, for he has no light.”
(John 11:9-10)

MEDITATION:
How do you use your time? Are you the type of person who wants
to get everything done ‘right now’ or, are you the type that puts
it off as long as you can? Unfortunately, when I was in college I
fell into the latter category. How did it work out for me? There
were times when I stayed up all night preparing for exams.

Whichever category you fall into, we can all agree that it is best
to use our time wisely. How did Jesus use His time? He was on
God’s timetable. He did not rush ahead and go to Bethany too
soon, nor did He hesitate and go too late.

Of course this sometimes created confusion for His disciples.
When He received word that Lazarus was sick, He did not go
to him immediately. From a human perspective (and Jesus
was both human and divine while on earth), He could have been
been anxious to check on Lazarus, but He patiently remained
on God’s schedule. He knew when the timing was right in God’s
plan and said to His disciples,
    “Let us go back to Judea.”
    (John 11:7)

The disciples protested:
    “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago
      the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet
      you are going back?”
      (John 11:8)

Jesus used this as a teaching moment for His disciples. He pointed
out that God has given us 12 hours of daylight for responding in
obedience to His direction for our lives. Whenever we ‘walk at night’
we can stumble as we follow our own directions. However, walking in
the daylight is an indication that we are following God’s direction,
and we are doing what He wants, when He wants it done.
    Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight?
    Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for
    they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks
    at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
    (John 11:9-10)

Jesus was guided by God’s principle of time management.
How did He know what God wanted and when He wanted
it? He knew, because He had a close relationship with the
Father.

ACTION:
What other things are keeping you from doing what God
wants, when He wants it done? Do you have a close and
trusting fellowship with Him, so that you can hear Him
speaking to you about when you should do things, and
when you should wait?

Which do you think is easier?
    – Being a procrastinator who decides to do
       things immediately instead of delaying them.
    – Being an anxious person who decides to be
       patient and delay doing something until a better time.

God can help us in overcoming the bad timings in our lives.
He can make the ‘procrastinator’ spring into action earlier,
and He can make the ‘anxious one’ have patience. When we
learn to live on God’s principle of time management, we can
live a more orderly life and we can become more obedient as
children of our Heavenly Father.

Remember, God had a plan for each of us before we were
even born. The catalyst for putting His plan into action is
when we surrender our lives to Him and receive His promise
of salvation.

It is at that time that God equips us for carrying out His plan
for our life. He gives us the Holy Spirit to assist us in God’s
transformation of our lives. We enter His sanctification process
where He purges us of unrighteousness and fills us with more
righteousness, so we can become more like the One we have
chosen to follow – Jesus.

In addition, God gives us at least one spiritual ‘gift’ to use in serving
Him. It is a special gift from God that is tailored to our personality
and the capabilities He has given us. We might confuse this gift with
our talents and abilities, and it might surprise us to discover that His
gift to us is to be used in an area that causes us to feel uncomfortable.

Just as the disciples were sometimes confused about the actions of
Jesus, we too can be confused about why God would give us a gift
that we feel inadequate using. However, if we pause and think about
His rationale, we might realize that He does it ‘His way’ so that we
will know to be dependent on His guidance and help when using the
special gift we received from Him.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, teach me to live my life based on Your
timing and not my own. Help me to be patient at times, and
to spring into action without delay at other times. Remind
me of how Jesus adapted to Your timing in all things, and
if I expect to be more like Him, then I need to rely on Your
timing as well. Help me to full understand the value of the
Holy Spirit in my life, and to embrace the spiritual gift You
have given me (even if it is in an area I did not expect, and
it causes me to feel uncomfortable and inadequate). Rather
than ignoring the gift You have given me, help me to discover
it and pursue using it with full confidence that You will provide
the guidance and timing I need to use it effectively. If I receive
praise from others when using Your gift to me, never let me
forget that this gift is from You and You deserve all the praise
I might receive. At the same time, help me to understand there
is a difference between ‘praise’ and ‘encouragement’, so I can
embrace the positive feedback as motivation to continue serving
You where You have called me.”

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