God’s Time Management Plan for Leaders
Not having enough time is a common complaint among most leaders. Christian leaders are no exception. Yet, God is not a harsh taskmaster. He does not make unreasonable demands or assign a leader more to accomplish than can possibly be done in the time they have. Time management is a very important issue for leaders. Seminary president, leadership trainer and author Jeff Iorg encourages leaders to develop a theology of time by learning what God says about time.
Stop blaming time for stress. God created time and, like the rest of his creation, he called it good. God differentiated between days and nights as part of his creative work and said the outcome (time) is good (Gen. 1:3-5, 31). Time was especially good during the pre-Fall creation. This should tell us that time is not our enemy. There is nothing inherently sinful or evil about time. With this in mind, it is essential for leaders to stop blaming time for their stress, fatigue, and rush. Time is not the “diabolical force” many of us have wrongly declared it to be.
Stop complaining about the times we live in. God establishes the time of each of our lives. He placed each of us at a particular time in human history (Psalm 139:16). Our births were perfectly timed for us to be part of this generation. So when we complain about the times we live in, we are complaining about God’s intentional and precise timing.
Live in pace with God’s plan. God’s plan for our lives includes correct timing. He has a timetable for each of us. Our most productive life is not a life lived “in a mad rush,” but a life lived in pace with God’s perfect plans. Consider the birth of Jesus. It came at the fullness of time, or as one Scripture paraphrase puts it, “when the times were ripe” (Gal. 4:4). God’s timing is always perfect.
Use time wisely. God has called each person (including leaders) to be good stewards of time. His word teaches us to “redeem the time” (Eph. 5:15-16). This should not be interpreted to mean life is a frenzied competition to see who can do the most in a given time. Rather, it means each of us should seek to make the most of our time, to use it as wisely as we possibly can. There are times when the best use of our time is vacation, rest, reading to a child, taking a walk with your spouse, or basking in a vivid sunset. Redeeming time includes making responsible choices that will enable us to make the most of the time we have, not just seeing how quickly we can check things off our to-do list.
Commit to a Sabbath rest. In the Bible, God laid out and expects us to follow a pattern of how his people should use their time. It is really a very simple pattern—work six days and rest one (Gen. 2:2, Ex. 20:8-11). By Sabbath rest, we mean setting aside one day each week when we do not work (e.g. we do not advance our own cause). This requires faith that God can do more through us in six days than we can do in our own power over the long run in seven.
The Bible also mentions other types of “rest,” such as the rest in the land of Canaan (Josh.1:13), three yearly week-long rests in association with Jewish festivals and feasts, the rest associated with the Year of Jubilee, and of course, the rest believers have in Jesus. It seems very clear that God intends for his people to follow his pattern of work and rest.
Jeff Iorg summarizes it this way in his blog, “God invented time and called it good. He places us at the right time in history and has appropriate timing for events in our lives. We are responsible to use time wisely, including following God’s pattern for work and rest. So, let’s celebrate the gift of time and make managing it a positive part of our leadership role.”
YOURS IN CHRIST's service
MOSES NJOROGE
MKBC
Stop blaming time for stress. God created time and, like the rest of his creation, he called it good. God differentiated between days and nights as part of his creative work and said the outcome (time) is good (Gen. 1:3-5, 31). Time was especially good during the pre-Fall creation. This should tell us that time is not our enemy. There is nothing inherently sinful or evil about time. With this in mind, it is essential for leaders to stop blaming time for their stress, fatigue, and rush. Time is not the “diabolical force” many of us have wrongly declared it to be.
Stop complaining about the times we live in. God establishes the time of each of our lives. He placed each of us at a particular time in human history (Psalm 139:16). Our births were perfectly timed for us to be part of this generation. So when we complain about the times we live in, we are complaining about God’s intentional and precise timing.
Live in pace with God’s plan. God’s plan for our lives includes correct timing. He has a timetable for each of us. Our most productive life is not a life lived “in a mad rush,” but a life lived in pace with God’s perfect plans. Consider the birth of Jesus. It came at the fullness of time, or as one Scripture paraphrase puts it, “when the times were ripe” (Gal. 4:4). God’s timing is always perfect.
Use time wisely. God has called each person (including leaders) to be good stewards of time. His word teaches us to “redeem the time” (Eph. 5:15-16). This should not be interpreted to mean life is a frenzied competition to see who can do the most in a given time. Rather, it means each of us should seek to make the most of our time, to use it as wisely as we possibly can. There are times when the best use of our time is vacation, rest, reading to a child, taking a walk with your spouse, or basking in a vivid sunset. Redeeming time includes making responsible choices that will enable us to make the most of the time we have, not just seeing how quickly we can check things off our to-do list.
Commit to a Sabbath rest. In the Bible, God laid out and expects us to follow a pattern of how his people should use their time. It is really a very simple pattern—work six days and rest one (Gen. 2:2, Ex. 20:8-11). By Sabbath rest, we mean setting aside one day each week when we do not work (e.g. we do not advance our own cause). This requires faith that God can do more through us in six days than we can do in our own power over the long run in seven.
The Bible also mentions other types of “rest,” such as the rest in the land of Canaan (Josh.1:13), three yearly week-long rests in association with Jewish festivals and feasts, the rest associated with the Year of Jubilee, and of course, the rest believers have in Jesus. It seems very clear that God intends for his people to follow his pattern of work and rest.
Jeff Iorg summarizes it this way in his blog, “God invented time and called it good. He places us at the right time in history and has appropriate timing for events in our lives. We are responsible to use time wisely, including following God’s pattern for work and rest. So, let’s celebrate the gift of time and make managing it a positive part of our leadership role.”
YOURS IN CHRIST's service
MOSES NJOROGE
MKBC
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