By Rev. Michael Mwangi
Senior Pastor, Fedha Church KAG
Ephesians 5
15. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,
16. making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
17. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Time is our greatest precious gifts from God. We therefore need to be good managers because we will account for it. God having given us life, gave us time to enjoy life. His Word also provides wisdom and guidelines for how to spend time.
How you use time determines whether you are wise or foolish.
The word encourages us to make the most out of it, redeeming time by being wise because it is possible to live as fools if we have time but lack wisdom.
Wisdom is not like common sense. We need to ask for it
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Jesus finished did his mission and completed saving the world in three year having waited until he was 30 as he was preparing. Not a single day did he ever get late or overwhelmed or left someone unattended or unfinished business. He knew what needed to be done and at what time. He was the Saviour of the world and finished the task. None of us has a greater task than His.
John 19:30.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit
We all have the same hours in the day
Though God made us all different, with different responsibilities, we all have 24 hours in a day. We have the same number of hours, minutes, and seconds in a day, the same days in a week, and the same weeks in a year. none of us gets an extra second no matter how great our task is. Yet some accomplish and others fail. How we use our time that brings the differences in our lives.
How do we redeem time?
1. Analyze your lifestyle... be careful ...look carefully
Our lives should be purpose-driven. We therefore need to be objective and manage our time and lives to achieve this purpose. If you wake up with no agenda you end up wasting time attending whatever comes your way.
The starting point to a life of purpose is to look carefully at your life.
This means you need to determine where your time is going right now. You can’t manage time until you find out where you’re losing it first., You need to analyze your time, so you know where it is going or you are losing it. Otherwise utaishi kushtuka siku imeisha aje ama masaa imeisha na hakuna kitu umefanya (You will always be surprised how you cannot account how the day has ended while you have accomplished nothing). Whether you are doing anything or nothing time goes on.
2. Set your priorities
Having established where your time is going, you can prioritize what’s really important. Paul tells us to " understand” the will of God, so we can focus on important or the right things which are our purpose for living while ignoring others.
We all have numerous responsibilities and distractions crying for our time and attention. We often find ourselves saying we don't have time but we always have time for what is important to us. If someone tells you he doesn't have time for it, he simply means it is not important to him.
Time management does not mean getting more done in less time, it is knowing what matters most—and doing that, not worrying about the rest.
Paul tells us "Understand what the will of God is" As a pastor, I am expected to attend to so many things but I should prioritize my most important duties. Word and prayers. The rest can follow or be done by others. Acts 6:4. My main call is to be a shepherd feeding and protecting the flock. Pastoral is an office with so many responsibilities, I must keep my priorities right. Always keep in mind your main responsibility and focus on it kabla uwe (Before you are) excited and start jumping on whatever else is available. You will be gauged and rewarded in reference to your main responsibilities.
We have just enough time to do what God wants us to do. That is why we will be told well done not much done.
Matthew 25:23
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
We therefore need to understand God's will so that we don't waste our time on unnecessary things.
Priority means letting first things come first. Put less important tasks down the priority list. Do one thing at a time so that you can concentrate. Your conscious mind can only process one thing at a time, and that means we can only focus on one thing at a time. Wacha kushikanisha kila kitu mpaka hakuna kile unamaliza vizuri (Don't combine so many things to a point there is nothing being completed successfully). Otherwise you will be overwhelmed and fail to be effective.
3. Discern interruptions
Interruptions sometimes come up. Learn to ignore them and focus on the main task that is crucial at that particular time. In John 11, Jesus went on his work even though Lazarus was dying just 2 kilometres away. It was not time to heal him. He came after 3 days because that was the right time. Ingekuwa ni sisi tungeacha kila kitu tutoke mbio. kuna watu akisikia ama aitiwe kitu na hata haikuwa mpangoni anakimbilia anaacha ile alikuwa afanye. (IF it was us, we would have abandoned everything and ran to Lazarus. There are some people who when invited for something even if it was not in their plans they leave what they are supposed to do). Sometimes plans must be changed. Make allowances for interruptions if they are of great importance or value.
4. Live with an eternal perspective
In determining priorities have an eternal perspective, and focus on what will benefit you for eternity. Why waste your time with temporal things as good as they may be.
Make God and his Word always your highest priority
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Paul reminds us that days are evil meaning the enemy is ready with evil time wasting very entertaining options just for you. if you have not prioritised God you will find yourself spending so many hours on social media yet you never had a single minute with God.
5. Respect time
Be time conscious. Even a second can make a difference, one second can make a difference between a winner and a loser in a competition. Remember your life exists in millions of seconds. Wasting one second is wasting part of your life. Time is life. Avoid people who don’t value the time they will waste your life by keeping you waiting and coming later.
People who have no regard for seconds or minutes will lose out on hours and days. This is why they are always late. They find themselves getting late because they stay on what they are on without regard for time. Latecomers can make you lose out on your blessing. God works with appointed times not just any time.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Romans 5 says, “For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly”
Be time-bound/conscious. There is time for everything.
Ecclesiastes 3
1. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
6. Always plan your time
Kuwa mtu wa mipango (Have plans), prepare adequately, since there is time for everything, God expects you to plan your time. Fanya kila kitu kwa wakati wake (Do everything in its time). Work per the time. Righteousness means doing the right thing the right way at the right time. It is simply everything right including the right time.
Being late amounts to doing the right thing at the wrong time which is disorderly and unrighteous.
When you don't honour time by planning it, you bring disorder in life. Tunaabudu tumezama na unatusukuma tukusongee unatutoa kwa uwepo unatukasirisha juu umekuja umechelewa (We are worshipping deeply and then you interrupt us to make space for you, removing us from the presence and you annoy us because you have arrived late).
1 Corinthians 14:40
But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.
In other words, God expect us to do the right thing at the right time in the right way
Ecclesiastes 3
2. a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3. a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4. a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5. a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6. a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
In other words get things done when they should be done.
1 Corinthians 16:2
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
7. Don't procrastinate
When we know there’s something we need to accomplish, make plans to do it on time and not at the last minute or it might never get done or won’t be our best effort.
To make the best use of your time, do it now. Don’t be focused on the past or on the future.
Too often we put off until tomorrow what we should do today because we’re waiting for perfect conditions. The problem is that perfect conditions never come. Quit making excuses, and get on with what God wants you to do. Ati leo sina morale ama sijiskii, niko na ulazy (Today I have no morale, I don't feel like it, I feel laziness).
Don't push it to Tomorrow or next time when it can or should be done today. Tomorrow is never assured.
Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
Proverbs. 6:4
Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do.
James even calls procrastination a sin.
James 4:17
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
8. Balance work and rest
God designed 8 hours of sleep for our body to rest and refuel everyday. We have 8 hours to work or go to school. What do you do with your remaining 8 hours is your choice. Rest and exercise are essential for good health and we need to consider time for them. However, laziness should not be entertained in the name of kurelax kiasi (relaxing a bit). At the same time we should pray for wisdom lest we become workaholics. Remember it is well done not much done.
9. Conclusion
Psalm 90:12
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
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