Jesus' Guide to Time Management

When I read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People several years ago, the book illuminated for me the difference between urgency and importance.

It’s basic, really, but every item on your to do list can be any combination of urgent and important. Just because a task is urgent—Dancing with the Stars is on television right now—doesn’t mean it’s important.

Crispy (CC)

The problem is urgent tasks have a way of making themselves seem important, when in fact, they have no lasting significance. Mowing the yard, while urgent, is probably not all that important. In a few days, the grass will be tall again. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t mow your yard; there are consequences to not mowing, like unwanted bugs, scorn of neighbors, lower property value.

But in a time-deprived culture like ours, often the important stuff gets neglected because the urgent items scream at us all day long. What kind of tasks am I talking about? Which ones are important?

2 Reasons You Should Stop Yearning for the Past

1. Your Present
2. Your Future

What’s done is done. Yes, I know they were good times. I had them too. But they’re gone.

conejoazul (cc)

Don’t forget them. Don’t forsake the past; it is important to understand the context of your life and the world at large especially within the scope of the Bible. But don’t yearn for the past or induce nostalgia of a time gone by.

Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way.

3 Sabbath Principles Every Smart Christian Knows

Did you know that failing to observe the Fourth Commandment, the Sabbath commandment, can lead to moral deficiency?

True, Old Testament law is only applicable to the believer inasmuch as it relates to morality, but the Fourth Commandment addresses three ills you might otherwise overlook. It is quite possible to overcome these sins without observing the Sabbath, but smart Christians know that God instituted the Sabbath for our benefit.

Tossing it aside would be foolish.

William Warby (CC)

So here are the three negative consequences of ignoring the Sabbath:

Why We Often Take God's Love for Granted

Before Katie and I got into the child-rearing business (8 hugs/hour), I had copious amounts of free time.

When the work day was done, I was done.

That left over five hours per day to do whatever the hell I wanted.

You know what I did with that time?

How to Observe the Sabbath and Stop Worrying About Money

I dare you to tell me that the Fourth Commandment—the commandment to “Remember the Sabbath”—has nothing to do with money (Exo. 20:8).

True, you will not find the word “money” anywhere in the passage. But to ignore its financial overtones would be a grave error.