"Some people never arrive on time for meetings because, in their small mind, being punctual would signal to others that they have nothing more important to do.
But, being tardy is not the trademark of the important but of the inconsiderate. Yet in many church and business settings those who arrive on time are penalized by being made to wait for those who arrive late. It’s a classic example of no good deed going unpunished.
If you are in charge of a meeting, and you have made a commitment to start at a given time, keep your word and start with whoever is there at the appointed time. In some corporate settings, the meeting room door is locked at the start of the meeting to emphasize the boss’s expectation that all are to be present at the appointed time. After being locked out once, most latecomers get the message.
God honors truthfulness. By keeping our word and starting on time we leave a good testimony and redeem the time.
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"Would you like to spend less time in meetings? An article in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that sit-down meetings were 34% longer than stand-up meetings, yet the quality of their decisions was no better.
Stand-up meetings tend to be more focused. They send the message, “We’re here to make a quick decision.” When people remain standing it seems easier to finish and leave when the decision has been made. Lazy people who wouldn’t contribute anything anyway are less likely to attend. And it may even reduce obesity as we burn more calories standing than sitting.
Obviously, stand-up meetings are not a replacement for all sit-down meetings. But if the church committee can meet in a corner of the auditorium after the morning service and come out with the same result as calling everyone back for a Tuesday evening meeting, you can free Tuesday for family time and eliminate another commute to church.
Remember, in church or business, make sure your meeting time redeems the time.
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"Charles Spurgeon was one of the greatest preachers of all time. Over a century after his death, his thoughtful sermons continue to inspire Christians around the world. Here’s a paraphrase of what Spurgeon said about managing time:
Picture a man cutting grass on a summer’s day. With much to cut down before the sun sets, he pauses in his labor. He looks for a stone and begins to draw it up and down on his blade. He’s sharpening his blade. Is he wasting precious moments? How much might he have mowed while he was sharpening his blade? But he will do far more, when once again he gives his strength to cutting the grass. Even a little pause prepares the mind for greater service in a good cause. In the long run, we shall sometimes do more by doing less.
That brief passage shows how Spurgeon was not only a great preacher, but also understood how to redeem the time.
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"I’ve probably never met you. But I know two things about you. I know that you were born. And I know that you have not died yet. That means you’ve already lived a certain amount of time and you still have at least some time available to you.
The time you have already used can be thought of as hardened concrete. It can’t be changed. That time is settled for all eternity. There was a time it could have been molded, but today it is set forever.
The future however is like fresh concrete. You have a short window of time to mold it into something useful before it sets for good. As you consider the options of how you will spend today, consider what you want your creation to look like when you view the hardened product from eternity.
God said life is like a vapor. It appears for a moment, then vanishes away. The sooner we understand that, the more likely we’ll be to redeem the time.
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