"“Why do some people handle money well while others do not?” If you had to boil it down to a one sentence, bottom line answer, it might go like this: “Some people handle money better than others because they see money as something to save, while others see money as something to spend.”
Those with poor financial disciplines can often trace their problems back to this one basic flaw. As soon as they have access to money, they habitually spend instead of save. The result is a life of reduced financial margin and increased financial pressures.
The same often holds true for managing time. When the boss tells a poor time manager he can go home two hours early, his first thought is to spend the bonus time on indulgence or amusement, leaving nothing to show at the end of the day.
A good time manager’s default setting is to invest the two hours in something that will matter. He realizes saving, not spending, is a better way to redeem the time.
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"If you have been a follower of Jesus Christ for longer than one year, that means that from this time last year until now, you have had 365 days to grow in spiritual maturity. As you consider that fact, how would you evaluate your rate of spiritual growth this past year?
Maybe it has been a good year for you. You feel a closer walk with God today than you did at this time last year. You see God working in your life and things are happening that encourage you as you see answers to prayer.
But maybe you are not seeing progress. Things are stagnant, or even regressing, instead of progressing.
Whichever direction you went is the result of how you spent your time on a daily basis this past year. If it has been your habit to rise early and seek God, you’ve likely made progress. If that is not the case, purpose to change your routine, so next this time next year, you will see progress because you redeemed the time.
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"A doctor was explaining a new diet to his patient. “It’s very simple to remember.” Said the doc. “If it tastes good, spit it out.”
There is value in keeping things simple to remember. But a better way to do that is to make acrostics of procedures you do often and need to remember. An acrostic is when you take the first letter of each word in a list and make an easy to remember word from it.
One popular acrostic I sometimes use during devotions is the ACTS of prayer. When you pray begin with A for Adoration. Adore God in the beauty of His Holiness. The C is for Confession. Tell God where you failed as you humble yourself before Him. T is for Thanksgiving. Tell Him how grateful you are for His blessings. Finally, S is for Supplication. That means asking God meet your needs.
Creating an acrostic, like ACTS, is a great way to keep it simple and redeem the time.
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"A popular term that has developed in time management in recent years is the “Bucket List.” It means a list of things you want to do or see before your die, or “kick the bucket.”
I’ve taught this concept for many years, even before it was called a “bucket list”. I like it because it is a great tool to get us focused on the fact that life is short and that we need to prioritize the limited time between now and the day we die.
But the problem with most people’s bucket list is it doesn’t take into account the rather obvious fact that they will eventually kick the bucket and then live somewhere forever after that final event. Their focus ends where it should actually begin, which is on their eternal destiny.
If you’ve not already done so, I would encourage you to make a bucket list today with an eternal goal, such as seeing the face of God in your glorified body, at the top of the list. That would redeem the time.
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