Why should I do my best when I can get by with doing less? Giving my best would require giving more time and energy towards the project goals, which would take away time and energy available for ”enjoying life.” Does anyone struggle with time management and priorities besides me? This blog is written for me, and oh by the way, others may benefit from it also.
The Apostle Paul writes to the Colossians giving thanks for their faith in Christ. Then he includes a prayer for them to grow in their walk with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This prayer can apply to any Christian who is struggling with priorities and time management. Let’s make this our prayer:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9, 10 (NIV)
This prayer begins with asking God to fill us with knowledge of His will, and this knowledge then leads us to wisdom and understanding as to how we can live a life worthy of the Lord. These thoughts lead me to change the life’s questions I need to ask myself:
- What is or should be my life’s goal/priority?
- Putting it another way, what is or should be important to me?
- This question’s answer is actually telling us what should dominate our time and energy.
Paul’s prayer answers life’s questions. The answers are summed up by living a life pleasing to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:31). This type of lifestyle must be our top priority, and as such it should dominate our time and energy (Romans 12:1).
Time spent reading the Bible and other Bible-based devotional material will fill us with the knowledge of our Lord’s will for our lives (2 Timothy 3:6). Jesus promises to provide us with strength and power through the Holy Spirit as we go out into the world and bear fruit for His kingdom (1 Peter 3:15; John 15:5-8).
