We all have 1,440 minutes in a day.  Try as you might, it is impossible to add time!  It is possible, however, to make a wiser investment of the time that you have.  Paul was led of the Holy Spirit to tell us twice about “redeeming the time” ( Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5).

Are you spending your life or investing it? This means more than proper “time management.” Life is about emphasis. A divinely ordered life and ministry will help you place the emphasis on that which is eternal.

Order is more than organization. Recently I shared with a group of our youth ministry majors at Crown College 8 simple words that have helped me be a wiser steward of the time God has given me.

1.  Eliminate

As we grow some things must die.  Eliminate peripheral things that are not necessary.  Excessive recreation and entertainment are major time wasters.  Remove distractions and you will have more time to concentrate on the things that matter most.

2.  Delegate

Some people work harder without working smarter.  Learn to put other people to work.  This is easier to do if you have people working for you, but it can be done with volunteers.  Enlist people to a great cause.  Delegation should never be done so that we do not have to work.  It is done so that more work gets done!  And we have the time to concentrate on the work that only we can do.

3.  Designate

Designate daily tasks and priorities.  I work off of a checklist every day.  Put tasks in order of priority and attack them one at a time.  “Multi-taskers” spend a lot of energy but often fail to marshall their energy to get things accomplished.

4.  Appropriate

If it is important enough to make the list, it is important enough to set aside time to do it.  Appropriate blocks of time for each task.  Refuse to get sidetracked.  Live by a schedule.

5.  Locate

When you are about to start a project, locate all of the information, supplies, and resources that you need before you begin your work.  Much time is wasted chasing down all of the necessary pieces.

6.  Notate

Write it down.  Don’t try to remember.  Don’t expect others to remember.  Carry something with you to keep notes and reminders.  “A short pencil (or ipad) is better than a long memory.”

7.  Undertake

“Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”  The greatest way to get more done is to help someone else get something done.  This sounds strange, but it is God’s way.  God will bless your labors as you seek to encourage someone else in their work.

8.  Dedicate

I save this one last because it is most important.  Dedicate yourself every day to the Lord and His divine purpose.  Spend time in His Word and prayer.  You don’t have time not to!  Martin Luther said, “I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.”  Remember, that you never waste time waiting on God.

Spend time with the family God has entrusted to you.  Slow down and witness to someone today.  Make time for quiet and solitude.

Schedule is good.  Order is necessary.  But organization is not the goal.  Spirit filled people are willing for God to interrupt their best laid plans.  Seek to make the most of every moment, but remember that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours.  He may have a divine appointment for you that is not on your calendar.  Nothing affects what we do with time like the thought of eternity.

Determine to make every moment count by giving it to God – He can do more with it than you can.  This is the way to get the most done with the life you have left.