I have been thinking a lot lately on the topic of time management. How do we divide our time between the different elements of our life and where does Jesus fit into all of it? Where would He have us devote our time? I have come up with three elements that I believe we need to keep in mind when we are choosing where to spend our time and I will be sharing them the next couple days. We have to divide time between our me time, we time, and He time.
Many people talk about the importance of their "me time." It is sacred to many to have time to spend alone with themselves. I would agree that this time is important for us all. It is crucial to have time to reflect on our lives and actions. To think about things like where Jesus is taking us, if we are walking out the gospel, what has Jesus blessed us with, etc. It's important to chew things over and to pray about them. And it is equally important to have time just simply to relax and do things we enjoy!
Jesus Himself often went off alone to have that time of reflection and prayer. He made a point to get off alone with His Father. He often went early in the morning before everyone else woke up.
Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (NIV)
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (NIV)
Matthew 14:23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. (NLT)
Luke 4:42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. (NIV)
Matthew 14:13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. (ESV)
As important as "me time" is, a problem arises when it becomes too sacred to us. We never should be in a position where we are constantly withdrawing from people to reflect. It gets unhealthy when we spend too much time reflecting and not enough time doing. We are called to live an active life of faith and that means getting out there. We are meant to gather strength from our prayer time to go out and make a difference! Don't make the mistake of either neglecting to have time to yourself or having too much. Instead, follow Jesus example of balancing your time.
Many people talk about the importance of their "me time." It is sacred to many to have time to spend alone with themselves. I would agree that this time is important for us all. It is crucial to have time to reflect on our lives and actions. To think about things like where Jesus is taking us, if we are walking out the gospel, what has Jesus blessed us with, etc. It's important to chew things over and to pray about them. And it is equally important to have time just simply to relax and do things we enjoy!
Jesus Himself often went off alone to have that time of reflection and prayer. He made a point to get off alone with His Father. He often went early in the morning before everyone else woke up.
Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (NIV)
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (NIV)
Matthew 14:23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. (NLT)
Luke 4:42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. (NIV)
Matthew 14:13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. (ESV)
As important as "me time" is, a problem arises when it becomes too sacred to us. We never should be in a position where we are constantly withdrawing from people to reflect. It gets unhealthy when we spend too much time reflecting and not enough time doing. We are called to live an active life of faith and that means getting out there. We are meant to gather strength from our prayer time to go out and make a difference! Don't make the mistake of either neglecting to have time to yourself or having too much. Instead, follow Jesus example of balancing your time.
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