How To Honor God With Our Time By Creating A Christ-Centered Calendar

“If it doesn’t fall out in the next week, we’ll need to pull it,” the dentist said, further explaining the implications on the permanent tooth.

My daughter is at that age where it seems as though all her friends are having some form of dental work – teeth pulled, expanders, braces or a combination. The reality is their mouths are limited in space. Not big enough for the new teeth coming in, their mouths become crowded leaving permanent teeth searching for a resting place.

Our time on earth is a lot like their mouths – limited. So often, I have tried to cram things into my already busy schedule. All the while, they push, twist and misalign God’s plan, leaving His eternal work, well, searching for a resting place or worse – not coming in at all.

Believe it or not, the bible has a lot to say about how we spend our time and making time count for eternity.

But in order to honor God with our time, we must align our schedules with His timing. Yes, “baby teeth” might need to be pulled from our resource of limited time. While this will come with some temporary discomfort, it’s necessary to making room for permanent, eternal things.

Before we get started on what the bible says about time and how to honor God with our time, take a few minutes to assess these questions.

In looking at your calendar, do you more often feel overwhelmed or at peace?
Do you set aside time for God on a regular basis?
If you need to add something to your schedule, is the first thing to go your time with God?
When asked to do something you don’t have time for, does the fear of saying “no“ propel you to say “yes“?
Does your current schedule cause you to respond irritably or impatiently with those you love most?

1 | Seek Help From The Professional for Ultimate Biblical Time Management

Time is the most precious resource we have and, to be honest, it can run out at any time. Moses, the author of Psalm 90, made a prayer plea to the Lord – the only everlasting Time Management Professional. In His prayer, He asked God to teach him to number his days so that he may gain a heart of wisdom. When we truly know how short our days are, we gain a heart that yearns to live with the right priorities. Ultimately, our time belongs to God – however many days that may be – so let us be wise and seek the all-knowing wisdom of our Timekeeper. There are many promises to those who seek God.

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God. My times are in your hands. Psalm 31:14-15
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17

Do you give much thought to the brevity of life?
Are your times willingly in His hands, or do you try to take control of the reins?
Where do you need to make better use of your time?

2 | To Honor God With Our Time, We Must Determine Which “Teeth” Are Crowding

Unfortunately, busyness has become a badge we wear with honor. Every addition we make to our schedule is an exclusion of something else. When we prayerfully seek first His kingdom and righteousness, all other things – including our calendar – fall into place. To live on purpose and make time count for eternity, we have to honor God with our time by prayerfully weighing each opportunity, listening to His guidance, and obediently eliminating the activities that have little eternal “return on investment.” Don’t miss God’s movement in your life.

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God. My times are in your hands.” Psalm 31:14-15
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you. Matthew 6:33

Do you weigh the opportunities before committing?
Are you confusing busyness with fruitfulness?
Are there busy activities crowding out fruitful work for His kingdom?

3 | Pull Unnecessary Baby “Teeth” Activities

The longer they sit there, the more crowded our lives become and the more distorted our calendars look. There’s no room for incoming “new teeth” because the old ones are still there. Like my daughter’s permanent tooth, God’s eternal activities find their resting place hidden behind the temporary baby activities. While not everything that distracts us is sinful, everything that distracts us takes our eyes of the Author and Perfector of our faith. In John 17:4, Jesus notes He accomplished the work God gave Him to do, which glorified God. There are specific tasks that long ago God planned for you to accomplish, but things will need to go to make today count for eternity.

… Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1
For if these things reside in you and abound, they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:8
I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. John 14:4

How does God want you to spend your time?
What task(s) do you need to throw off that are hindering the race marked out for you?
Are there activities that are not glorifying God? Prune them.

Be sure to sign up for “At The Crossroads.” This FREE Bible study dives into making Christ-centered choices in four primary areas: God, others, time, and money.

4 | Set Braces In Place To Honor God With Your Time

For those who have worn braces, you know there are certain off-limit foods – no exceptions. To create a straight calendar, we must wear Godly braces. This may mean saying no to certain things until you have complete alignment. In Biblical times, walls were a means of protection from enemy invasion. In the same way, setting braces in place creates protection from attacks on our time. God thought enough about “braces” to establish the Sabbath, a day of rest from the busyness of life.

Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. Proverbs 25:28
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. Exodus 20:9-10
Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him and He will help you. Psalms 37:5

What one thing can you do in the near future to align your time with eternity?
Assess your screentime: Netflix, Facebook, and/or Pinterest perusing. Where can you chop away wasted time?

5 | Wear A Retainer

Perhaps one of the most important things to do once our schedules are aligned is to “wear” a retainer. Just as teeth have a way of slipping back to their memory spot, humans have a high tendency to return to former ways. For our family, this retainer means committing to nothing other than church on Sundays. With this retainer in place, it’s an automatic NO to sports with practices or games and even Bible study groups that meet on this day. Choosing to be unmovable gives us the margin to abound in His work by returning to His rest.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves. Psalm 127:1-2
Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

What marginal retainer do you need to add to your schedule in order to keep it free from clutter?
How can you commit to a schedule that is done in the name of the Lord Jesus?

Did my little girl have to have her tooth pulled? Nope! I’m happy to say after days of pulling, pushing, and wiggling that stubborn tooth; it finally fell out. Instead of waking up with a tooth extraction appointment, she woke to a tooth fairy reward nicely tucked under the pillow.

Savior, we don’t want to regret the time we’ve spent on “baby teeth” when we could have made that time count for eternity. Help us not to cheat our lives of the great blessings you invite us to. Give us the strength to pull meaningless tasks from our schedule and make room for what matters most. May Your reward be tucked into the crevices of a heart set on you. In Jesus name, Amen!

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