Today MattersSample

Priorities Matter

In world full of competing interests, there are a lot of things vying for our attention. From advertising to social media to just managing relationships, this demand for our focus means our time has become our most valuable commodity.

That’s right—in today’s culture, nothing, not even money, is of greater value than our time.

It sounds counter-intuitive—after all, given the choice, most people would save money over time, reasoning that money is the rarer commodity. But the truth is you can earn back money you lose; once you lose time, it’s gone forever.

That’s why your greatest possession is the 24 hours you have directly in front of you, and sadly, most of us don’t manage that possession well. We allow others to determine where we place our focus and energy instead of establishing priorities for ourselves.

We justify letting others set the pace by saying, “Well, I’m getting a lot done.” But activity and accomplishment are not the same thing; making today matter means identifying our priorities and then behaving according to those choices.

When we intentionally use our day well, we open ourselves up to the wisdom and guidance of God. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about time and how we use it:

• We learn from the Psalmist that we gain a heart of wisdom when we learn to make the most of our days (Psalm 90:12)
• We learn from the Apostle Paul that when we understand the will of the Lord, we wisely make use of our time (Ephesians 5:15-17)
• We learn in Colossians that we should walk in wisdom around non-believers and make the best use of our time (Colossians 4:5)
• We learn from James that our lives are brief, and we need to understand God’s will for our lives (James 4:13-17)

It’s not how hard you work—it’s how smart you work. Set your own priorities and set yourself free to accomplish what God has designed for you to do.