Spiritual Leadership - Chapter 12 - The Leader and Time

Ephesians 5:16 says, "Make the best use of your time." How many of us really manage our time efficiently? Not me! To be honest I wonder how I even made it through college, I was the king of procrastination. It boils down to making excuses. One of my favorite southern gospel songs growing up was "Excuses" by the Kingsmen. What kind of world would this be if we just took care of what we need to do right away instead of putting it off.

The free time we use to watch TV, play video games, go shopping or ect. could be time we could use to get closer to God. Here is a challenge for you. Set aside 30 minutes everyday to read the Bible, pray, listen to gospel radio, read or respond to a blog like this one and watch God work in your life. Time is the one thing that we can never get back in our lives. What if tomorrow was your last day on earth, would you know for sure that you would go to Heaven? How would you be remembered? As a child of God or a doer of good deeds? I'm in a musical mood today so another song I am quite fond of is a song by the metal christian band Skillet called "One Day Too Late."

Tick tock, hear the clock countdown
Wish the minute hand could be rewound
So much to do and so much I need to say
Will tomorrow be too late?

Feel the moment slip into the past
Like sand through an hourglass
In the madness, I guess, I just forget
To do all the things I said

Time passes by, never thought I'd wind up
One step behind, now I've made my mind up

Today, I'm gonna try a little harder
Gonna make every minute last longer
Gonna learn to forgive and forget
'Cause we don't have long, gonna make the most of it

Today, I'm gonna love my enemies
Reach out to somebody who needs me
Make a change, make the world a better place
'Cause tomorrow could be one day too late
One day too late, one day too late

Procrastination is one of the devil's most potent weapons. We never get the time we lost back.

Reflection

What are 3 areas of your life that can improve with better use of your free time? How do you deal with the urges to procrastinate?

Three areas in my life through better use of time would be:
1. My relationship with my wife, family and friends.
2. My relationship with God through prayer and Bible study.
3. Keeping up with chores, reading more and watching less TV

I, as well as many, find putting things off for later the easy thing to do. It is that temporary relief that leads to stress. which often leads to a bad attitude resulting in neglect to someone or something else. I have to admit, I was the king of procrastination in college. I was always waiting for the last possible minute to write that term paper or do the needed research for a project. I have learned that by doing things right away alleviates the stress and anxiety. Am I the perfect non-procrastinator now? No, far from it. Now I am more aware of the bigger picture and think through the scenarios or possible outcomes to action.

Chapter 13 - The Leader and Reading - Pre-Reading Questions

1. If stranded on a deserted island what 3 books or magazines would you take with you?

2. If the notes and files of your reading were turned over to a detective-psychologist for character analysis, what would the data say about you?