Time Management: Christ’s Example
Nelson Thomas, Mumbai
Examine the lifestyle of any successful person from any field; one of their basic qualities would be the ability to manage their time well. Effective management of time not only makes one more productive for the Lord, it makes them satisfied and happy too. Let us consider few lessons from the life and service of the Lord Jesus Christ who can be rightly called the ‘Master of Time Management’.
- He was well aware of His mission in the divine time table, Mark 1:15a, 38; Acts 1:7
He began His ministry saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15a). The entire life and service of Christ was in accordance with this eternal plan of God. (cf. Gal. 4:4; Acts 17:26)
- He could easily balance His time between work, family, friends, etc., Luke 5:1; 8:47; John 7:3
Even as Christ was always focused on His ultimate goal of incarnation, He found time for various other duties as well. He had time to teach the crowd and serve the needy individuals who interrupted Him. He did not hesitate to visit various villages and homes of the individuals. Apart from the twelve apostles, He had a seventy men team and also the inner circle of three to interact with. Even in such busy schedule of multi-faceted ministry, the Lord found enough time to be alone with the Father. All these show how carefully the Lord prioritized His daily activities.
- He never allowed anyone to control His time, John 2:4b; 7: 6, 8
His response to Mary is poignant, “My hour has not yet come". (John 2:4b) He knows what should be done at what time, and no one needed to dictate Him. He was not distracted by the pressure of people. (Luke 4: 42, 43) Similarly, no one could stop His work either. (Luke 13: 31 - 33; John 7: 6, 8; 8:20)
- He was conscious of the distinct time table for each individual, John 7: 6, 8
When the Lord said, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready…… My time has not yet fully come. ” (John 7:6, 8), He was acknowledging this truth.
Just as God’s plan and purposes for each one is different, the time also is unique for each one of us. (Ecc. 3: 1 - 8; Psa. 31: 15) Before this divinely designed time, nothing happens irrespective of human efforts. (John 7:30; 8:20)
- He was mindful of the passing time, John 9:4
“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4) The Lord knew that the time to work was limited and soon the opportunity would disappear due to various reasons.
As we advance in our age, we realize this truth more personally and seriously that time runs so fast!
Remember, time is the only resources that we cannot store up. We have to use the time wisely and profitably, if not it will be wasted like running water.
If the Lord Jesus was so concerned about this truth, how much more earnestly we mortals need to number our days! (Psalm 89: 47; 90:12)
- All His activities were based on this awareness, John 9:4
Awareness of the brevity of time made the Lord to act upon it. His life and service were affected by this reality. Three things are noteworthy here:
- He Worked, John 9:4
- He Loved, John 13:1
- He Prayed, John 17:1
What a solemn lesson for us. If we are really conscious of the shortness of our available time, how zealous we ought to be in serving the Lord, loving one another and spending time in prayer as our Savior did! (Rom. 13: 11; Eph. 5: 15, 16)
- Christ completed His task triumphantly at the given time, John 19:30
At the 33 1/2 year of His earthly sojourn the Lord Jesus finished His work well, keeping nothing remaining. Even at double of that age if we cannot satisfactorily depart, what a shame it would be!
Yes, Apostle Paul could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2Timothy 4:7)
Definitely, there are many more lessons we can draw from Christ’s life on time management. But the most important thing is to emulate His conviction of mission and zeal to finish the course in time. What a blessing if we can complete God’s purposes in this short span of life. May the Lord give us grace to comprehend the seriousness of the brevity of life and fulfil our obligations before too late.
NTK
