Deciding On And Choosing What Is Important

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” – Ephesians 5:16-17

How we spend our time. What we decide what we will and will not do in our lifetime.  We only have so many minutes, hours, days and years don’t we.  President Dwight D. Eisenhower used a method of categorizing events or demands on his time that we now call the Eisenhower Matrix. Stephen Covey has mentioned the framework, in his book “The 7 habits of highly effective people”, as The Time Management Matrix. My point is that everything we do or don’t do has two factors associated with them, its importance and its urgency. For example you are standing in the road and a semi-truck is rapidly approaching when you receive a text message. Do you get off the road or do you answer the text message first? The text message says it is important.

So where is the Spiritual application? We must first decide what is important and then decide what is urgent – what must be acted upon now – without delay. What is not important can wait. So how do I know what is important? As a Christian – God has made it clear.

“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” – Matthew 22:35-40

This is the context for what we put in each of those squares. The framework if you will. That same idea was given to Moses as the 10 commandments – the first 4 have to do with God’s place in our lives and decisions – the last 6 have to do with how we treat others.  Here is another hint about how we are to prioritize what we do – what we give preference to – what influences our choices every day.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”– 1 John 2:15-17

Giving preference to the things in the world is much like wanting to answer the text message. Choosing what seems urgent but is not important. For many people – many Christians – the urgent not important dominates their lives.  They have no perspective to distinguish between the important and not important – that requires spiritual perspective – spiritual awareness – but their spiritual sensitivity has been dulled because of their love for the things of the world and its dominance over their love for the important things.  How about you?

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone