Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. – Philippians 3:8
I often consider how I can be more efficient. Do you?
In a perfect world, I’d accomplish my entire task list each day in a timely manner, get to bed in time to get plenty of sleep, and wake early enough to have a relaxed, focused devotional time each morning.
Well…the world isn’t perfect. My “ideal” day almost never happens, of course – though I can’t seem to stop myself from pursuing it every morning!
Time is filled with unforeseen circumstances. A spontaneous game night with my family may mean that I’ll be washing dishes at midnight, but I know I won’t remember the lateness of the chore.
Instead, I’ll remember the sound of my kids laughing, the inside jokes we shared, and the look of quiet contentment on my husband’s face.
And the work will still get done, eventually – perhaps not in the most efficient or timely way, but in a way that reflects what my priorities should be.
I appreciate Paul’s approach to a wise use of time.
He considered an intimate relationship with Christ – “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” – to be the most important aspect of his life.
He realized that all else could be set aside in favor of what would maintain its value in both this world and the world to come.
I’m going to pray that the Lord would help me recognize what activities I can streamline or eliminate that not only make my days less efficient, but are of no eternal value. God’s answer will be a revelation, as I have not been able to come up with one on my own!
David Jeremiah summed up this idea beautifully in his devotional book, In Moments Like These. He said, “The Christian life is a process of letting go of what has no eternal value and embracing what does – the wisdom of God to pursue Christ and His kingdom.”
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.– Hebrews 12:1
Have you given up an activity to make your life more efficient? How do you set aside time for things of eternal value? I welcome your comments.
My Way Home 
Reading your past made me think that maybe I am doing it backwards. Instead of giving up an activity to make my life more efficient and setting aside time for things of eternal value. Maybe I should be always be pursuing God’s Kingdom, and the things of eternal value and setting aside time for activities.
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I like your way of thinking, Margaret! Living that way would certainly lead to a more fulfilling, more enduring life.
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It was your post Sister. We are always trying to fit God into our schedule while trying to do all the things that come with life. Quite possibly the One who created EVERYTHING would create the way for all the things we need to get done if we focused on pursuing Him first 🙂
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Amen!
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This is in my thoughts every day.
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Me, too…it can be difficult to find the right balance, but I’m always working on it.
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Thank you for the link!
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