Managing God’s Time: Personal Effectiveness Improvement: Personal Effectiveness Improvement: Doing More With What You Have Already

By Michel A. Bell

How many time management seminars have you attended? Have they helped your personal effectiveness? Are you frustrated because everyone continue to demand your presence—your spouse, partner, children, boss, pastor? Will it ever end? Maybe not, but don't despair, each person has the same challenge to different degrees. We can't do everything we want done and others want us to do each day. The 24-hour day is fixed for each of us. However, some folks have access to resources that allow them to outsource some daily activities and they can do more in that 24-hour day.

Michel's book, Managing God's Time: Personal Effectiveness Improvement, presents biblical principles, tips, tools, techniques, to help us set priorities and handle daily challenges in each 24 hours. It stresses the obvious: time management is impossible. You can't manage time, but you can manage your personal effectiveness, such as how you set and carry out priorities. To turn away from time management ideas and improve your personal effectiveness, remove these useless phrases, among others, and their harmful effects from your vocabulary and your life:

* I am too busy ...
* I don't have enough time ...
* I don't have enough money ...
* I can't do this ...
* I wish I were like ...
* I can't work within a budget ...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Managing God's Money
• Release date: Oct 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781625172334

Book preview

Section I:

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The Issue

In this section, we will answer these, among other questions:

• Whose time is it anyway?

• What is effectiveness?

• Who determines effectiveness?

• What are the consequences of rushing about?

We will close by examining our personal effectiveness, and setting targets to improve.

I

Timing Is Essential

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

—Isaiah 9:6

Whose Time Is It Anyway?

The Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Covenant of the Bible, Chapter 3:1–8 NASB, describes superbly the significance of timing:

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven— A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stone; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.

The Quick Verse Life Application Bible’s synopsis of these verses emphasizes a major outcome of applying God’s timing in our lives: obtaining His peace. Here is its summary:

Timing is important. All the experiences listed in these verses are appropriate at certain times. The secret to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God’s perfect timing. The danger is to doubt or resent God’s timing. This can lead to despair, rebellion, or moving ahead without his advice.⁴

Indeed, timing is essential! We see God’s perfect timing in the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in the birth of the promised Messiah. The Scripture says, But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5, NKJV).

Do you accept God’s perfect timing for you? Admittedly, this is a challenge for me. I like to get things done now and in my own way. I am a planner, and I must be in control of my activities. Happily, I recognize there is a problem with this approach—it excludes God!

From age thirty-six, I started planning to retire or, more specifically, to leave Alcan and do something else for no pay. In all this, I was in control. I set the date, wrote the overall plan, and started to execute. The essence of this plan was financial: to identify and bridge the gap resulting from my projected retirement income and estimated retirement budget.

Around the tenth year of implementing the plan, my frustration level peaked because I couldn’t see a clear path. Just then, God convicted me to surrender the plan to Him. His Word in the book of Jeremiah 33:3 captivated me, saying, Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

I called, and He reminded me that He had a plan I needed to discover. Particularly, I had to invest more time with Jesus and less time bridging the financial gap. Further, in my quiet time with Him, I was speaking too much. I had to speak less and listen more in order to discern His plan. What a challenge!

Quickly I learned that hearing from God was a process; it would not happen overnight! I resolved to be patient. Further, I had to accept two other conditions for my retirement plans, specifically, and for other decisions in general:

1. Not my will nor my timing, but His!

2. Not my logic, but probably, no logic!

Not My Will, Nor My Timing, But His

Was I ready for this? Was I prepared to go where God was leading me, and in His timeframe? My head said yes, but I was concerned. I started studying the Bible for answers: I knew it contained solutions to these and other issues by pointing to Messiah Jesus and away from me and my circumstances.

There I read some of the many assurances that God gave to you and me. His compassion moved me as He healed the blind, the lame, and multitudes who came requesting healing. He turned nobody away. He was never too busy! During His short, three-year ministry, never did I read where Jesus told anyone He did not have time!

However, His timing prevailed always: Raising Lazarus from the dead exemplified this. Jesus knew the plan. He did not rush to see Lazarus when Mary and Martha told Him of Lazarus’ condition. He delayed because, among other reasons, He knew many of the Jews who would see Him raise Lazarus from the dead, would believe in Him as Messiah.⁵

Again, we see Jesus teaching another key message concerning timing when He visited these same sisters, Mary and Martha. Task-oriented Martha was, … distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’⁶

Busyness in serving Jesus overtook Martha. Unwittingly, the process consumed her and replaced Jesus as her central focus. As a result, He reminds her of the need for right priorities. What a great example of the need to identify and understand our main priority in each situation. Essentially, the key message is learning to distinguish the important from the urgent in order to discern God’s will for specific circumstances; it requires an intimate walk with Jesus.

If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, I urge you to consider the characteristics of the perfect Father: He loves you unconditionally, exactly as you are. He never criticizes or curses you, but always is caring, kind, and compassionate. When you confess your sins, He forgives you and cleanses you of all unrighteousness,⁷ not because you deserve it but because of His grace. This is Jesus the Jewish Messiah!

Many folks have difficulty understanding and accepting Jesus’ forgiveness and therefore are incapable of extending forgiveness to others. For some, it becomes an obstacle to surrendering their lives to Jesus. Indeed, recently a caller to a TV program I hosted stated that it is impossible for him to forgive himself for some of his cruel actions; therefore, he is sure Jesus will never forgive him. Does this attitude not set the individual up as greater than God Himself?

Truly, it is difficult for us to appreciate what Jesus did for us at Calvary. A great place to start, however, is to accept that in our own strength we can’t forgive, either others or ourselves.

In a tear-jerking description of how God allowed her to forgive one of the cruelest Nazi guards at Ravensbruck, Corrie Ten Boom penned the following:

"… I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that, too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. Jesus, help me! I prayed silently. I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.⁸

He did, and she forgave the man who had once committed vicious acts against her, her family and many others, but had since submitted to Messiah Jesus’ Lordship and become one whom Messiah Jesus had forgiven.

In December 1985, after wrestling for several years with a decision about Messiah Jesus, intellectually, I became convinced I didn’t have enough faith not to believe that He is Messiah. The scales fell off my eyes; I started to observe His creation. Its witness of God was too overwhelming for me to continue to ignore. My heart softened; I repented and asked for His forgiveness. I pleaded, Yes, Lord, I am ready, but I can’t do it on my own. Take control of my life! I surrender to you, my Lord, and my Savior.

Since then, I have been on a journey to get to know Him more intimately. Some of my warts are gone, but many remain. As I draw closer to Him daily, I shed a few more. I keep stumbling, and He picks me up always. I know He will never leave me. My goal is to be His quarterback—calling the plays of my life from His Playbook, the Bible. Thus, I try to study this Book daily in order to remember the best play for every challenge, and recall it when needed.

Folks, Jesus Is Lord. Nobody can make Him Lord. I invite you to yield to His Lordship. Accept His invitation to come as you are. You don’t have to wait to fix anything that’s broken; He accepts you as is, where is. Through the power of the Holy Spirit you will start the homeward journey towards heaven. Meditate on these words by the Apostle Paul:

That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for,Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

— Romans 10:9–13

Call on Him now; if you feel convicted in your heart, say to Him, Help! Jesus I am a sinner. I need you, take control of my life Following a sincere request, you will experience His peace. Afterwards, He does not promise you a rose garden; however, He promises that He will be with you always,⁹ will supply your needs,¹⁰ and much, much more.

Discuss your decision with a trusted friend who follows Messiah faithfully. Ask Jesus to lead you to a Bible-believing congregation. Join a Bible study group, and start to get to know your Father intimately.

In January 2002, after years of planning under His guidance, God revealed to me, unmistakably, that my retirement date would be: June 30, 2002. I received, obeyed, and have never regretted it. Eleven years later I look back in awe at my journey with my Messiah; truly, an intense, challenge-filled, but uplifting trip. Now, not my will but His, is my daily motto.

Not My Logic, But Probably, No Logic

The Ninth Edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary defines logic as follows:

1. The science of reasoning, proof, thinking, or inference; and,

2. The necessary consequence of an argument (decision, etc.).

Operating beyond logic is difficult for me. I am the epitome of the left-brained thinker: Before a decision, I apply careful reasoning to deduce results from facts.

When I surrendered my life to Messiah Jesus, I had to unlearn my total emphasis on logic. I didn’t abandon my logical approach altogether; I merely left room in each situation for God to do the illogical. After all, He is bigger than logic! Undeniably, He can make the impossible in human terms become possible: Jesus promises this,¹¹ and I have experienced it several times.

Another great moment of awakening came in 1994. I had been skeptical about individuals laying on hands and healing others. I had seen so much showmanship on TV that I believed individuals who prayed over others were generally manipulating audiences in order to receive donations. Then it happened!

Doreen and I were on vacation at a cottage in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. Earlier that week she had sprained her ankle and was having difficulty walking. About 4:00 A.M. one morning, I heard clearly in my head a Voice telling me to wake her and pray over her ankle and it would be healed. Still in a daze, I got up and woke her, though unsure about my next move! As I described what I heard, typical of Doreen, she said, You must obey. Pray, and God will heal my ankle!

Not knowing what to say, I prayed something like this:

"Lord, I don’t know what is happening. But I know that You can heal this ankle if this is Your will. In obedience to You, please heal Doreen’s ankle. I know I have no powers to heal, and therefore, I give You all the glory. Amen."

During my prayer, my hand became unbearably hot. I was in great pain. Nonetheless, I focused on Jesus and continued praying. Doreen got up and her ankle was healed, and has been fine since.

Subsequently, I have had several similar instances, and now I see the reality of Luke 18:27: Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’

To appreciate how God does the impossible in your life, keep a journal of your prayer requests, answered prayers, and your praises to Him.

Today, I dedicate my life to serving Jesus. I commit to pray and seek His direction before all decisions. This is scary for me because sometimes I must function without using human logic. I remind myself constantly, God is bigger than human reason—and greater than any situation I will ever confront.

Additionally, I carry a mental picture that keeps my eyes riveted on Jesus: I am wearing an invisible neck brace that forces me to look upwards. Without it, I may look down and see my circumstances and I may sink, like the Apostle Peter once did.¹²

I Have No Time.

By now you might be saying to yourself: Sure, I agree that timing is essential! I agree also that I must seek God’s will, but you don’t understand—I just don’t have time to think about these things!

The figures in Chart 1 confirm this. They relate to Canadian households where the major income-earner is between 25 and 54 years-old. On the left, we see that the major income-earner earns more than $80,000 per year. On the right, he earns $30,000 and less. The chart reveals that 60 percent of the higher-income households contain members who feel rushed every day—84 percent feel rushed a few times per week and 36 percent say they would like to spend more time with family and friends. The numbers are slightly lower for lower income households: 47 percent feeling rushed daily; 73 percent weekly; and 33 percent wanting to spend more time with friends and family.

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Other data in Chart II for the same households show how Canadians spend their time, and are even more instructive. They indicate most employed Canadians aged 25 to 54 spend most of their day working on paid jobs – the category work exclude unpaid work at home.

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Further, higher income households work more hours on their paid jobs than lower income households.

A study by Roper ASW¹³ released in January, 2003, concludes that: On face value, consumers around the globe may appear very similar. To truly understand consumers in any given country, however, it is crucial to dig into their cultures by identifying their values and beliefs. These are some findings about time usage in the USA and in Saudi Arabia:

The daily grind in each country is very similar:

• U.S. workers’ daily work hours average 8.3 — nearly equal to the 8.2 hours spent at work in Saudi Arabia.

• Commuting time to and from work averages 1.2 hours daily in both countries.

Weekly activities are similar, too:

• Average time spent on the computer each week is almost identical at 9.9 hours in the U.S. and 10.2 hours in Saudi Arabia.

• Americans spend 6.7 hours and Saudis spent 6.9 on average per week on the telephone.

• 72 percent of consumers in the U.S. say they read a newspaper at least once a week; 71