This got my attention

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you."

Matthew 6:33

This Got My Attention

It has been said that people lose their minds over small, trivial things, but barely notice when they’re slowly wasting their lives.

I have been struggling to write this Friday Flashback on margin and habits. I feel like a hypocrite with a full schedule and little margin. But here I am, with a few thoughts to remind us all of the need for space in our lives.

Remember The Tyranny of the Urgent by Charles Hummel?

In his booklet, he said this:

First – Decide What’s Important. The greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important. For example, Jesus resisted the urgent need to go and heal Lazarus in John 11. Instead, the important thing was to raise him from the dead to show His power over not just life, but death as well. What is really important in your life? What is in your top 5%? What can you delegate? What do you need to do versus what you want to do?

Second – Discover How Time is Being Spent. We need to evaluate what we are currently doing with our hours. Most of us can cut back on social media and the news; too much of either can be a significant time drain. Where we spend our time indicates what we truly value and desire.

Third – Budget the Hours. Much like budgeting dollars for our finances, we need to budget our hours to be wise stewards of our time.

Fourth – Follow Through. Here’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s easy to make plans (like time blocks on a calendar). But carrying them out takes habits and disciplines, which I’ll address in my next Flashback.

This Truth is Simple

Charles Hummel wrote:

“Over the years I have found that one of the greatest struggles in the Christian life is the effort to make adequate time for daily waiting on God, weekly inventory, and monthly planning. Yet this is the path to escaping the tyranny of the urgent.

Nothing substitutes for knowing that on this day, at this hour, in this place, we are doing the will of our Father in heaven. Only then can we contemplate in peace so many unfinished tasks. Then we can look forward to seeing our Lord and hearing him say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’ (Matthew 25:21)” (Page 29-30)

Apply It

The bottom line is that we all need to be on guard. We must continue to prayerfully prioritize and simplify in order to "fear God and keep His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Still working to daily seek Him with each of you,

Paul Hopp

MD5 Facilitator