Time Management for Christians
Jesus’ Organizational Approach: Balancing God’s Purposes with Flexibility
Was Jesus organized? Can you follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance while planning your life? The answer is yes—Jesus demonstrated the perfect balance of disciplined organization and flexibility to respond to immediate needs. With just over three years to accomplish the most important mission in history, Jesus’ life serves as a model for how to integrate planning with purpose-driven action.
Why a Plan is Necessary to Fulfill God’s Purpose
Some people are naturally organized, while others excel at responding to immediate opportunities. However, if you want to live out all of God's purposes for your life, having a basic plan is essential. Planning doesn’t mean you’re rigid—it’s about aligning your actions with God's will while remaining open to the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
Confession: I Struggle with Details
I’m not a detail-oriented person. While I’m great at vision, principles, and strategies, I often struggle when it comes to organizing the smaller details. In my previous role overseeing 2,200 people, five pastors, 15 district leaders, and 45 coaches, I learned that I need others to handle the details. This experience taught me the importance of basic organization, even for people like me who aren’t naturally detail-driven.
How to Organize Your Life Around God’s Purposes
If you’re not naturally detail-oriented, you’re not alone. I’ve found a simple way to organize life around God's purposes—without overwhelming myself with complicated systems. Here’s how to start:
1. Write Down Your Vision
Writing helps you clarify your goals. God instructed the prophet Haggai to write the vision down so that others could follow it (Haggai 2:2). If you don’t already, get a notebook or open a document on your laptop and jot down what you believe God is calling you to do.
2. Identify Your Pillar Purposes
Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life offers five key purposes that I’ve adapted:
Relationship with Christ
Growing in Christlikeness
Building Relationships Based on Christ’s Commandment
Gift-Based Work (Christ’s Calling)
Making Disciples (Christ’s Commission)
You might also prefer to use categories like Faith, Family, Friends, Finance, Fitness, and Fun. Whatever resonates with you, write down your key purposes.
3. Outline Action Steps for Each Purpose
For each of the purposes above, write down practical steps for living them out. For example:
Relationship with Christ: Bible study, prayer, journaling
Christlikeness: Spiritual disciplines, mentorship, personal growth strategies
Making Disciples: Evangelism, mentoring, service
4. Schedule Your Activities
Once you’ve outlined the action steps for each purpose, schedule them on your calendar. This is key to staying on track. Research shows that writing down when and how you’ll do something increases your success rate by around 80%. Make sure to prioritize activities in line with your calling.
5. Start Taking Action
Don’t wait for the perfect plan—begin practicing your purposes today. As you take action, you'll naturally make adjustments. Keep refining your plan as you grow, and soon you’ll be more productive and aligned with God’s will for your life.
Maximize Productivity with Organization
Scott Belsky’s productivity formula (I x O = P) shows that ideas combined with organization lead to productivity. Even average ideas with good organization can lead to significant impact. Don’t let the details overwhelm you—just get started with a simple, flexible plan.
Conclusion: Organize Your Life Around God’s Purpose
Having a basic plan will help you live out God’s purposes for your life with focus and flexibility. Jesus demonstrated the perfect blend of organization and responsiveness, and we can do the same. Start with simple steps, write them down, and stay flexible to the Holy Spirit’s lead. With this approach, you’ll accomplish more than you ever thought possible.
My goal is to help busy Christians experience God more deeply, grow consistently—both spiritually and personally—and confidently live out their unique purpose.
