How Should I Manage Time?

Cultivating Biblical Godliness

by Ryan M. McGraw

In Ephesians 5:16, the apostle Paul instructs Christians to redeem 'the time, because the days are evil.' Author Ryan McGraw says that 'how you use your time measures the quality of your life.' But how can you manage your time in order to serve the Lord and the church well? In this pamphlet, you will learn what the Bible has to say about the gospel foundation for time management and how to apply its instruction so that you redeem the time in a God-honoring way.

What is Paul Teaching Christians About Time Management?
What Does This Mean for My Life?
Conclusion
Series Description D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said that what the church needs to do most all is 'to begin herself to live the Christian life. If she did that, men and women would be crowding into our buildings. They would say, What is the secret of this?' As Christians, one of our greatest needs is for the Spirit of God to cultivate biblical godliness in us in order to put the beauty of Christ on display through us, all to the glory of the triune God. With this goal in mind, this series of booklets treats matters vital to Christian experience at a basic level. Each booklet addresses a specific question in order to inform the mind, warm the affections, and transform the whole person by the Spirit's grace, so that the church may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

Genres: Audiobook, Productivity

32 pages, Pamphlet

Published September 23, 2016

About the author

Ryan M. McGraw is the pastor of First Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Sunnyvale, CA (http://firstopc.org/). He ministered previously to Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Conway, SC. Pastor McGraw is a graduate Cal State Fullerton (B.A.) and of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (MDiv and ThM). He obtained his PhD in historical theology from the University of the Free State (Jonathan Edwards Centre Africa). Ryan is Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and he is a Research Associate for the Jonathan Edwards Centre Africa. He regularly contributes articles and book reviews to numerous publications. He is married to Krista, and they have three sons. You can listen to his sermons at http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_det...

Reviews

[Rafael Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente conteúdo, muito edificante e confrontador. Um que vale a pena ser lido anualmente. O prefácio do Rev. Breno Macedo acrescenta ainda mais. Recomendo!

[Shannon McGarvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, especially when feeling discouraged.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent treatise on managing your time for the glory of God. Redeeming the time! Time is a gift that we can’t recover, use it and wield it for the glory of God!

[Rebeca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book that will get you thinking a lot about how to manage time (as title suggets) but also how to live in light of the glory of God in the small decisions we make in life.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is an excellent treatment of "time management." If you are looking for a book that will give you a "step by step" outline of how to manage your time, this is not for you. Instead, it begins with our union with Christ, through the work of the Triune God, who redeems sinners. It moves to our priority as a Christian to labor well, in whatever calling you are in, all to the glory of God. It also offers some practical advice on how to budget time. Overall it is an excellent treatment and should be read by all who understand that "you need to redeem the time because the days are evil."

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been asked by many people “How do you find the time to read as much as you do?” And that question is one that is not quickly answered. To begin with, good habits like reading schedules and so forth do not happen overnight. I recall when it was a remarkable challenge for me to read a dozen books in a year. This was during my college and seminary days where textbooks are all you read, and even then you are mostly summarizing and replicating portions of those books. Growing up homeschooled definitely helped, simply because reading was a way of life. There were many years in my childhood and adolescence where we had no technology like computers or televisions. That makes me sound like I’m 80 years old when I’m not even halfway there, but the context that I grew up in simply allowed for reading to be my main source of entertainment and an outlet for stress.

So, a foundation for these things are helpful but not necessary to begin recapturing time. You can start building that foundation now, certainly, if you are willing to do it. It is a crucial truth that we make time for the things that matter to us most. To some level, if it doesn’t matter to you enough, you will never do it. You will never recapture time that is wasted or ill-triaged. That sounds sort of draconian to say, but it is true. I have to make a conscious effort to not get on my phone, watch tv, sleep, or a number of other things in order to fit in the things that I really want to accomplish.

I use the example of book reading because it is so often associated with good time-management. But book reading can be a giant waste of time if you are not diligent. Poor books, poor reading skills, or poor planning can destroy your reading.

To the book, I found it simplistic but not incorrect. McGraw is onto something here with this book because our culture has become a vacuum of time wasters. Redeeming time makes the most sense for a Christian because we have been tasked with doing that very thing. Non-Christians do not share in this benefit, but instead must eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow they die. Christians, of all people, must disdain laziness and find ways of conquering time. Sometimes that is heroic like missions and bible translating and so on, and other times it is as simple as helping mom with the dishes and dad with the lawn.

[Gabe Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but packs a convicting punch, and helpful and practical steps to redeem the time that God has given us. It’s the one talent God has given us that we spend and can’t get back.

It’s an area that I need to repent of more often than I thought.

For the unbeliever, the reason why matters more than how, and the author addresses that first which I’m thankful for. Because God is the God who gives time, we are commanded to redeem the time and we have all broken it. We need forgiveness and the gift of repentance for abusing the time He’s given us, and we need His Spirit to redeem the time as well.

Soli Deo Gloria

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

(1 Corinthians 10:31, NASB)

[Gabie Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read on a topic that impacts our daily life. I really appreciate McGraw's emphasis on time management being less of a to-do list and more of a holy work. Great encouragement for any season of life and vocation.

[Rachel Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great booklet, packed with truth and encouragement. I appreciate the Biblical references and practical applications it provides. This book truly has me feeling convicted in time wasted, in over-scheduling, and more… yet again, I’m feeling encouraged. Highly recommend!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Time should be precious to us. It is something that we can spend, but never replenish… the Lord has given us an immutable lump sum to invest. What we spend is gone, never to return.”

[Vilmara Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Já li outros livros sobre gestão de tempo, mas, apesar de pequeno, este me acrescentou muito.
Ele está dividido em duas partes. Na primeira, o autor faz uma breve análise do livro de Efésios e, mais especificamente do versículo em que Paulo fala para remirmos o tempo, 5.16. Na segunda parte, Ryan dá dicas práticas de como gerir o tempo, lavando em consideração o trabalho, os momentos de descanso e com a família, e o dia do Senhor.
É claro e objetivo, com linguagem simples e acessível.

[sophia]

“To the believer, every moment of time is an opportunity, adding to an eternal weight of glory. Time provides opportunity to hallow God the Father through a holy and reverent use of all things through which He makes Himself known.”

thanks jana for the short beach read. pretty average at first but as you continue reading, it’s rich with scripture and truth. no more doomscrolling yall, let us reclaim the time God has blessed us with

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful advice on an important topic: Redeeming time. Something we all need to learn.

[Alex]

This was a short helpful little book.

[Luke Folse · Rating 5 out of 5]

How amazingly valuable and limited is the time we have on this earth! A really helpful booklet on seeing the true value and scarcity of time as well as how to redeem it for God's glory.

[Sean Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very convicting.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice short and sweet booklet that is a nice refresher on the things read in "Redeeming Productivity" by Reagan Rose.

[Patrick Porras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful

[Caleb Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reminder that we are all given an unknown amount of time to spend and are commanded to spend it wisely. However, this is written in a very dry reformed type of way. I much prefer Ploductivity.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This booklet contained some excellent gems to consider as I consider how to use my time well for God’s glory. These statements especially stood out to me: “Time should be precious to us. It is something that we can spend but never replenish,” and “We must learn to enjoy our work even when our work is not enjoyable... In the providence of God, the work that we do today may be the only work that we ever have the opportunity to do.”

[Kevin Sheth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this short booklet, McGraw provides helpful and biblical advice to the Christian on managing their time well. This is not a how-to or step-by-step plan for productivity or time management, but a practical application of Scripture on how one uses their time in this world.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short booklet on managing time.
A very quick read but helps refocus our thoughts and use of time on glorifying and enjoying the triune God.