Acts 6:4 “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”
Acts 6:4 offers several vital lessons regarding how we use the TIME we have. The context of Acts 6:4 finds the disciples being drawn into disputes that they determined distracted them from their main purpose. While the concerns expressed by the Hellenistic widows were valid (Acts 6:1), the disciples had to decide whether they should handle getting physical food to them and neglect preparing and providing spiritual food for them and others. As they pondered the best use of their time, they realized some things could be delegated to others and some things could not. They realized they could delegate the feeding of widows to others but could not delegate their ministry of the Word and prayer. They determined they needed to give themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word.
What happened in Acts 6:1-4 is a reminder that we have to consider and determine what our top priorities are. As they had to determine what they were going to be giving their time to, we have to determine what we will be giving our time to. After all, Ephesians 5:16 teaches us to redeem the time.
What are you giving yourself to? I will tell you that this question is not a one-time question. It is a question that needs to be asked occasionally, with occasional adjustments made.
For what it is worth: My management of time calls for me to schedule a time to schedule my time. In my early 20’s I attended several seminars on time management and read several books as well as listened to several very instructive lessons from Dr. John C. Maxwell. One of the earliest lessons I learned was the importance of Beginning with the End in Mind. This helped me to think about WHAT I WAS GIVING MYSELF TO base NOT on a day or a week or a month or even 5 years but rather on ETERNITY. Because I wanted to be found faithful and hear Jesus say Well done My good and faithful servant, I had a filter for how I would use my time. The usage of my time needed to be for eternal purposes, not temporal purposes. Knowing my top priority helped me to decide what to do with the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years.
So, what are you giving yourself to? What ADJUSTMENTS need to be made so that first things will be first and done first, and the main thing stays the main thing? I can tell you that you can’t do everything, and God has not called you to do everything. Like the disciples in Acts 6, you must decide what is the best use of your time!
Continue Strong by keeping the main thing the main thing,
And remember to DATE the Word