Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

It’s often said that life is nothing more than a series of choices.  We make decisions every day and every moment of our lives.  Some are trivial but others can turn out to be quite significant. We are where we are today because of the choices we have made in the past.  They may be choices about what college to go to, what career to pursue, what job to take, who to marry, or where to live.  All of these decision have led us to the place we are today, whether right or wrong.  And some decisions are irrevocable.  In other words, they cannot be undone.  Decisions such as having an abortion, committing suicide, or speaking your mind on Facebook! All decisions have consequences!

We cannot change the past but we can influence the future.  Our future will depend upon the choices we make from this moment forward.  Even if we have made bad choices in the past, God forgives us and gives us the opportunity to make better choices for our future.  The choices we make from now on, therefore, will have a significant impact on our lives, both personally and professionally.   God gives us one day at a time to live and no one knows (except God) what tomorrow will bring.  So, we can either influence our future for good or for bad.  The choice is up to us.  Making good decisions will honor God and will bring blessings into our lives.  Making bad decisions, on the other hand, will usually result in our suffering and will also dishonor God.

Have you ever noticed how great leaders seem to always make the right decisions?  I believe that leaders become great because of the great decisions that they make.    And those decisions are not always popular either, but they end up being right in the long run.  Leaders who make poor decision generally do not last very long.  So what constitutes a great decision?

There are 7 principles we must acknowledge when we are making decisions:

1.  All decisions have consequences.  Good decisions honor God and bless us.  Bad decisions dishonor God and result in sin and suffering.

2.  Decisions are only as good as the information they are based upon.  As is often said, garbage in, garbage out.  If you don’t have all of the facts, or you assume too much, you will likely make a poor decision.

3.  Not making a decision is a decision.  Sometimes any decision is better than no decision.  Procrastination about a decision causes confusion and may mislead others.

4.  If you don’t make a decision, someone else will.  If you delay in making an important decision someone else may step in and make it for you.  This could undercut your authority and create more problems because they will generally have less information than you have.

5.  Decision outcomes are not always proportional to decision importance. Sometimes small decision can have a major impact while large decisions have a minimal impact.  Just think of King David’s small decision to take a walk on the roof one night and what that simple and minor decision led to.

6.  Do not make decisions when you are tired, pressured or under great stress.  Under these circumstances you cannot think clearly and risk making a poor decision.  Get away, get rest, or take some time to clear your head so that you can think more clearly.

7.  Our decisions never change God’s will.  God never changes and His plan for us never changes. Proverbs 19:21 says “many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  So it is important for us to align ourselves with God’s will so our decisions will be good ones.

So how do we become better decision makers?  First, pray and ask God to give you His wisdom.  He promises that He will and it will enable us to align our thoughts with His. Second, gather as much information as you can before you make a decision.  Get the facts and do not assume. Take the time to get it right.  Third, seek the counsel of others that you trust.  The Bible says in Proverbs 15:22 that “plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Input from others can often save us from making big mistakes.  Fourth, organize your decisions every day.  Either delay them, delegate them or decide them. But do not procrastinate. Fifth, don’t delay important decisions.  Agonizing over a decision wastes time and may cause you to miss an opportunity.  And finally, handle interruptions quickly.  Either delay, delegate or decide them. Do not allow interruptions to cause you to make a poor decision.

God desires that we all make decisions that honor Him and bring Him glory. And He waits for us to come to Him and ask Him for His wisdom.  So let us all strive to become better decision makers so that we both honor God and receive His blessings in return!!

In our Management For Church Leaders™ training we teach about time management. Time is one of the resources that God gives each individual to use as they choose.  In fact, it is the one resource that is non-renewable.  Once it is gone or used up it is gone forever.  You cannot buy more time nor can you re-use the time you have been given.  Furthermore, none of us knows exactly how much time we will have in our lives and so time is a precious and exhaustible resource.

In America, time is very valuable and so we attempt to maximize the use of our time towards things that are important for us.  As the old saying goes here, “time is money”! That goes back to the importance our culture places on work and earning a living to build a financially prosperous life. But Americans also place a very high value on our children, whether it is education, music or sports. Parents spend a lot of time shuttling their kids to soccer practice, music lessons or school activities.

But the rest of the world does not necessarily operate with that same attitude.  Many places I travel time is valued much differently.  Other cultures value leisure time and family time much more than money, work or sports. They do not see time as solely an opportunity to make money, but rather to build relationships and live life more fully.  So you would think that they would not want any training on how to manage their time more effectively since time does not carry the same level of importance as it does in America.

But that is not the case.  Church leaders from other nations do want to learn how to use their time more wisely. They know that the Bible says in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”  They want to be more effective time managers. They just don’t focus on money as the main objective.  The principles of time management can help them determine how best to use their time for their benefit and for God’s purposes.

There are 3 types of people when it comes to using time.  First, there are time wasters.  These type of people do not use time wisely and often use their time to do things that are either non-productive or wasteful. At the end of the day they wonder why nothing got done.  Second, there are time spenders.  These type of people use their time to spend on things they enjoy doing, like sports or entertainment.  But it has no lasting value nor produces anything tangible.  Thirdly, there are time investors.  These type of people use their time to invest in learning new things, developing their skills, building relationships or helping others. They see value in helping grow a business, helping others succeed, or serving those in need.  God wants us all to be time investors and to be producing something of eternal value for the His Kingdom!

The key principle about time management is that managing time is about managing priorities.  We all spend our time on things that are important to us, or the priorities in our lives.  If it is making money, then that is our priority.  If it is spending time with family, then that is our top priority.  Every single one of us uses our time according to what is important to us at that time.  Every minute of every day we are making choices about what to do with our time.  And whatever is most important usually gets our time.  And sometimes that is a nap, or reading a good book, or watching a movie! And in most cases we are in control of our own lives and get to choose how to spend our time.

So, when you ask someone to do something with you or for you and they tell you they do not have the time, that is NOT TRUE!  They have the time.  What they are really telling you is that there is something more important they either need or want to do at that time.  I recall as a teenage boy when I asked a girl out on a date she told me she could not go because she had to wash her hair.  I think you get my point! (I certainly did…)

So to get the most out of the time we are given we must establish the right priorities for our own lives.  We must learn to value the truly important things. As Christians, God expects us to value the things that He values, like love, holiness, service to others, family, humility, witness, faith, and Jesus Christ, to name just a few. When we have these priorities straight then God will indeed bless us and use us mightily for His kingdom building.  We will become His time investors.  And we will live the abundant life that Jesus came to give us as He states in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full!”

Yes, you have the time!  But let us be time investors and use our time to serve God and others and live life to the full!

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said that we are to “therefore go and make disciples of all nations.” He did not say to go and make church members.  He did not say to go and make believers.  He was very specific in telling His disciples then, and us today, that we are to make disciples of Him!  A disciple is someone who adheres to the teachings of another and spreads His teachings to others as well.  The Christian church was created to make disciples of everyone, and everything it does should help achieve this goal.

Discipleship, however, entails two distinct aspects.  First, we must share the good news of Jesus and what He has done for all mankind.  This is the essence of Acts 1:8 where we are called to “be His witnesses, in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  In other words, to go to all nations or people groups and be a witness for Christ, and encourage them to put their faith in Christ as well.  But that is only one aspect of this calling.  Second, we are also called to make disciples, or followers, of Jesus Christ.  We are to do this by “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,” as Jesus says in Matthew 28:20. Our job is not complete if we only make believers in Christ and not followers of Christ. And we have failed miserably if all we do is make church members.

So the goal or mission of every Christian church, and indeed every Christian ministry, is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, and every activity of the church or ministry should involve discipleship.  If it does not, it should be eliminated and replaced with one that does.  Too often churches have activities that do not include discipleship as an element so that they become nothing more than  service providers or a gathering place for sinners to commiserate.  I do not believe that this is what God intended the church to be.  God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) He wants the church to not only proclaim the gospel, but train and equip all believers to also be followers of Christ.  We need to begin to see the church as a training center, to equip Believers with the truth and send them out to spread the gospel and equip others.   This is what the first disciples of Jesus did and what we are called to do today for Christ!

This is a big challenge for the church, because so many Christians have become comfortable in simply attending church and not being the church.  We are seeing the erosion of Christianity in our American culture today, and I believe it is because many churches have not been focused on making disciples of Jesus Christ, but rather have focused on attracting church attenders and marketing to their consumer choices.  This is evident from surveys that show that around 75% of Americans say they are Christian but only 20% attend church regularly and even fewer are involved in church outreach. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that “consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.”  In other words, we should not be trying to attract people to church through our own ploys or a slick marketing strategy, but rather to invite people to church to hear the Word and the Truth! All we need to do is proclaim and teach the Word and let God draw the hearers unto Himself!

The purpose of the church is… Discipleship! It is time for churches and ministries to get back to the basics and return to the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ through all of their activities and functions!