Ownership: Productivity According to God’s Principles

The Need

• Most people live their days with reactionary responses, indicating that they value meeting everyone’s expectations over God’s will.
• There is a difference between being busy and being productive.
• If you want to be effective in some type of ministry, there is a danger in either being a slacker or a workaholic.
• Many people never succeed because they continue to work hard at what they are doing without working hard on how they should be doing it.
• If you don’t learn to discipline yourself, you will exhaust yourself, frustrate those beside you, and limit others around you.

The Word: Ephesians 5:15-17

• We all need regular evaluation to consider how wisely we are using our time.
• The disciple of Jesus ought to care about using his or her life in the most effective way.
• Once you know God’s will for your life, you can better order your time to fulfill it.

PRODUCTIVITY PASSAGES

• Exodus 18:18 – You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone.
  
  • Moses would have missed God’s revelation if he had failed to adjust his organization.
• Psalm 90:12 – Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.
  
  • Once you realize that you aren’t promised tomorrow, you will make changes for how you live today.
• Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
  
  • We should undertake our tasks with urgent diligence due to finite limitations.
• Matthew 25:29 – For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
  
  • Faithful stewardship leads to greater privileges; poor stewardship leads to fewer opportunities.
• Acts 6:4 – But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
  
  • Make a plan for secondary issues so that they don’t keep you from primary purposes.
• Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.
  
  • Mediocre ministry attempts are an affront to Jesus.
• Titus 2:14 – He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.
  
  • Grace reminds us that we don’t have to do good works; we get to do good works.

The Task

• TIME: Intentional Calendar
  
  • How do you order your days?
• TASKS: Strategic To-Dos
  
  • What are your priorities?
• THOUGHTS: Archived Content
  
  • How will you organize your files?