Life happens. We all know that. The clock ticks, and we rush through our day trying to beat the tock.
Ephesians 5:15-16 says,
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Are you making the best use of the time God has given you? Are seeking to live intentionally, or are you watching the days go by wishing you had done this or that? What are you doing every day to make it impossible to not think about God? (<-tweet this)
Today, I want to share with you 5 practical steps you can take this week to make the best use of your time.
5 Practical Steps You Can Take This Week to Make the Best Use of Your Time
1. Strengthen your relationship with the Lord. Taking time to strengthen your relationship with the Lord is not part of your to-do list, it is what everything on your to-do list revolves around. Therefore, what is one step you can take this week to strengthen your relationship with Lord?
Some examples:
- Worship Him through song. Check out my 10 of my favorite worship songs.
- Read a Proverb a day.
- Meditate on one verse.
- Get up 15 minutes earlier – Check out my post on how to make mornings easier.
- Start a gratitude journal.
2. Bless your husband. If you’re a mom of little ones, this one can be tricky. It’s so easy to meet the urgent needs of your children while failing to intentionally pursue your husband. You are your husband’s helpmeet. He needs you. How can you bless your spouse this week?
Some examples:
- Pray for him every day. Check out my post on the effects of faithful prayer for your spouse.
- Make his lunch so he doesn’t have to. Make it part of your dinner routine like Stacy Makes Cents.
- Buy him a special treat at the store.
- Plan a date night. Check out my post for 42 Date Night Ideas or 5 Board Games to Play as a Couple.
- Tell him why you respect him.
3. Love your children. In her book Beyond Bath Time, Erin Davis writes:
What you’re doing might seem small. Little mouths to feed. Little squabbles to referee. Little house to clean. But God multiplies your efforts. Your small tasks point to a very big God if you are determined to do it all for His glory … your children are an unreached people group. They don’t come into the world with a knowledge and heart for God. It’s your job to teach them, and it’s a big job (page 108).
Mom your job matters. Winning your children’s hearts starts now no matter where you hang on the pendulum. What one way can you love your children this week?
Some examples:
- Help them make their bed.
- Allow them into the kitchen with you.
- Read them their favorite story. Check out our favorite children’s books for ideas.
- Hug them every chance you get.
4. Serve others, express thankfulness and/or encouragement. Throughout the ink blotted pages of the Word of God runs a theme that cannot be missed. Gratitude. We are called to express gratitude to God and to one another. What is one thing you can do this week to express your thankfulness or just simply encourage someone else?
Some examples:
- Write a thank you note to the neighbor who picked up your paper.
- Bake cookies for the librarian who does story time with your kids.
- Send a “just because” card to an out of town friend.
- Make a meal for a fellow mom. Here are some freezer meals that aren’t gross that I use when deciding what to take.
5. Simplify in order to provide more peace in your home. We all want peaceful homes in order to reflect the peace that comes from knowing Christ. What is one thing we can do this week to simplify in order to provide peace for our homes?
Some examples:
- Clean out one drawer a day.
- File the mounds of papers on the kitchen counter.
- Meal plan. My book 20 Minute Meals does the meal planning for you!
- Introduce hard stops to your day. Don’t know what a hard stop is, then check out this intentional conversation.
We want to be intentional with our time so that we can make the best use of our time. We don’t follow these steps to gain a better seat before God, but we do follow these steps so that we can draw from the well-spring of God’s grace and bring Him glory.
Tullian Tchividjian says, “Long-term, gospel-motivated obedience can only come from the grace of what Jesus has already done, not the guilt of what we must do.”
Let’s implement these 5 practical steps each week out of gospel-motivated obedience so that we can be a blessing to others and shine the light of Christ!
To help you, here is a free printable for you to use during your weekly planning session!
Making It Impossible to Not Think About God Free Printable
Which step do you most need to implement this week?
This post is linked to Time Warp Wife, Works for Me Wednesdays, On Your Heart, Women Living Well, and Walk With Him Wednesdays.
This post contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy here.
I loved this so very much and truly NEEDED to read this. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your heart for God!
I’m glad you were blessed by it. Thank you for your kind words. They are a true encouragement.
I like this so much, thanks.
Excellent! I’m glad you found it helpful.
this is really good…
Great! I’m glad you like it. It’s a weekly challenge for me. I don’t always do it perfectly, but this helps keep me moving forward.
You did such an amazing job formatting and all the creative design, and it is also packed full of amazing truth and wisdom. Awesome! Convicting! Compelling!
Thanks, Michele-Lyn! Those are kind words of encouragement.
I am blessed by your blog & videos. They point me to Christ.
I would love to use your “weekly evaluations” printable – is it available? I am not finding the one you spoke of on your video??
Thank you so much for this blog.
virginia
I can’t wait to start using this printable. I need to work on my relationships and I’m excited to give this a try. Thank you for creating a tool to help us do just that.
Heather recently posted…What’s On MyPlate?
You are so welcome! I’d love to hear if it helps. 🙂
I really enjoyed reading this and was pleased to know that I’m doing some of your suggestions already. One thing I started doing more intentional last year was making sure my husband had lunch. He leaves way before the sun is up so doing it while cleaning up dinner dishes is a must. There are times I forget or there’s nothing left over, but he’s gracious about it.
One thing I don’t do that I will take away from this list is listening to a worship song or two before I begin my prayer time and bible study. I have to say, bible study is a little easier than prayer time but I hope this new habit will make a positive difference in my prayer time.
AND, one more thing. Your book. I’ve been meal planing for a while but I still like new ideas. After following the link, I thought, “I wonder if I already have this?” I was pleasantly surprised to find that I do. I’m thinking it came in one of the bundles that have become so popular these day. I look forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing on your website. I’m enjoying perusing and enlightened by what I’m reading.
In Christ,
Lisa
this website is exactly what i needed at this point in my life! thankyou…i am really enjoying reading your stuff and have already started some things. thankyou again!
Wonderful to hear!
Literally, “look carefully then how you walk.” I looked across a parking lot to the car instead of looking down, and caught my heel on a curb. Almost all OK now, but on limited duty from doctor’s orders.
After many years of getting DH off to work at 6:15 AM, I still get up by 5:30 AM. This is my planning and communication time; I read out of my hands once the sun gets up into the living room skylights.