“Reverse Engineering Our Lives”
1 Corinthians 3:5-15, Ephesians 5:15-18
Sermon Series: “Thrive”
Introduction: As we continue the “Thrive” series, we are going to examine the concept of time management today. Using our time wisely is crucial to building the life that God wants us to have. We are going to examine this concept by using the analogy of reverse engineering our lives. The dictionary defines reverse engineering as “to disassemble and examine or analyze in detail (as a product or device) to discover the concepts involved in manufacture usually in order to produce something similar.” The spiritual principle is to start at the end, discover God’s blueprint, and design and build our lives based on His blueprint. I want us to examine this concept by looking at a couple of passages of Scripture and a couple of convictions that I base my life on.
Before we look at the Scripture passages, I want to share some practical categories that I think people fit into when it comes to time management.
1. People who are lazy and self-centered and basically just do whatever they want to do with their time.
2. People who have good intentions and want to do God’s will but struggle with planning, discipline, and follow through.
3. People who are just kind of floating along doing what is required but not really living with a plan or purpose.
4. People who have it together and manage their time but are living for all the wrong things.
5. People who are living with wisdom and discipline as they seek to intentionally live out God’s plan for their lives.
Conviction #1-Live every day to be ready for the final Day (1 Corinthians 3:5-15). Judgment Day is coming for every person. Those who reject Jesus will stand before the Great White Throne to
be condemned for their unbelief (Revelation 20:11-15). Those who know Jesus will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ for their works after salvation to be evaluated for reward. This is the big picture of time management. It is useless to carefully plan our time if we are living for all the wrong things. Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). We prepare for that Day by:
1. Laying the right foundation-Jesus Christ (v. 11). 2. Building a life that lasts through godly works (v.
12-15).
Conviction #2-Time is life so what our life becomes is determined by how we spend our time (Ephesians 5:15-18). If the first conviction is the big picture, then this is the practical side of managing our time. Here are some principles of time management that can be drawn from this text, in reverse order.
1. Live in the power of the Holy Spirit (v. 18). This enables us to live in God’s strength and power instead of our own. We are filled with the Spirit by confessing our sins, surrendering to the Lord, and asking Him to control us by His Spirit.
2. Know and do the will of God (v. 17). This will cause us to live for the right things. We do the will of God by:
A. Learning and obeying Scripture.
B. Asking God to show us His plan for our lives and following that plan.
C. Being lead by His Spirit moment by moment.
3. Fulfill the opportunities that God gives us (v. 16). I believe there are many defining moments in our lives. God only gives us more opportunities when we are faithful with the ones He has already given us. The phrase, “redeeming the time,” literally
means “to buy back divine opportunities.” I believe the way that we do that is through preparation and obedience.
4. Live with wisdom (v. 15). In other words, ask God for the wisdom to plan our lives and how we use our time. A great question to ask is, “What is the wise thing to do with my time?”
