Series: Organization

Psalms 119:130 NKJV The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

The solution to a complicated life is to be a better manage your life.

The resources of our lives can be categorized in three general areas:

1. Time Management
2. Resource Management
3. Relationship Management

Relationship Management (cont.)

The clear-cut goal of our relationships should be simply this: to exercise godly influence in the lives of other people.

Do not confuse influence with manipulation.

Manipulation is the desire to affect others for your own selfish benefit or personal gain. Influence is always for the benefit of others.

Motivation is the key!

How do we manage relationships: The LOVE of God!

God’s love is the greatest resource we have been given to manage relationships.

1 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV (8) Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

• We already have this ability on the inside of us!

Romans 5:5 NKJV Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

• God’s love is always unconditional.
• It is the kind of love that always gives and never takes.

John 3:16 NKJV For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

• This is the kind of love that makes you a resource to other people and not a consumer.

What is the standard for God’s love?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP (4) Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. (5) It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. (6) It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. (7) Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. (8) Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

Here is a huge key in learning to walk in love:

John 15:9 NKJV “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

To the degree that we know and believe that God loves us, is the degree that we will be able to love other people.

How do we get a revelation of God’s love for us?

1. Fellowshipping with God.

1. By spending time in God’s Word.
2. By spending time in prayer.

Attention breeds appetite.

2. Focus your attention on meeting the needs of other people.

Another element to managing relationships:

“Agape” love is the kind of love that gives to demonstrate itself.

“Phileo” is the feeling or fond emotion of love, a brotherly love, or friendship love.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV (23) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Our emotions give us the “staying power” that we need to follow through with a decision that we made intellectually.
• Agape love gives, but phileo love sustains that decision to keep on giving.

John 16:26-27 NKJV In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; (27) for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.

The word for love in this verse is “phileo”. What does this mean? It means God loves us affectionately and tenderly.

• In other words, God “feels” something about you when He thinks of you.
• God desires for us to cultivate a felt affection towards Him in our relationship with Him.

1 Corinthians 16:22 AMP (22) If anyone does not love the Lord [does not have a friendly affection for Him and is not kindly disposed toward Him], he shall be accursed! Our Lord will come! (Maranatha!)

This does not mean that God is laying a curse on us. It simply means that in the cursed world we are living in, we are not going to be able to escape the curse in it by having a close relationship with Jesus.

So we need this phileo love in our relationship with God but we also need it in our relationships with other people.

• Loving others with godly emotion is a learned response.

Titus 2:4 AMP So that they will wisely train the young women to be sane and sober of mind (temperate, disciplined) and to love their husbands and their children,

• Affection can be trained or taught.

Affection can be cultivated and grow based on how we train ourselves and feed it.

1 Corinthians 13:7 AMP Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

• Cultivating affection for others has to do with our thinking.

If we dwell on the pain, hurt or disappointment that someone may have caused us then we will tend to cultivate negative feelings towards someone.

The Bible teaches us to think about people in a good light. Think about something positive about them. In the very least, think about how much God loves them and how affectionate He is towards them.

• Choices lead and feelings follow!

Sow seeds of affection towards others.

• Show them kindness by acts of love and it might eventually win them over.

Romans 12:20-21 NKJV Therefore “IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM; IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON HIS HEAD.” (21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

• Praying for others is a powerful thing we can do to cultivate affection for them.

This is a significant form of giving we can do for them.

Luke 6:27-28 NKJV “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, (28) bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

One of the reasons that Jesus said for us to do this is because He knows that this will facilitate a change in our hearts.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Psalms 119:130 NKJV The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

The solution to a complicated life is to be a better manage your life.

Manage – the organization of the resource at your disposal to accomplish the desired purpose.

The resources of our lives can be categorized in three general areas:

1. Time Management
2. Resource Management
3. Relationship Management

We are going to look at Relationship Management.

Of the three areas that we are responsible to manage well, this one would probably be the most important.

This resource affects every other area of our lives and has a great impact on the quality of our lives.

The clear-cut goal of our relationships should be simply this: to exercise godly
influence in the lives of other people.

What does it mean to influence other people?

Influence: the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behaviors, opinions of other people.

After all, this is what God has called all of us to do as Christians.

Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Do not confuse influence with manipulation.

Manipulation is the desire to affect others for your own selfish benefit or personal gain. Influence is always for the benefit of others.

Motivation is the key!

Why is this so important?

99.9% of the time, God is going to use people to bring blessing, provision, and favor into our lives. He almost never does anything like this without using people.

God is constantly desiring to move in our lives, but if we have mismanaged our relationships, we hinder Him.

An example of why this is so important:

If a father does not properly manage his relationship with his children, he will probably drive those children away from him and thus not have any influence in their lives.

Proverbs 11:29 NKJV He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind, And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

How do we manage relationships: LOVE!

God’s love is the greatest resource we have been given to manage relationships.

1 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV (8) Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

✓ We already have this ability on the inside of us!

Romans 5:5 NKJV Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

✓ God’s love is always unconditional.

We have the tendency to love others conditionally and in degrees based on we perceive and feel about others.

God does not do this. His love is unconditional and not based on anything except Himself.

Romans 5:8 NKJV But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

✓ It is the kind of love that always gives and never takes.

John 3:16 NKJV For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

✓ This is the kind of love that makes you a resource to other people and not a consumer.

What is the standard for God’s love?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP (4) Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. (5) It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. (6) It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. (7) Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. (8) Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

This is the gold-standard of measuring how loving we are in our relationships.

If there is a relationship that is giving us a problem, it does not necessarily indicate there is a problem with the other person. It could be that there is something wrong with our love-walk.

Remember, this is a process. You are not going to change this in your over-night, but you can change. That is because you have God’s love already on the inside of you and God’s love NEVER FAILS.

Here is a huge key in learning to walk in love:

John 15:9 NKJV “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

To the degree that we know and believe that God loves us, is the degree that we will be able to love other people.

1 John 4:16 AMP And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

Paul prayed that we would get this revelation:

Ephesians 3:17-19 NKJV that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height– (19) to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

If there is fear in our loves, this is an opportunity for us to grow in the love of God.

1 John 4:18 AMP There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

✓ Are you worried about your needs being met? Then you are not sure about God’s love for you.

✓ Are you afraid of the Doctor’s report? Then you need to know and understand the love God has for you.

✓ Are you afraid that you have messed up so bad that God does not want you to His child anymore? Then you need a revelation of how much God loves you.

We ALL need to grow in this area. I do not believe we will ever arrive at the place where we fully understand the love of God. Why? Because God is love!

How do we get a revelation of God’s love for us?

1. Fellowshipping with God.
   1. By spending time in God’s Word.
   2. By spending time in prayer.

If you struggle with having a desire to spend time with God in prayer, the way you cultivate that desire is to focus your attention in that area.

Attention breeds appetite.

Attention to right things breeds right appetites, whereas attention to wrong things breeds wrong appetites.

2. Focus your attention on meeting the needs of other people.

1 John 3:16 NLT We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

When we decide to love others unconditionally and serve them, we will deal a death-blow to our own self-interests.

TIME MANAGEMENT

(Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV) See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

(Ephesians 5:15-16 AMP) Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), (16) Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

Redeem – to buy back something that was lost.

It will cost you something to manage your time. It will cost you time.

Planning

Three major contributors to planning:

1. Meditation

(Joshua 1:8 NKJV) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

(Psalms 2:1 KJV) Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2. Selectivity

Philippians 1:9-10 AMP And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment], (10) So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble].

A lot of our lives are not being defined by the important – they are being defined by the urgent.

Life’s Priorities According to the Word of God:

• My relationship with God
• My relationship with my spouse
• My relationship with my children
• My relationship with my church
• My job
• My social life.

3. Delegation

Implementation

Three major contributors to implementing your plan:

1. Be single-minded in following your plan

(James 1:6-8 NKJV) But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; (8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

2. Conserve your energy

Main drain of energy is tension anxiety or stress.

(1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, (7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

(Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJV) Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. (29) He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. (30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, (31) But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Waiting upon the Lord means to look for God with expectation.

3. Walk in the light.

This is supernatural in its essence because God is light.

Einstein’s theory of relativity and time dilation – can be validated mathematically.

Einstein said light is the only unchangeable constant in the universe. Light travels at the speed of 186,000 miles/sec.

(James 1:17 NKJV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

If a physical body accelerated towards the speed of light, time begins to dilate or slow down. If it were possible for someone to cross the threshold of the speed of light, he had no other word to describe it but “eternity”. The closer you get to the threshold of the speed of light, time slows down until you cross the threshold at which time ceases to exist.

(1 Timothy 6:15-16 NKJV) which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, (16) who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

If you shoot a bullet at the speed of light, before you take your finger off the trigger, it has circled the globe seven times.

If you take a spaceship moving through space at 80% of the speed of light, moved away from the earth 15 days and then turned around and came back 15 days, inside the spaceship, time on earth is 60 days but only 30 days for the astronauts.

If you speed it up to 85% of the speed of light, on earth it’s 10 years has elapsed but only 30 days for the astronauts.

If you speed it up to as close to the speed of light as you can get without crossing over, 30,000 years will have passed but only 30 days for the astronauts.

(2 Peter 3:8 NKJV) But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

What does this mean to us?

(Ephesians 5:8 NKJV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

(1 John 1:7 NKJV) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we walk in the light as He is in the light, the closer we get to the light, the more time slows down or is stretched.

The word “walk” means to be occupied with God.

You are a spiritual being living in a natural world.

What happens when you put God first in your time management? We move closer to the light.

What happens when we walk in the light of God’s Word? We move closer to the light.

Psalms 119:130 NKJV The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Hebrew – someone that is naïve concerning the challenges and complexities of life.

Dictionary – not complicated or complex, free of deceit or guile, believing every word

To place all of this in its proper context, we must always remember that we are all called to be stewards or managers of our resources for God in order to accomplish His purpose in the earth.

Manage – the organization of the resource at your disposal in order to accomplish the desired purpose.

Simplifying your life is to make good choices, choosing those things that are needful in order to organize the resources of our lives.

The solution to a complicated life is to be a better manage your life.

The resources of our lives can be categorized in three general areas:

1. Time Management

Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Redeem: to buy up, i.e. ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss (improve opportunity):

Martha (Luke 10) was doing a good thing but she was doing it at the wrong time.

2. Resource Management

If you don’t manage the material resources of your life well, it will cause your life to become complicated.

3. Relationship Management

Strife and contention will always cause your life to become complicated and stressful.

We can also see that the complications of our lives will show up in these three areas of our lives.

(Proverbs 24:3-4 AMP) Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation], (4) And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Knowledge – the acquisition of facts, truths and principles

Wisdom – applying knowledge to make good decisions

Understanding – to mentally organize, or arrange. The ability to arrange the information so that it connects with each other so that it makes sense to you.

Wisdom will not come until you are organized.

(Proverbs 10:23 NKJV) To do evil is like sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom.

(Proverbs 14:33 NKJV) Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known.

(Proverbs 17:24 NKJV) Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. 

(Proverbs 24:30-34 NKJV) I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; (31) And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. (32) When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: (33) A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; (34) So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

The lazy man and the man who was not organized achieved the same results – failure and chaos.

(Proverbs 16:16 NKJV) How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Organization is second in value only to wisdom.

Organization – to put in working order, to gather available elements into a functional arrangement

Because God has called us to be organized, He has given us the ability to be organized or He would be unjust.

We are required to manage or organize the resources of our lives in order to carry God’s will in the earth.

Even God works this way. 

(Hebrews 11:3 AMP) By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.

• We must learn not to confuse “neat and tidy” with organized. They can be two different things.

• Being organized has less to do with the way an environment “looks” than how effective it “functions”.

If a person can find what he or she needs when he or she needs it, feels unencumbered in achieving his or her goals, and is happy in his or her space, then that person is well organized.

There are some misconceptions about organization:

Misconception: Organizing is a mysterious skill that only a blessed few are born with and the rest of us are meant to suffer without it.

Fact: Organization is not a talent that you are born with, it is a skill. It can be learned and developed.

Misconception: Getting organized is an overwhelming, hopeless chore.

Fact: No matter what it is that you are organizing, no matter how daunting the task or how huge the backlog, getting organized boils down to the same very simple process. Once you have mastered the process, you will discover organizing to be a cleansing and empowering process and a way to maintain a simplified life.

Misconception: It is impossible to stay organized.

Fact:  Organization is sustainable, if your system is built around the way that you think and designed to grow and adapt with you as your life and work change. It is when your system is a poor fit for you that maintaining it is a difficult chore.

Misconception: Organizing is a non-productive use of time. I have more important things to do with my time.

Fact: In the pace that we move today, you will thrive in an organized environment. Those who are disorganized will feel overwhelmed and unsure of which way to turn.

In our attempts to organize, we have a tendency to have a knee-jerk reaction to attack first and then analyze and evaluate what is the best plan of action.

Does any of this sound familiar:

• You go shopping for containers to get your clutter problem under control without having measured, counted, or examined how much you have to store.

• You go on impulse purging sprees, ruthlessly getting rid of much as you can to create a sparse existence, then to discover too late that you tossed out something that was important to you.

• You adopt organizing tips from friends, magazines, and books with no thought as to whether they mesh with your personality or fit your situation or needs.

• You tackle the bits and pieces of your organizing problem without ever looking at the big picture.

• You grab on to the mantras like, ”reduce your possessions 50 percent” or “touch every piece of paper only once”, or “if you haven’t used it in two years, get rid of it,” in the hope that they will change your life forever.

• Organization begins with a mental process to produce the desired result.

• Organizing means creating a system based on your specific purpose, personality, needs, and goals.

It focuses on defining who you are and what is important to you as a person so that your system can be designed to reflect that.

Organizing means first take a look at the obstacles that are holding you back from being organized so that you can identify them and remove them once and for all.

• It is important to identify the root not the fruit.

• Organizing means getting organized before you buy any containers, put anything way or throw anything away.

Process of Organization:

1. Analyze – step back and take stock of your current situation by defining where you are, where you are going, what’s holding you back, and why it relates to your purpose in life.

(2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV) (5) Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you are disqualified. 

2. Strategize – create a plan of action for the physical transformation of your space, including a realistic schedule for making it happen.

(Luke 14:28 NLT) “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 

(Proverbs 24:27) NLT Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.

3. Attack – methodically dive into the clutter, sorting and arranging items to reflect the way that you think, making sure you see visible, dramatic results as you work.

4. Break the project into bite-size pieces.

How do you eat the elephant? One bite at a time. 

Get the Holy Spirit involved in this process! 

(Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

(Isaiah 11:1-3 AMP) AND THERE shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse [David’s father], and a Branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit. [Isa. 4:2; Matt. 2:23; Rev. 5:5; 22:16.] (2) And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him–the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord– (3) And shall make Him of quick understanding, and His delight shall be in the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord. And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, neither decide by the hearing of His ears;

• You have the Chief Organizer living in you!

IS YOUR LIFE TOO COMPLICATED?

Psalms 119:130 NKJV The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Hebrew – someone that is naïve concerning the challenges and complexities of life.

Dictionary – not complicated or complex, free of deceit or guile

The Word of God gives understanding and light to the open minded and uncomplicated.

Complex – so complicated or intricate as to be hard to understand or deal with.

Good Complexity – the human body, your computer, your phone

Bad Complexity – the mismanagement of life’s affairs that makes it difficult to receive the light of God’s Word.

Complications cast shadows – they obscure the light causing us to stumble through life.

Psalms 46:10 NKJV Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalms 46:10 CEV (10)  Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me.”

Psalms 46:10 MSG (10)  “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”

To “know God” in the Hebrew means – to ascertain by seeing.

Still – to cease, to let go, or forsake the challenges, worries, and anxieties that encumber our lives.

Luke 10:38-42 NIV As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. (39) She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. (40) But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (41) “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, (42) but few things are needed–or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:42 AMP (42)  There is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.

You must begin to evaluate your life and choose the things that are needed.

• When you choose something that is not needed over that which is needed it will always produce care and anxiety as it did in Martha.

• Because of the choices Martha was making, the complications in her life were making her critical of her sister Mary.

To place all of this in its proper context, we must always remember that we are all called to be stewards or managers of our resources for God in order to accomplish His purpose in the earth. (Matthew 25:15-30)

Manager – managing the organization of the resource at your disposal so that it may accomplish the desired purpose.

Organization – to put in working order, to gather available elements into a functional arrangement

The resources of our lives can be categorized in three general areas:

1. Time Management

Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Redeem: to buy up, i.e. ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss (improve opportunity):

Martha was doing a good thing but she was doing it at the wrong time.

2. Resource Management

If you don’t manage the material resources of your life well, it will cause your life to become complicated.

3. Relationship Management

Strife and contention will always cause your life to become complicated and stressful.