Efficient for His Glory

Proverbs 31:15

Ephesians 5:11-17

The word efficient may sound like a business word, but it does belongs in the Christian life because it has to do with stewardship.

For our study tonight, we are using this definition: Efficient means accomplishing the greatest productivity by preparing myself and my environment.

It means a Christian should care enough about God, people, duty, and opportunity to prepare wisely and use what God has entrusted to him faithfully.

Biblical efficiency is thoughtful obedience.

It says, "Lord, my time is Yours, my body is Yours, my home is Yours, my work is Yours, and I want to serve You with wisdom."

Proverbs 31 gives the picture of a virtuous woman whose godly character shows up in ordinary places.

Ephesians 5 gives believers a command to walk carefully in an evil day.

Ephesians 5:15 says, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise."

Then verse 16 says, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

To redeem means to buy up, rescue from loss, and make the most of an opportunity before it slips away.

If we don’t bring our time under the lordship of Christ, the world, the flesh, and the devil will gladly spend it for us.

Jesus Christ never wasted a moment, never missed the Father's will, never neglected the person before Him, and never lived at the mercy of distraction.

John 9:4 KJV

4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

The efficient life is not about squeezing God into our plans.

It is about preparing ourselves and our environment so we can do God's will with a willing heart.

I. Efficiency Begins With A Prepared Heart

Before we talk about schedules, rooms, tools, phones, desks, kitchens, vehicles, or church ministries, we have to start with the heart.

So first let’s see that A Prepared Heart knows…

A. Time Belongs To God

Psalm 31:15 KJV

15 My times are in thy hand: Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

That statement changes how we look at everything.

My morning is not really mine.

My evening is not really mine.

My week is not really mine.

My life is not really mine.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 KJV

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If Christ has purchased me with His blood, then my time is not something I spend however I please and then ask God to bless the leftovers.

It is something I receive from Him as a trust.

Proverbs 31:15 says, "She riseth also while it is yet night."

That does not mean every godly person has to wake up before sunrise.

The point is not the exact hour.

The point is the priority.

She is not drifting through the day waiting for life to happen to her.

She understands that there are people under her care and responsibilities in her hand, so she prepares.

A believer who wants to be efficient starts by asking, "Lord, what have You given me to do?"

That question is a whole lot better than just, "What do I feel like doing?"

Jesus lived with surrendered focus.

John 4:34 KJV

34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

He was never lazy, and yet He was never driven by sinful pressure.

He was never careless, yet He was never controlled by panic.

He had a heart fully yielded to the Father.

That leads to the second part of a prepared heart, because God's ownership of our time should make us careful about our priorities.

A prepared heart knows that time belongs to God, secondly a prepared heart…

B. Chooses What Matters Most

Ephesians 5:15 says, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.”

Circumspectly has the idea of walking carefully, accurately, and thoughtfully.

A wise person understands that not everything urgent is important, and not everything important is loud and in your face.

Your witness, your health, your spouse, your children, your church, and walk with God can be neglected quietly while lesser things keep making noise.

Efficiency begins when a Christian learns to put the right things in the right place.

Mary and Martha show us this truth in Luke 10.

Martha was serving, and serving was not wrong.

The Lord did not rebuke her for preparing food.

He corrected the troubled heart that had lost sight of the one thing needful.

Luke 10:42 KJV

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Before I need to carry the load, I need to sit at His feet.

Abiding comes before fruit.

Fellowship comes before usefulness.

Dependence comes before fruitfulness.

A man may be active and still be spiritually inefficient because he is doing many things without the strength of Christ.

A mother may be busy and still feel barren in her spirit because she has carried the whole house but not brought her heart to the Lord.

The efficient Christian is not the one who does the most things.

He is the one who does the right things in obedience to God.

That includes saying no to some things.

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13, "this one thing I do."

Philippians 3:13 KJV

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

A prepared heart chooses what matters most and refuses to let lesser things rule.

Once the heart is prepared before God, the next question becomes very practical.

How do we arrange life so obedience is helped rather than hindered?

So, Efficiency Begins With A Prepared Heart, secondly…

II. Efficiency Grows Through A Prepared Life

Godliness does not happen by accident, and neither does useful service.

First thing I want us to see is, A Prepared Life…

A. Makes Provision Before The Pressure Comes

Proverbs 31:15 says that the virtuous woman "giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens."

She is not only willing to help; she has prepared so help is ready when it is needed.

She thinks ahead.

She considers the needs of her household.

She understands that preparation today can reduce confusion tomorrow.

Proverbs 21:5 KJV

5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; But of every one that is hasty only to want.

Notice the contrast between diligent thought and hasty want.

The Bible does not praise chaos as spirituality.

Sometimes we excuse poor preparation by saying, "I'll just trust the Lord."

We certainly should trust the Lord, but trusting God is not the same as refusing wisdom.

Noah trusted God, and he built the ark before the rain came.

Preparation is often faith in work clothes.

In church life, that might mean getting materials ready before class, checking the sound before service, preparing a lesson before Saturday night, or making sure a ministry area is clean and useful.

In home life, it might mean laying out clothes, planning meals, keeping a reasonable calendar, maintaining the vehicle, or paying bills before they become emergencies.

In the spiritual life, it means having a Bible reading plan, setting a prayer time, memorizing Scripture, and deciding ahead of time how we will handle temptation.

Romans 13:14 says,

Romans 13:14 KJV

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Efficiency prepares for obedience but also refuses to prepare for sin.

Some people make it easy to fall and hard to obey.

A prepared life asks, "What can I put in place now that will help me obey later?"

As we think about preparing ahead, we also need to remember that God has placed us in physical spaces that can either help us or hinder us.

So a prepared life…Makes Provision Before The Pressure Comes, but also a prepared life…

B. Orders The Environment For Faithfulness

Our definition says efficiency is accomplishing the greatest productivity by preparing myself and my environment.

Environment matters.

First Corinthians 14:40 says,

1 Corinthians 14:40 KJV

40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

God is not the author of confusion.

Order can help us love, do ministry, and have peace all at the same time.

A cluttered room does not make a person ungodly, and a spotless room does not make a person spiritual.

But most of us know what it is like to lose time, lose patience, or lose an opportunity because things were not where they needed to be.

A tool that is put away can serve again.

A home that has some order can become a place of ministry rather than constant frustration.

Small disorder repeated every day becomes a large tax on the soul.

If you spend ten minutes a day hunting for misplaced items, that is more than sixty hours a year.

That is simple math, and it is convicting enough.

The goal is not to become obsessed with systems.

The goal is to remove unnecessary friction from obedience.

That is not unspiritual.

That is love with its shoes tied.

Jesus even had the disciples prepare for the Passover.

Luke 22:8 says,

Luke 22:8 KJV

8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.

The Lord who could feed thousands with five loaves and two fishes still sent men to prepare a room.

When our surroundings are prepared, our attention is freer to serve people instead of constantly solving preventable problems.

A prepared life looks ahead and orders the environment, but efficiency must also be protected from a subtle danger.

We can become efficient at the wrong things if we are not walking in wisdom.

So, Efficiency Begins With A Prepared Heart, secondly…II. Efficiency Grows Through A Prepared Life, third Efficiency…

III. Redeems The Present Opportunity

Ephesians 5:16 says, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Paul is not merely telling us to be good managers of the clock.

He is telling us to live with spiritual urgency in a dark world.

A. See Opportunity Before It Passes

The word time in Ephesians 5:16 carries the idea of opportunity and season.

There are open doors that do not stay open forever.

There are chances to witness that pass quickly.

Colossians 4:5 says,

Colossians 4:5 KJV

5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

In that context, redeeming the time is connected to our testimony before the lost.

Efficiency is not only about getting chores done.

It is about being ready to speak for Christ, ready to help, ready to pray, ready to give, ready to serve, and ready to obey when God opens the door.

Many of us have thought, "I should write that note," or "I should call that person," or "I should witness to him," and then delayed until the opportunity faded.

The efficient Christian doesn’t assume that every opportunity will come around again.

Proverbs 27:1 says,

Proverbs 27:1 KJV

1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

the point of that verse is not to make us fearful.

It is meant to make us faithful today.

Jesus lived with perfect awareness of opportunity.

In Mark 5, while He was going to Jairus' house, the woman with the issue of blood touched His garment.

He was not so focused on the next appointment that He missed the hurting soul beside Him.

His life was never wasted, but His efficiency never made Him insensitive.

Some people use efficiency as an excuse to run over others.

That is not Christlike.

A schedule that makes us too busy to be kind is not a spiritual schedule.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop, listen, pray, and love the person God has placed in front of you.

Redeeming the time means we do not waste the opportunity, whether the opportunity is a task to complete or a soul to serve.

When we see opportunity rightly, we also understand why wasted time is not harmless.

B. Resist The Pull Of Evil Days

Ephesians 5:16 gives the reason: "because the days are evil."

Paul is saying the age is morally and spiritually opposed to God.

The current of this world does not move toward holiness.

Ephesians 5:11 from our text says, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

The believer has to live awake.

Our generation has more time-saving tools than almost any generation in history, and yet many people feel more distracted, scattered, and exhausted than ever.

The problem is not only that we are busy.

It’s that our attention is being bought by things that don’t lead us toward loving God.

A phone can be a useful tool, but it can also become a thief.

Entertainment can have a place, but it can also become an escape from duty.

David said in Psalm 101:3,

Psalm 101:3 KJV

3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

If we are going to redeem the time, we cannot let evil days set the agenda.

We need wise boundaries.

We need times when the house is still, the screen is off, the Bible is open, and the soul is listening.

Conclusion

Efficiency is not merely doing more in less time.

Sometimes efficiency is clearing away what drains the heart so we can do what matters with strength.

Hebrews 12:1 says,

Hebrews 12:1 KJV

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

There are sins that are heavy weights slowing us down that must be confessed and forsaken.

There are also weights that may not be sinful in themselves, but they slow us down.

The question is not only, "Is this wrong?"

The question may be, "Is this helping me run the race that God set before me?"

The days are evil, so neutral living is not safe living.

A garden left alone does not produce order; it produces weeds.

A heart left alone does not produce efficiency; it produces drift.

Redeeming the time means we intentionally buy back opportunities from the wastefulness of a sinful age.

First Corinthians 13:3 teaches us that even great sacrifice without charity profits nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:3 KJV

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 is efficient because she fears the Lord and cares for those entrusted to her.

Proverbs 31:20 says,

Proverbs 31:20 KJV

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

It gives her capacity to help.

The goal of getting our life in order is not so we can protect our comfort from everyone else's needs.

It is so we can be more available for the needs God actually assigns to us.

Jesus said in Mark 10:45,

Mark 10:45 KJV

45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

He touched lepers, welcomed children, fed the hungry, restored the fallen, saved sinners, and went to Calvary.

His efficiency was not cold productivity; it was perfect obedience in perfect love.

Some people avoid efficiency because they think planning will rob life of dependence on God.

Others embrace efficiency in a way that leaves them anxious and exhausted.

We do prepare, but we do not trust our preparation.

We do plan, but we do not worship the plan.

We do labor, but we do not pretend the fruit comes from us.

Proverbs 16:9 says,

Proverbs 16:9 KJV

9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: But the Lord directeth his steps.

But the man must also bow before the Lord who directs his steps.

Efficiency without surrender becomes control.

Surrender without obedience becomes passivity.

Biblical efficiency says, "Lord, I will prepare as wisely as I can, obey as fully as I know, and trust Thee with what I cannot control."

After commanding us to redeem the time, Ephesians 5:17 says, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

Efficiency is not mainly about understanding time management.

It is about understanding the will of the Lord.

So where do we begin tonight?

Ask whether your time is truly surrendered to God.

Begin with one priority that has slipped out of place.

Put the Lord back where He belongs.

Begin with one area of your environment that regularly steals peace or time, and prepare it for obedience.

Begin with one opportunity you have been delaying, such as a note, a call, an apology, a witness, a ministry task, or a family conversation.

Begin with one weight that needs to be laid aside.

Do not try to overhaul your whole life in pride tonight.

Take the next obedient step in humility.

Maybe someone needs to admit that busyness has been covering spiritual neglect.

Maybe someone needs to be saved.

The most important use of time is to be ready for eternity.

If you are lost, do not waste the opportunity of grace.

Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again.

Come to Him by faith and be saved.

For the believer, the call tonight is simple and searching.

Redeem the time.

Prepare your heart.

Prepare your life.

Serve Christ and others with love.

The days are evil, but our Lord is worthy.

The opportunities are passing, but His grace is sufficient.

The work is real, but His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

May God help us to be efficient in the most Christian sense of the word, accomplishing the greatest productivity by preparing ourselves and our environment for the will of God and the glory of Jesus Christ.