AP# 16 No Time to Chance (Free Download)

I firmly believe that time is the most valuable possession we all have, yet it is taken for granted more than any other resource. There is a common thought activity that speakers often use where they ask if you would accept one million dollars with the condition that you would not wake up the next morning. Everyone immediately answers no. In doing so, they acknowledge that waking up for another day is far more valuable than any amount of money.Yet we often spend the same 24 hours chasing the million dollars instead of enjoying the gift of life. Even worse, some people are not chasing anything meaningful at all and end up wasting time even more.

There are many clichés about time that ring true. Time waits for no one. Lost time is never found again. Time flies. Time consumes all things. It is not unreasonable to assume that many people look back on their lives and reflect on time they have lost, wishing they had used it better. This reveals another major issue. People spend too much time looking backward at wasted time instead of looking forward and planning how to use time more intentionally. Making the most of time does not happen randomly. It must be planned, and systems must be put in place to maximize the effectiveness of that planned time.

Living a highly organized and planned life may sound like it removes spontaneity or turns you into someone who cannot enjoy the small, simple moments of life. That is not what I am suggesting. I am talking about taking control of the 365 days you are given each year and creating daily, weekly, and monthly rhythms that increase fulfillment and actually make room for spontaneous moments.

For example, planning a few hours each week for undistracted time with your kids, scheduling a weekly time to catch up with a friend, or intentionally planning a date night with your spouse does not remove the joy of life. It creates space for it. These moments are far more likely to happen when they are planned instead of left to chance.

The same is true for work and personal growth. Planning focused, distraction free work time matters. This could look like scheduling three hours to work on college courses, setting aside time to work out, or blocking time to read and research. Treat this time seriously by setting a timer and placing your phone away from you. Simple systems like this can drastically increase productivity.

Here is the practical application. I have created a yearly calendar designed to help maximize every single day. There are similar calendars available online, but this is something I want to give away for free. The download is a pdf that you can print on a poster at a local printshop or use digitally. I am looking at a way to offer them printed and shipped to you at cost. If you want an editable version, please email me at [email protected].

This calendar allows you to see every day of the month clearly laid out, helping you visualize your time. It provides space to write in daily habits such as reading, praying, writing, running, or anything else you want to practice consistently. It includes room to plan weekly habits like date nights, Sabbath rest, family meals, or dinners with friends. It gives you space to list major goals you want to accomplish during the year, whether that is reading a certain number of books, running a race, or making a major life purchase.

It also includes space to record quotes that stand out to you, moments worth remembering, and books you have read. This encourages reflection on what you value and what you are becoming. Finally, it gives you space to write down one major bucket list item. Writing it down makes it more real and keeps it in front of you every day.

There is nothing inherently special about this calendar. You can find a yearly wall calendar almost anywhere that could serve a similar function. What makes it special is when someone decides to live intentionally with their time. It becomes meaningful when someone plans a family game night instead of hoping it happens. It becomes powerful when a bucket list item is written down and seen daily. It becomes transformative when someone commits to small daily habits that slowly improve their life over the course of a year.

Time is both a gift and a responsibility that we are called to steward well. Scripture tells us to be careful how we live and to make the most of every opportunity. It also teaches that understanding the value of time leads to wisdom in how we live. The Bible reminds us that life is short and uncertain and that tomorrow is never guaranteed. Jesus emphasized urgency and purpose when He said that work must be done while it is still day because night is coming when no one can work.

You are not an accident. You were created with purpose, freedom, and responsibility. Part of that responsibility is enjoying the gift of life with gratitude and resting in the One who gave it. The other part is stewarding each moment wisely. Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam was given work to do, but rest and fellowship with God were equally important.

In a fallen world, both remain true. Our responsibility may no longer be a physical garden, but our calling is still clear. Jesus summarized it simply. We are to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. We are to love our neighbor. We are to go and make disciples. When we live this way, our actions become purpose driven works that we get to do, not things we are forced to do. Love is not passive. Love requires action. When we truly love God and others, the natural result is serving, nurturing, discipling, honoring, sacrificing, teaching, and intentionally making time for what matters most. These truths should shape how we structure our daily lives.

Reflective Questions

Where do you feel like your time is being wasted or slipping away unintentionally?

What daily or weekly habit could you implement to better steward your time?

Are the most important people in your life getting your best time or your leftover time?

What goal or relationship would improve most if you planned time for it?

How can you treat time as a gift and responsibility?

Ephesians 5:15–16 (NIV) “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Psalm 90:12 (NIV) “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

James 4:13–14 (NIV) “…. you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

John 9:4 (NIV) “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”

Matthew 22:37–40 (NIV) “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 28:19 (NIV) “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”

1 John 3:18 (NIV) “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”