Investing vs Wasting

In a conversation with a friend of mine today, who is a self-employed entrepreneur as myself, he was telling me about the many meetings he is invited to attend. He said it seems as if the person is serious and wants to involve him in a project, so he keeps scheduling meetings. But then, after many hours spent, nothing materializes.

Then there are the folks who, after 1, 2, or 3 meetings, push the button, get serious, lay the money on the table, and you’re on your way to creating something with them.

So, the big question …how do you know the difference between these two in the first or second meeting? Where do you draw the line? Where do you show faith? Do you come off rude, if you say I can’t meet anymore?

The principle here is stewardship of time—investing or wasting.

Even if you work for someone else, as Christian men, we must constantly evaluate our use of time. After all, if someone is paying us to show up, they are entrusting us to invest time and energy in whatever they own or manage.

So, an important and crucial evaluation of time is a good activity to regularly engage in.

Where am I investing in someone, a project, an opportunity? Where and when is someone going to win here with what I am bringing to the table?

Where am I wasting time, energy, money (my own or someone else’s) and no one is going to win?

God gives us all 24 hours every day. I believe Scripture is clear His intention is we invest as much as possible, wasting as little as possible. Productivity, not consumption.

Are you tired, exhausted, worn out, whipped? If yes, maybe it’s because there is too much waste and your heart, mind, and spirit know it. What needs to change? What lines may need to be drawn? Who do you need to get honest with?

Where are you excited, pumped, jazzed about something? Those feelings come because you’re investing and you see the win.

A great exercise, that actually doesn’t take long, is to make a list of everything taking your time. It is amazing how sometimes just writing everything down and honestly looking at the list will help you make some quick decisions of something that must  stay versus some things that must go.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. —Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 NLT




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