You in 5 Years: How Time Management Shapes Your Future
Have you ever stopped to think about where your life is headed—not just tomorrow, but five years from now?
Why this question? Because how you use your time is how you spend your life.
Let that sink in:
Your time is your life in slow motion.
The moments you invest in today become the life you experience tomorrow.
Your daily choices create your future reality.
So let me ask you: Who do you want to be in five years?
Picture the Future You.
Take a second and imagine your age floating above your head like a birthday balloon. Now fast-forward five years. What number do you see?
For me, it's 54. That number is exciting—but also sobering. Because the truth is: God is already there. He’s in your future. But He’s asking you to plan not just for the next five minutes, but for the next five years.
Here's a powerful truth:
Most people overestimate what they can do in a short time, and underestimate what they can do in a long time—especially if they stick with it.
We live in a microwave culture. We want results fast. But God’s best work takes time. That’s why patience and consistency are critical.
You Don’t Drift Into a Great Life. You don’t stumble into a meaningful life by accident—you decide your way there. One wise time decision at a time.
Paul says it like this in Romans 13:11–14 (MSG):
“Don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God... Don’t squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence… Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!”
Paul is saying:
Time is a catalyst for transformation. Don’t waste it.
The life God is shaping in you requires time—so use it wisely.
I made two lists this week.
If you gave your next five years your best, you could:
But if you neglect the next five years:
Five years is enough time to build a beautiful life—or ruin one. The difference? How you use your time.
3 Biblical Principles for Managing Time Well
1. Time is Not On Your Side
In Romans 13, Paul uses the Greek word kairos—not just clock time, but divine opportunity. Life has a beginning and an end. It's short. It moves fast. And you don’t get time back once it’s gone.
David prayed in Psalm 39:
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” (v.4)
Bottom line:
Don’t waste what you can’t get back.
Time isn’t on your side—but it’s on God’s side. And when you align your life with God’s Word, time starts working for you.
2. Future You is Just an Exaggerated Current You
We like to romanticize our future selves, but here's the truth:
Who you are today is who you'll become—just more of it.
Disciplined now? You’ll be more disciplined later.
Bitter now? More bitter later.
Lazy now? Stuck later.
Time doesn’t magically change you—it reveals you.
Proverbs 11:27:
“If you search for good, you’ll find favor; if you search for evil, it will find you.”
Meaning: Your future is shaped by your present choices—especially how you spend your time.
3. Ongoing Consistency Beats Short-Term Intensity
We love quick fixes. But true transformation comes from small steps, done daily.
“Consistency is greater than intensity.”
It’s not what you do once—it’s what you do every day that builds your future. That’s the power of compound time.
Let’s say you:
Read 10 pages/day = 12 books/year
Save $5/day = $1,800/year
Pray 15 minutes/day = nearly 100 hours of prayer/year
Over five years? That’s life-changing. That’s exponential growth.
Even science backs this up. A sunscreen study in Australia found that people who applied low SPF sunscreen daily aged far less than those who used high SPF occasionally.
The lesson? Daily small actions protect your skin—and your soul.
Where to Start: 5 Practical Time Management Habits
Final Word: Don’t Despise Small Beginnings
Zechariah 4:10 (MSG):
“Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They’ll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!”
Small beginnings lead to significant breakthroughs—if you stay consistent.
Start small. Stay faithful. Watch what God can do in your next five years.
Because the life you dream of doesn’t happen by accident.
You don’t drift into a great life. You decide your way there. One wise time decision at a time.
Why this question? Because how you use your time is how you spend your life.
Let that sink in:
Your time is your life in slow motion.
The moments you invest in today become the life you experience tomorrow.
Your daily choices create your future reality.
So let me ask you: Who do you want to be in five years?
Picture the Future You.
Take a second and imagine your age floating above your head like a birthday balloon. Now fast-forward five years. What number do you see?
For me, it's 54. That number is exciting—but also sobering. Because the truth is: God is already there. He’s in your future. But He’s asking you to plan not just for the next five minutes, but for the next five years.
Here's a powerful truth:
Most people overestimate what they can do in a short time, and underestimate what they can do in a long time—especially if they stick with it.
We live in a microwave culture. We want results fast. But God’s best work takes time. That’s why patience and consistency are critical.
You Don’t Drift Into a Great Life. You don’t stumble into a meaningful life by accident—you decide your way there. One wise time decision at a time.
Paul says it like this in Romans 13:11–14 (MSG):
“Don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God... Don’t squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence… Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!”
Paul is saying:
Time is a catalyst for transformation. Don’t waste it.
The life God is shaping in you requires time—so use it wisely.
I made two lists this week.
If you gave your next five years your best, you could:
- Learn a new language
- Earn a degree or trade
- Save $1,800 by saving $1/day
- Read the Bible 3 times
- Read 60 books
- Deepen your walk with Jesus
But if you neglect the next five years:
- You could destroy a relationship
- Fall into addiction
- Drown in debt
- Drift from God
- Or become a more bitter, stuck version of yourself
Five years is enough time to build a beautiful life—or ruin one. The difference? How you use your time.
3 Biblical Principles for Managing Time Well
1. Time is Not On Your Side
In Romans 13, Paul uses the Greek word kairos—not just clock time, but divine opportunity. Life has a beginning and an end. It's short. It moves fast. And you don’t get time back once it’s gone.
David prayed in Psalm 39:
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” (v.4)
Bottom line:
Don’t waste what you can’t get back.
Time isn’t on your side—but it’s on God’s side. And when you align your life with God’s Word, time starts working for you.
2. Future You is Just an Exaggerated Current You
We like to romanticize our future selves, but here's the truth:
Who you are today is who you'll become—just more of it.
Disciplined now? You’ll be more disciplined later.
Bitter now? More bitter later.
Lazy now? Stuck later.
Time doesn’t magically change you—it reveals you.
Proverbs 11:27:
“If you search for good, you’ll find favor; if you search for evil, it will find you.”
Meaning: Your future is shaped by your present choices—especially how you spend your time.
3. Ongoing Consistency Beats Short-Term Intensity
We love quick fixes. But true transformation comes from small steps, done daily.
“Consistency is greater than intensity.”
It’s not what you do once—it’s what you do every day that builds your future. That’s the power of compound time.
Let’s say you:
Read 10 pages/day = 12 books/year
Save $5/day = $1,800/year
Pray 15 minutes/day = nearly 100 hours of prayer/year
Over five years? That’s life-changing. That’s exponential growth.
Even science backs this up. A sunscreen study in Australia found that people who applied low SPF sunscreen daily aged far less than those who used high SPF occasionally.
The lesson? Daily small actions protect your skin—and your soul.
Where to Start: 5 Practical Time Management Habits
- Set Boundaries – Guard your time.
- Track Commitments – Know what you’re saying “yes” to.
- Prioritize What’s Essential – Choose the important over the urgent.
- Plan Each Day – Don’t drift through your schedule.
- Learn to Say No – Every “yes” is a “no” to something else.
Final Word: Don’t Despise Small Beginnings
Zechariah 4:10 (MSG):
“Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They’ll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!”
Small beginnings lead to significant breakthroughs—if you stay consistent.
Start small. Stay faithful. Watch what God can do in your next five years.
Because the life you dream of doesn’t happen by accident.
You don’t drift into a great life. You decide your way there. One wise time decision at a time.