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Key Bible Verse: The man won't rest until he has followed through on this. He will settle it today (Ruth 3:18). Bonus Reading: Matthew 21:28-31a

All of us want to be liked. But saying "yes" to everyone who asks for your help is dangerous. If you make a commitment to do something, your integrity and reputation are on the line. You should work diligently to fulfill your promise, finishing the project on time, and doing a quality job. That won't happen if you've made so many other promises and commitments that your "to do" list exceeds the memory capacity in your handheld computer.

If you're overcommitted, you probably lack the ability to say "no." Perhaps you don't want to disappoint each friend who makes a request of you. But you aren't doing your friend any favor if your busy schedule forces you to miss the deadline or do a slipshod job. If that's likely to happen, you'll do your friend a favor if you decline the request.

Overcommitting yourself isn't fair to the members of your immediate family, and your closest friends, either. You're in crisis mode all of the time. Everything is an emergency. You're always running behind schedule. You have no leisure time, and everything you do is rushed. That's no way to live.

So don't take on more than you can handle. Learn when to say "no."

—Bruce Bickel & Stan Jantz in Simple Matters

My Response: When have I said no to protect a vital yes?

Thought to Apply: The really idle man gets nowhere. The perpetually busy man does not get much further.—WILLIAM HENEAGE OGILVIE (British surgeon)

Adapted from Simple Matters (Promise Press, 2001) by permission.

Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Lord, I want to use the time you've given me in ways that yield long-term significance.

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