By the time you read this, the first few days of December have already passed by and the others are coming quickly. I am never sure if it is just the time of the year with all the holidays or the face that I am getting a little older, but the time seems to move more quickly at the end of each year. This quick passage of time reminds me of the inspired words of James, “For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4.14, ESV)
God must have a place in our time on earth. Without God, there would be no time. Be sure your life is not so busy making a living that you forget to live for eternity. The parable of the Rich Fool is a great reminder of how we use our time. The rich fool, amid gathering possessions, made no place for God.
One night, the rich man’s soul was required of him by the Creator of time. (Luke 12.16-23)
Are you making time for God?
Christians must remember that time is a gift. Realizing that God has given each person a gift of time can make or break the way they handle their time. For instance, remember each day is filled with 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes, or even 86,400 seconds. Do we handle our time well in His sight? Remember Ephesians 5.15-16.
Christians must remember our time in the place they are is for a greater purpose. I am a firm believer that wherever you are in life, at whatever time, you are there for a reason. Your time in this life is something of noble purpose. For instance, notice the verses below,
“Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4.13-14, ESV)
Mordecai encourages Esther to take action because of her position in the time they were living. Reread the story of Esther and notice her place and the purpose she was able to live.
Christians must remember their time involves other people. There are certain people in this world who are always late. It might never occur to them when they are late. They show that your time does not matter. Be considerate of others and at least call ahead when you are going late. Remember that your time also needs to be one of service to your fellow man. Consider verses like Galatians 6.10 and Romans 12.9-21.
Also remember this verse from Philippians: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2.4, ESV)
A Christian’s time is important for many reason other than those listed above. Even Solomon, in all of his wisdom, riches and position as king, reflected on how life passes quickly in the book of Ecclesiastes.
Allow me to offer some suggestions on maximizing our time (spiritually).
- Commit to one of these for a month and see if you grow spiritually.
- Get up 15 minutes earlier and spend part of that time in prayer.
- Go to bed 15 minutes later and spent part of the time praying with/for your family.
- Encourage one person a day (send a card, email, phone call).
- Read one Psalm a day.
- Buy the Bible on CD and listen to it in your car—Build knowledge while driving.
Sunday morning a seat was empty. Someone was not here. Their absence could have been because of sickness, other health issues, work, laziness, or pleasure in worldly things. However, we may never know each one’s decision to miss services. All we know is, they missed.
When someone misses services, they miss out on the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ. Fellowship is not about food, but about many things. Fellowship means sharing.
It is the sharing of experiences, sharing encouragement, sharing joys and sorrows, and even sharing physical things. The Scriptures tell us that the early church shared with any brother or sister that had a need. (Acts 2.42-47)
It is hard to share with someone who is not present. It is difficult to know what a person’s need are if they do not fellowship with the saints.
As Christians, we are to do good to all men especially those of the household of faith. (Galatians 6.10) When we are able to do good to those in the household of faith, it strengthens our relationship to one another.
Remember when Thomas missed seeing Jesus?
In John 20.24-29, Thomas was not present and did not have the same experiences as the other disciples.
As a result, Thomas did not believe their words. Even though he had been walking with these men for three years, Thomas did not believe them.
Thomas failed to believe in his fellow disciples because he missed. He missed the fellowship and in turn, he missed seeing Jesus. Consider this, his doubts arose because he missed fellowship. His trust in the words of his brethren declined, because he was not present.
On Sunday, someone missed.
They missed more than services.
They missed fellowship.
They missed hope.
They missed opportunities.
And, if I were a betting man, I bet some of them missed Jesus.
Just some thoughts,
Did You Get Anything from the Sermon or Bible Class?
As a minister, one question I think about during the week is, “What will people get out of this lesson?” Or “What did people get out of last week’s lesson?” Also, as a minister, I know some lessons are better than others and people listen and respond differently, but…did you get anything out of the sermon or the Bible class?
Allow me to offer a few suggestions that might help you to get something from a lesson:
- What did you put into the lesson?
- Did you prepare your mind before Sunday?
- Did you open your mind to the message or be as a Pharisee (Matthew 15.1-9) or a mocker (Acts 17.32)?
- Did you open your Bible and follow along?
- Did you take notes on the message to review later?
- Did you bring a proper attitude to worship?
- Just another thought: The old saying rings true, “you get out of something what you put into it.”
- Why Did You Come to Worship?
- Do you not come to join with the saints in mutual fellowship and mutual worship to God the Father?
- Do you not come to support the preaching of God’s Word or do you always look to see what you get from it?
- Do you glorify God or seek self-glorification?
- Where was your mind during the lesson?
- Were you thinking of how to apply or know the message or were your thoughts on how much time you are wasting? (Attitude determines altitude)
- What were two points listed during the message?
- Can you recall three passages of scripture during the message?
- Can you recall the title of the message?
These questions will not solve all the issues with listening to a sermon, but they provide a good start. Many times, people need to look internally before looking externally.
Just a thought,
Let’s say for a moment, you are one of the best golfers in the world.
Now imagine that you have an opportunity to win the one major tournament you have been waiting to win. This tournament has been your professional desire. It is this tournament where you have a record six runners up finishes, but this year you have a good chance of winning. But there is a problem.
The day of the tournament, your daughter has a high school graduation.
What would you choose?
Phil Mickelson faced this problem in 2017. June 15th was drawing closer and he had to make a choice. He had been runner-up six times at the U.S. Open. In 2017 Phil Mickelson had a great opportunity to win the U.S. Open, but at the same time of the tournament, his daughter would give the commencement speech at the senior class president.
What would you choose?
Would you choose the chance of winning, or a family event?
Mr. Mickelson withdrew from the tournament and Robert Diaz would take his place. Two weeks before the U.S. Open, Phil Mickelson spoke about the scheduling conflict and offered these comments,
“It’s a tournament that I want to win the most, the only way to win is if you play and have a chance. But this is one of those moments where you look back on life and you just don’t want to miss it. I’ll be really glad that I was there and present.”
Life comes with hard decisions. Phil Mickelson choose family over profession.
Would you do the same?
As fathers, our children are watching our every move.
Just a thought,
Source: https://www.espn.com/golf/usopen17/story/_/id/19641956/phil-mickelson-officially-withdraws-2017-us-open
As David is drawing near death, he speaks words to his son Solomon, challenging him as a man, as a ruler, and as David’s son. His words, as a father and a King, challenge Solomon to carry on the work that is being done, so Solomon’s family will have a legacy on the throne given to David by God.
“When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’” (1 Kings 2:1-4)
Notice from the text, David tells Solomon to do three things:
- Act Responsibly – Solomon is to be strong, show himself to be a man and keep the charge of the Lord. David wants Solomon to be a powerful leader of the people and take the male responsibility of being King.
- Walk with God – David knew what it was like to walk with God. David had walked with God, and he knew the blessings of someone committed to God.
- Hear David’s Commands – I wonder, if later, Solomon reflected on David’s words when he wrote Proverbs 1.8-9.
Fathers, are we challenging (charging) our children like David did Solomon?
Just a thought,
Annette Olsen became frustrated after driving her son to an empty soccer field for the second week in a row. She said to her son, “Please tell your coach that we keep coming for practice, but no one is ever here.”
Her son rolled his eyes and replied, “He will just tell me the same thing that he did before.” His mom asked, “Which was?” Within a moment her son answered, “He said practice is now on Tuesdays, not Mondays.” (Adapted from Reader’s Digest, March 2016)
While it might be a humor illustration of how easy it might be to forget a day, we also remember some days as a priority. Days such as birthdays, anniversaries, sporting events, and family activities take priority in our lives. While various days are a priority, do we make Sunday or Wednesday a priority?
We are familiar with the passage in Hebrews 10.24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
The Day the Hebrews writer is referring to is the great judgement day. Have you considered that Day when you are prioritizing the Days ahead? As we sometime sing, “There’s a great day coming…” Are you ready?
Just a thought,
