January 24, 2015

"Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16

Life is made up of decisions, so good decisions greatly improve the quality of life. Wisdom is necessary for good decision-making.

Thus, we offer this series of messages on the one question that leads to good decisions - "In light of my past experience, my current circumstances and my future hopes and dreams what is the wise thing to do?"

While life is made better by good decisions, life consists of time. So, wise decisions about how you use your time are among the most important ones you will make.

Over the last few days I have been sharing some observations about the wise use of time.

1) Investing small amounts of time over time is cumulative
2) Neglecting small amounts of time over time is also cumulative

The third time-wise observation is: Random has no cumulative value.

So, there are those who know how to use time wisely and do it consistently. And there are those who know the wise thing they ought to do but rarely do it. And then there are those who only think about what they want to enjoy in that moment.

Random generally refers to those who live with no plan or purpose. They do what seems right or feels right or looks like the most fun. What seems fun tomorrow may be what feels right today. Since your life lacks direction or continuity you waste your time and wasting your time is wasting your life.

Random can also refer to those totally unplanned and unexpected things that happen during the course of a day. These random events tend to be a distraction to or departure from the schedule you planned for that day. It could be a legitimate crisis or it could be a result of poor planning by yourself or by others.

Saying that something is unplanned or unexpected infers that there is a plan in place. Wise people know where they need to invest their time during the day to produce the results they desire. They also know that everything won't go exactly as planned that day. They anticipate there will be interruptions arise and since they know what they want to happen they know how to adjust their plan.

Can you really afford to live without a plan? If you are living without a plan you are planning to fail. That is not wise.

Ask it - In light of my past experience, my current circumstance and my future hopes and dreams what is the wise thing for me to do?

When you ask that question they answer will never be live randomly.

January 23, 2015

"A  person's  days  are  determined;  you  have decreed the number of his months and have set the limits he cannot exceed." Job 14:5

If you were given something very valuable that you would only have one chance to possess, how would you treat that item?

Would you refuse it?

Would you take it and not use it?

Would you abuse it?

That is essentially the question we are considering this week and the valuable commodity is time. Your time is very precious. With each passing day it becomes more precious because you have less of it remaining! You have it in your hand for such a brief span and then it is gone forever and what you do with it matters!

In yesterday's post I considered the first of four observations on the important issues of time management.  Yesterday's important observation is "investing small amounts of time over time is cumulative".

Today's second observation is "neglecting to invest small amounts of time over time is also cumulative."

In other words, what you do with your time is vitally important and so is what you DON'T do with your time. Both decisions have consequences in time and in eternity.

I said yesterday that one incident of neglect has no apparent consequences and, by the same token, one investment has no immediate benefit. So, since it is easier to neglect than to invest the consequences of either are not immediately obvious you then to neglect rather than not. And by the time the consequences of your neglect become apparent it is too late to avoid the penalty of neglect.

For instance, missing one work out is really no big deal. But, because missing one is not big deal it becomes easier to miss  two, or three.

What happens when those few days become a few weeks and those turn into months?

The same goes for other important activities such as quiet time, time with spouse, time with kids, church or small group meetings.

Complicating this scenario is the fact that often when you chose not to do something productive with the time you end up doing something destructive with it.

If you would think back over what you did when you didn't do something productive you likely would not even remember what you did. That is how foolish neglect is. You traded something that would have helped over time for something that you don't even remember now.

So, while neglect is easy, neglect is also very costly.

If you think you can't afford the time to exercise, or to have your quiet time or worship regularly, wait until you discover how costly it was to neglect those things!

Is there something you have been neglecting that you are beginning to pay a price for?

Are there several things like that?

What will you do with the precious gift of time you hold in your hand right now?

January 22, 2015

"A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set the limits he cannot exceed."  Job 14:5

Over the next four posts I will share some practical observations regard the wise use of time.

The first observation I want to share is: investing small amounts of time over time has cumulative results.

Spending 30 minutes a day in physical exercise doesn't amount to much on that one day. Not even in two or three days will it seem to matter. But 30 minutes a day over a year, or two years or a lifetime, will make a remarkable difference.

If you skip one meal it won't matter much. But if you don't take time to eat over a period of weeks or months, it will create a serious problem. And over your life span you won't remember many meals you ate but you will remember you made time for meals.

In the same way, you won't remember many individual Sunday School lessons you learned or sermons you heard, but the cumulative effect of going to class and sitting in church over time will make a huge difference in your spiritual growth.

Some days your personal devotional time seems like a dud. You wonder why you took the time to do it. But taking that time day after day over time will prove to be time well spent.

I remember making time to spend with my kids when they were little. I don't remember many of the days individually but I know over the years it paid dividends.

Over the years of our marriage, Barbara and I have made time each week for a date might. While we enjoy each of them I don't remember many of them specifically but I know the cumulative effect has been significantly positive in our relationship.

Small amounts of time over time add up to big differences!

Where do you need to start making small deposits of time to invest in a better future?

January 21, 2015

"Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16

It is important to know what time it is but it is more important to know what to do with time. That is the essence of what Paul is telling the Christians at Ephesus.

Here he equates wisdom with the careful use of time and wasting time is unwise. Obviously, since time is what life is made of using time wisely makes a lot of sense. Who can afford to waste time?

Andy Stanley says, "You can overeat, overachieve, overspend but you can't over live."

Wise people, careful people, make "the most of every opportunity" . Or literally, they "redeem" and "max out" the time.

It takes careful and prayerful planning to "max out" each hour of each day.

A wise person once told me, "Brad, if you don't set your schedule other people will set it for you."

So, I set out to learn wise time-management skills.

One of the wisest time management tips I ever received was from Steven Covey's book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". In this book he talks about the difference between the important and the urgent when prioritizing time.

Important refers to anything related to your life purpose. Urgent refers to situations that are random and unexpected. Often, urgent situations arise out of your failure to plan wisely.

In order to know what is important you must understand your purpose and have well-defined goals. Otherwise, you will get distracted and derailed by the urgent. While it is possible something can be urgent and important, urgency is often the biggest challenge to the important.

As a Christ-follower, important would apply to spiritual truths that have eternal significance. Living out the Great Commandment is important. Carrying out the Great Commission is important. Ordering your daily schedule around those priorities is wise living. And when the random things happen you can evaluate if it is important or an interruption.

What time is it in your life?

Have you lived long enough to regret wasted time?

Is it time to live more wisely?

Do you know what on earth you're doing for Heaven's sake?

Does your daily schedule reflect that?

As you look over your to-do list for today, how many important things are on it? 

Are there more urgent things or important things?

January 20, 2015

"Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." Job 14:5

Job believed that every person has a life span determined by God.

You may believe that or you may not.

But one thing is undeniable, your lifespan is limited and it consists of seconds, and minutes and hours and days that turn into years. So, if your life matters to you then your time must matter to you as well.

That raises the question, what makes life matter?

You must figure that out and so must I.

As a person of faith and a follower of Christ, what matters to Him is what matters for me. What matters to Him is eternity and therefore using time to prepare for eternity is wise use of my time.

People matter to God because people last for eternity

Relationships matter to God because relationships are how people connect with Him and with each other.

My relationship with Him is what matters most, followed by my relationships with the wife and children He gave me.

As a Christian I have a sacred duty of ordering my time according to His priorities. I am obligated to be a wise steward of my time and must give an account to Him of how wisely I managed time after my time on earth has expired.

Every moment of life matters so make every moment matter in the way that honors God and fulfills His purpose for your life. When life matters you make time to do what matters most.

God has given you a new day. Will you make your time matter today?

January 19, 2015

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4

Once you decide that humility is important and once you commit to humbling yourself, how do you know if you have achieved it?

Humility is a bit like your shadow, others will see it when you may not.

Someone said, "Humility is a strange thing. The minute you think you've got, you've lost it!"

Another has said, "The ultimate test of humility is when you can say grace before you eat crow."

The purpose of this post this morning is to give you some questions by which to measure your attitude:

"Am I going to be about the team or am I going to make the team about me?"

Humility puts the interests of the team and the welfare of its teammates ahead of it's own needs. Is that you?

"Am I as happy over a teammate's success as I am my own?"

A humble attitude can celebrate the success of others as it would it's own. Are you able to do that?

"How well do I receive correction or instruction from the coach?"

The saying goes, "The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement." Anyone who cannot accept criticism, correction or instruction from the coach will not help his team. Are you willing to grow by receiving constructive criticism?

"Am I willing to to give up my rights and pick up my responsibilities?"

Humility does not demand its individual rights but is willing to serve were ever needed.

"Will I resist trying to control others and take control of my attitude?"

There is very little that you can control in life. The one thing you must control is your attitude. No one else can do it for you. You can do it for no one else. Will you take charge of your attitude?

"Do I see a team win and a personal win?"

John Maxwell once said, "Much can be accomplished when we don't worry about who gets the credit." Are you able to share the glory or allow another to receive it in order for the team to win?

Unity is a necessary attitude for a believer and a church. It allows God to move and accomplish His will. Humility is essential to preserve unity. Run your attitude past these questions and humbly see how you fare.

January 18, 2015

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

With respect to FDR, January 22, 1973 is "a day that will live in infamy." That is the day, 42 years ago, that the Supreme Court handed down their decision on Roe vs. Wade which legalized abortion. Therefore, this moral evil was sanctioned as the law of the land by judicial fiat and not through normal legal procedures. Abortion was made legal via the Court not by the Congress. One of the reasons this law has been so divisive and contentious is because it never got to be debate on the floor of the House or the Senate. It was never drafted into a bill and passed through the channels prescribed by the Constitution. This law that has cost the life of nearly 57,000,000 unborn Americans was decided by just 7 people! God have mercy on their souls.

I came to my first church in Princeton, Illinois on August 22, 1972, just five months to the day before this fateful and fatal decision. I opposed it then and I oppose it now. My primary reason for opposing it is not because it was implemented from the Bench. Although that does bother me. Nor is it because it is a bad ruling that ignores parts of the Constitution and distorts other parts. I oppose it because it is morally wrong. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that issues of birth, life, and death are under the jurisdiction of Almighty God. A nation who was founded on biblical Christian standards should have never been placed in the position of contradicting those principles. The Preamble of our Constitution guarantees the "right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness". What part of "right to life" do they not understand?

In addition to the nearly 57 millions of innocent Americans who never got to draw a breath or exercise their Constitutional right to "life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness", this misguided decision has seriously eroded the moral conscious of America. How long can we believe our own lie that unborn life is just an "un viable fetus"? Once we surrender to moral deception in one area, what prevents us from surrendering in another? For example, if we convince ourselves to believe that unborn life is not worth protecting, what will prevent us from deciding that other forms of life are not viable - such as physically deformed people, or elderly people or mentally challenged people? Where do we draw the line when we don't know where to draw the line? Who is safe and who is at risk in our culture? Who knows? Who decides?

Roe v. Wade is just another manifestation of the original sin - the lie that "you will be like God". Denying a clear and recognized right of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and to replace it with an arbitrarily manufactured right of "a woman to her own body". The desire to be "god over my own body" is motivated by this inner desire to whatever I want and not have consequences for it. It is a old as Lucifer and as unoriginal as Adam and Eve. Still, it is powerful and destructive. Witness the moral and social deterioration of our country since 1973.

Bad law, implemented in a bad way, for a bad reason and driven by a bad motive is doomed to end badly.

So, on this sad 42nd commemoration of Roe v. Wade, we pause to invoke God's mercy on our nation. We pray God's comfort on those millions of mothers who are haunted by guilt and regret. We mourn the 57 millions of innocent souls who never drew a breath and wonder if among them might have been the next great inventor, the next great author, the next great ambassador, or the next great scientist.

Only God knows. And fortunately, by His great mercy, all of them are in His tender care!