Not enough time in your day? Join the club. Time has become our most precious commodity and it usually goes to the highest bidder.

Did you know that in 1965 experts predicted that withing 20 years we would be working 22-hour weeks and retire by the age of 40? They predicted this believing that computers would make everything so much easier and streamlined. Well, it’s the 21-st century – computers are doing their thing, we’re constantly connected to work by email, smartphones, and home offices. Since 1965, our leisure time has actually decreased by 37% and the average work week has increased to 47 hours. (And some of us wish our week was as short as 47 hours)

What did the experts overlook in 1965? Our appetite! The more we have, the more we want; and the more we want, the more we will sacrifice to get it. Family time,God time, church time, vacation time, prayer time, relaxing time. We’ve become machines with one goal – get more.

To build a relationship with God, we must “add on a small room upstairs.” (2 Kings 4:10) – “Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” Then, we can have a place to meet God every day. But we can’t make unrealistic expectations like “I’m going to start getting up at 4:30 and pray for an hour.” More than likely, by the third day we’re exhausted.

Carve out tome time that will allow you to continue meeting with God. A relationship must be worked on every day. Start each day with a prayer, then punctuate it with a praise. Find something you are thankful for and let God know.

If we have time for coffee breaks, there is surely time for a prayer break. We just need to want God as much as we want a caffeine boost!

Psalm 119:164
“Seven times each day I stop and shout praises
for the way you keep everything running right.”

If you weren’t afraid of failing, what would you attempt today?

In Matthew 25:14-30, a wealthy businessman entrusted his entire estate to 3 key workers. He gave the first worker 5 talents, the second worker 2 talents, and the third worker 1 talent.

A talent is believed to be worth about 1 year’s salary. Knowing that helps us understand exactly how marvelous of an opportunity this was for the workers. It was a defining moment in their lives that gave them the chance to:
1. test their skills
2. practice good judgement
3. profit from their investment

Two of the workers accomplished all three of these things, but the third was afraid of failing his master. In his fear, he decided t play it safe and bury the money he was given. Playing it safe got him called wicked and lazy. (Matthew 25:26)

Fear of failure always makes us play it safe. Without the courage to start, we are already finished. Everyone will either overcome their fears or give into them.

Refuse to let fear stop you from making God a return on His investment. His investment is YOU. How we use the gifts that Go has given us is a matter of utmost importance. We all could use a little reckless faith.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”

John 15:9-15
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

True love requires sacrifice. It’s true. To truly give of your love, you must be willing to sacrifice for it. According to the dictionary, the word sacrifice means “destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else”. In Other words, to give up something.

Sacrifice, that’s kind of a hard word for most of us. Really, it’s a word we don’t like to use all that often. We don’t want to sacrifice much, not money, not time, not our possessions, and not our lives. To truly understand what sacrifice is, and what it would look like in our lives, we have to consider what God sacrificed for us. Stop and think for a moment. Stop and just thank Jesus for being the ultimate sacrifice for us. Without Christ, we are nothing (John 15:6). He paid it all so we could be free. Take time right now to praise and worship Him for His most excellent sacrifice.

One of my favorite songs from Third Day is Offering. Here are a couple lyrics that penetrate my heart:

“Who am I that You should suffer
Your very life to set me free
The only thing that I can give You
Is the life You gave to me

This is my offering, dear Lord
This is my offering to You, God
And I will give You my life
For it’s all I have to give
Because You gave Your life for me”

Have you sacrificed your life and they way the world tells you to live? Have you declared to God that you will live your life in obedience to Him who died for you?

Related Text:
2 Corinthians 5:15
“And Jesus died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Are you going through a dry spell?  Are you busy encouraging others, while your own life seems to be falling apart?  Maybe work or school has got you down, or maybe you’re facing some unexpected health concerns or family problems.

This is what happened to Elijah; the man who earlier called down fire from heaven suddenly found himself in the middle of a full-blown famine.  So what did he do?  He prayed. (1 Kings 18:42)

Elijah chose to:
1.  isolate himself for a while, shutting out his surroundings and distractions
2.  focus only on what God was saying
3.  keep praying

And when he did, the Bible says that he said, “I hear it coming.”  What Elijah sensed inside was completely contrary to what was happening outside.  His spirit sensed the rain before a single drop fell from the sky.

God speaks to our spirit, not our flesh. and what He says there is more real than anything around us.

When you know that God has promised you a certain thing, you must tune out all the negativity around you, reject your doubts and keep believing in God.

Related Text:
Hebrews 12:1-3

Frank Sinatra sang, “The record shows, I took the blows and did it my way.”  Sometimes God will let us do things our way, and then let us deal with the consequences.  When we insist on having or getting or doing something that He in His wisdom has withheld from us, it’s like God says “Okay, I warned you, but have it your way.”

The Bible says that because the Children of Israel:
1.  ”forgot His works,
2.  did not wait for His counsel,
3.  lusted exceedingly,
4.  tested God . . .

He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul” (Psalm 106:13-15).

That is the formula for spiritual barrenness.

When God called Moses to deliver the children of Israel, Moses tried to do it his way at first.  He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, but instead of consulting God, he took matters into his own hands by killing the Egyptian abuser.  Before he did, the Bible tells us that he “looked this way and then that . . . ” (Exodus 2:12) – but he never looked to God.  He was more concerned about audience response than God response.

God had to teach Moses that his orders came from God.  After Moses dug a hole and tried to hide his deed, God allowed it to be exposed.  Why?  To show Moses that by doing things his own way, he couldn’t even keep a single soldier buried in the sand.

The subject of following God’s will and plans for your life is a slippery slope.  How do you know, and how can you be certain.  This is not something I (or anyone else besides God) can tell you.  This information must come from God, and it becomes known when you are abiding in God’s word and maintaining a close relationship with the One who loves you so much.  Make up your mind to live your life God’s way.  We an’t just pretend to be Christians.  We must be obedient to God, we must read the Bible and actually live out what it says.

Related Text:
James 1:19-25

Knowing when to say “when” can save your life. Self-deceit is the hallmark of a person experiencing “The Martyr Syndrome.” This is a person who believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have to be involved in everything at their church and serve in every capacity. This just cannot be done, eventually you will succumb to stress and resentment.

If you’re going to survive, you’ve got to discover your own pace – not be driven by what people may or may not expect of you. Look out! Fatigue is dangerous; when it walks in, faith walks out. Furthermore, when we’ve burned out, we’re attacked by old enemies we’ve already conquered.

The person who is experiencing “The Martyr Syndrome” more often than not begins to forget why they are serving in the first place. They forget that Jesus is their focal point, and they get wrapped up in the “job” instead of being wrapped up in the one who died for them.

Step back, take a look at why you do what you do, and ask God to help you decide how to make the best impact for Him. Sometimes, doing more doesn’t do any good.

Nurtured and rested people are much more effective in every area. Their relationships with God are stronger; their families are happier; their health is better; they live longer than the martyrs. Why? Because they’ve truly found the place of rest.

Related Text:
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We can see further than we can go because we are finite person working with an infinite God. Because His Spirit resides in each of us that belong to Him, there is more potential inside us that we have the life-span to realize. When we lay down our heads for the last time, we will still be dreaming dreams that we have never personally fulfilled.

So, does that mean we are failures? No!! There are things that we were meant to only begin or continue. Like an athlete handing the baton to the next runner, we can tell our successors to continue in the work of Jesus.

Like Moses, we stand atop the mountain we see the land we may never personally enter, for our vision will always show us more road than we can travel in a lifetime. Because of this, it is so important for us to communicate and be in relationships with other Christians. We cannot live this life alone, we need help. We are supposed to be a community of believers.

Here are four ways to come to God’s Word with open eyes.

1.  Come Humbly:  ”Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2)  What’s more helpless than a baby?  What’s more needy, or dependent?  That’s how we should approach the Bible, like babies going after a bottle.  Forget asking if you’ve read your Bible today . .  ask how much you’ve been in it?  How many times have you turned to God’s words to sustain you today?  To give you answers you needed?  To give you hope and joy?  How many times have you recalled memorized scripture from days gone by?  Crave God’s word as a baby craves life-giving milk.

2.  Come Hungry:  ”For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”  (Psalm 107:9)  What we hunger for determines what satisfies our hunger.  Accept no substitutions!  Refused to be satisfied with the junk food of television, movies, music, and consuming when you can sit at God’s table with the One who loves you so much.

3.  Come Persistently:  Ask more from each verse.  Paul speaks of the manifold wisdom of God” in Ephesians 3:10.  The word manifold means that each verse is like a diamond – every angle brings us another beam of light.  Martin Luther said, “Study your bible like you pick apples.  First, shake the tree, then shake the limbs, then shake the branches, then shake the twigs, then look under every leaf.  Don’t just read passages that are familiar and comfortable to you.  Dive into God’s word and soak it all up.

4.  Come Openly:  Don’t read the Bible to try and pinpoint what’s wrong with your neighbor.  Personalize what you read.  Ask God to help you understand and apply His truths to your life.  Don’t just read it and change nothing, allow God to change whatever needs it.

Come with open eyes and an open heart and experience God’s living Word!

Related Text:
Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Testing is a part of life.  We are tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible situations, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, and seemingly senseless tragedies.

When we understand that there are things we go through in our lives which God uses to mold us and strengthen us and teach us, then we must realize that nothing is insignificant.  Every day is an important day, and every second can be a growth opportunity that deepens our character, demonstrates our love, and makes us depend more on God.

Do you feel like you’re in a time of testing?  Do you feel like your being stretched way to far beyond what you think you can handle?  If so, take strength from the promise that God never allows the tests we face to be greater than the grace He provides.  ”He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you strength to endure it.”  (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Every time we pass a test, every time we endure under harsh circumstances, God takes notice and blesses us.  (James 1:12 – top of this study)  When I was little, I always thought of God’s blessings as presents.  And as a little boy, I always wanted toys (the fun, instant gratification blessings) instead of clothes (the practical blessings that I need, even if I’m too immature to know it) .  As I grew physically and spiritually, I still found myself thinking of (and sometimes expecting) blessings to be “toys”.  As we grow in Christ, and as  God transforms our lives and our minds, we come to understand that God’s blessings take all forms.

As painful as it may be, we must persevere with strength from God, and we will be blessed.

Related Text:
Romans 5:1-5
Hebrews 12:1-3

God’s Word tells us to be prepared to Share Christ (1 Peter 3:15).  Witnessing to others about Jesus Christ requires wisdom, especially in three areas:

1.  Don’t assume that people understand the Gospel because you were raised in a church, and don’t think that they will catch your faith through osmosis just because you are around them.  Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”  Share your testimony – the short version.  Forget the good advice and focus on sharing the Good News of God’s love.

2.  Be patient – sometimes you have to sow the seed and leave the rest to the Lord of the harvest.  Don’t try to corner them into a decision.  Don’t become frustrated and angry because there is no instant belief.  Share the Word, leave the door open, and trust in the One who said, “I am watching over My word to perform it.”  (Jeremiah 1:12)

3.  Be alert to opportunities that God places before you – and don’t be afraid of them.  Some people call them divine appointments, God meetings, or holy coincidences.  Whatever term you have heard most often, the fact remains that, as Christians, God uses us in the lives of others.  God’s strength and power and joy should enable us to meet the opportunities head on and do the will of our Heavenly Father.  If we cower away, we will never know how God wanted to use us.  R.A. Torrey tells of an experience that totally changed his attitude toward witnessing.  While he was eating at a restaurant with some friends, he felt that he should talk to the waiter who seemed to look very depressed.  But he shrugged the feeling off, and never said a word.  At the end of the meal, when the waiter didn’t return, he asked another employee about his whereabouts.  The manager came to their table and said, “We just found him dead in the back of the restaurant.  He has hanged himself.”

When God leads you to speak to someone about His Son, get on the ball and do it!

Related Text:
James 1:5-8