Ephesians 5:15-17, “So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. 16 Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. 17 So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do.”
Do you hear the clock ticking? Time keeps moving on. It never stops for anyone- no matter how important you are.
I'm in my 40s, my youngest is already 20 and I've been married for over 25 years. There are moments when I just shake my head and wonder, where has the time gone. There's so much truth behind the saying, you blink, and years have gone by.
Sure, I can look back at pictures, watch videos, look over the years of collected things around my house but it doesn't feel like it's been all these years. Oh, if I truly could put ‘time in a bottle’, like Jim Croce sang.
Let's also not forget the idea that we never have enough time in a day to get everything done we need to.
Not long ago I was talking with my hubby about some upcoming plans and ideas as summer draws closer. I then began to get lost in my thoughts. It hit me that time also flies by because we often forget to live in the moment. We are always busy planning ahead, looking at potential future dates to do things and then get lost in our thoughts of what is to come. Maybe we all need to take time to slow down and enjoy the day we're in.
But as time has gone by, I have found a few ways we can use our time, finding time for all we want to fit in life.
First - Take time for God: The more time you spend with someone, the more you get to know them, right? The more you know someone, the more you love them. Even with your friends there is a level of love. Well, Jesus lives in your heart, right? He wants a relationship with you, and I assume you want to be with Him. That requires spending regular time with Him and studying His Word.
Even if the Bible doesn't command us to spend time daily, we should learn from Jesus’ example- Luke 5:16, “but Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray.” Jesus spent time with God, not because He had to, it was so He could stay in tune with God and stay aligned to His will in a chaotic world. If Jesus, God's son, needed time with his Father, shouldn't that mean it's even more important for us to spend time with God? When we spend time with God, our love and trust in Him grows and we are filled with strength in our weaknesses.
Secondly - Take time for prayer: I find myself talking a lot about prayer in many ways. Mostly because it's our primary way to talk with God. This is our Savior, who is in all reality, in control of our lives. Why wouldn't you talk to Him, thank Him, ask questions. It would be silly not to communicate with the person who created you, leads you, and keeps you through life.
So, here's a simple ‘time well spent’ list of ways to broaden your prayer time.
1. Ask God for the desire to have regular time with Him and get to know Him better.
2. Find a quiet place that's good for you where you can be alone, away from distractions. You must be willing to set aside the worldly things to truly commune with God.
3. Pick a time of day that fits your schedule. Before the household wakes up, after the household has gone to bed, nap times, break times. Find a time you can be alone with God.
4. Pick a plan-
-Find a devotional book to read that helps get the spiritual juices flowing.
-Pour your heart out to God. Share what's in your heart. Thank God, confess to God, look for guidance. Share your feelings, good or bad. Let God know what you're going through. He can handle it.
-Lastly, don't forget to listen. Meaningful relationships require both talking and listening. After you share, be still and be quiet, giving God time to speak to you.
Take time for each other: Everyone needs someone. Our pets can only fill us so much. As a body of believers, it's great to spend time with each other. Others can give you comfort, encouragement, lift our spirits, provide laughs, and we can all gain spiritual strength from each other. With Christ-centered friends at church or in your circle we can always have a team praying for us as we pray for them. Especially during tough times or even a health crisis. Knowing they are facing many of the same trials from satan and share the same love of Jesus, we can be blessed.
A great way, along with going to church, is to find a close-knit circle of friends. You don't have to have the entire football team in your circle but even a small group can be fruitful in your life. People who share your beliefs, people you have common interests with, likes and dislikes. Taking time with them will only bless your life even more. Even Jesus had his close-knit friends with His disciples.
Lastly - Take time with family: The clock keeps moving forward and yes, in the blink of an eye, kids are adults, parents grow older and pass away, and you grow older. The memories made are the times treasured. No child has ever said, ‘I wish my parents never spent time with me.’ My husband works nights and has been for most of our children's childhoods, but none of them can say, ‘Dad never spent time with us.’ We both made a point to be active parents and do a lot of fun things with our kids even if it was just visits to the park. These times are what we all treasure now. Even now our grown children like to come over and spend weekends with us, either going outside to play or playing inside. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Take time for your loved ones regularly, even if it's only a phone call.
The key is making the most of our time, both spiritually and physically. Where are your priorities? Where can you better manage your time and maybe not waste so much time in or on. To live a successful life, effective time management is important.
So, let's get with it before time runs out!
Hopefully you are doing great and finding time to spend with family, friends, and most of all God. We have begun a new Bible study that will take us through some people in the Bible as we learn to walk with God in our lives as they did. Our last study took us on a journey with Noah and today we are going to walk with Abraham as we learn to walk in faith. Each study is about 4 pages with scripture throughout the Bible and the story of Abraham that can help us learn to walk in faith and what it means to walk in faith. I hope you have a great week and the Lord fills you with many blessings.
Study 2, Walking in Faith- https://www.docdroid.net/orJIPyl/week-2-docx
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