Time is Most Valuable.

I’ve been financially broke before. I’ve spent all my money but then had the opportunity to go make some more. I’ve also spent my time unwisely. But I could not get that time back. Time is important. You only have so much of it. The Apostle Paul knew that and said in Ephesians 5, “…be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity…Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

I find more and more, I do not have much margin in my life. I pack so much into every day, that there are times I never really sit down. I don’t want to miss anything so I really schedule the day, hoping to grind as much out of the day as possible. We have become an overloaded people. It seems to be the disease of our time.

But God didn’t create us to be stressed out, burned out and spent. We are limited creatures and when we understand that, we may find healthier ways to live into the life God has given us. Our time on earth is so valuable. The writer says in Psalms 39, “Remind me Lord that my life is a breath compared to you.” So because God has created us to live into His story, there are some important things to remember as we move into summer and beyond.

First, make God THE priority in your schedule. God wants to be more than part of your life—He wants to be your life. Jesus understood that and lived that everyday. During Jesus’ ministry, he was surrounded by turmoil, stress and anxious personalities but he was never spent. How did he do that? Mark 1:35 reveals it. At the front end of the day, Jesus spent time alone with God his Father. You and I would do well to follow his lead.

I mean, like Jesus, every single day, you have people coming to you. Whether you are a mom, dad, business leader or friend, there are people coming to you every day, just like folks come to Jesus for help. So, to gain wisdom and a quiet heart, find God at the front end of your day to ask for help and discernment during your day.

Also, learn to say “no” so you can say “yes” to the things that actually matter. We look at each other’s social media feeds and desire to do what everyone else is doing so we add that onto what we are already doing which leads to a massively packed day. Look, if you don’t align your spending with the money you are bringing in, you could end up broke. But if you don’t realign your time to what’s manageable, you will be broken.

Paul knew that in 1 Corinthians 10 when he said, “You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.” So learn to say “no”. It’s okay to create some boundaries for healthy living.

Finally, get the proper context for your life. We think we have more time than we actually do. Moses knew something about time. He wrote about it in Psalms 90 when he says about God, “From everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” God owns everything, including time. And somewhere between our birthday and our death-day, we are living out our dash…our life.

So the call is to use time wisely. Every day, discover how you are intersecting in the story of God. Learn what it means to create margin in your life to connect with God. This summer, the Holy Spirit has an incredible story for you. Live in such a way that you don’t miss your connection with God. Blessings on the journey.

I'm worn out.

How are you doing? Feeling worn out? tired? Exhausted? Well, you are not the only one. COVID-19 has done a number on most of us but my guess is, if we were honest, we were tired already. We all push the envelope and burn the candle at both ends. We are a people who squeeze as much as possible out of every single day. While that seems to be an American value, is it a value that we need to consider spiritually?

Studies show that when we are tired, we become very vulnerable to other emotions. We open the door to things like depression, anxiety, and irritability. Being worn out is a gateway to other things.

But David reminds us how we should be living: with a rhythm of rest. The most beloved Psalm of all time is Psalms 23. David acknowledges the Lord is his shepherd. That word in Hebrew language really means “shepherd-companion”. It’s the idea that the Lord is David’s personal shepherd. God sees David not as a sheep in a big flock of sheep but knows him by name and knows exactly what he needs. It’s in God that David finds rest.

We are all looking for that kind of rest and a non-anxious spirit. If you go back to Genesis 1, you’ll read the creation story. Genesis 1 has a rhythm to it…a poetry. There’s a beat. When you get to Genesis 2:3, you discover part of that rhythm is rest. “God rested after all he created”.

Then in Exodus, God commanded his creation to incorporate the rhythm of rest in their daily lives. Each day, they are to stop during meals and in the morning and at night to pray and rest in all God had created for them. At the end of the week, they called Saturday the Sabbath and on that day, all day long, they rested and did not work. Throughout the year, God’s people had celebrations and feasts to stop, rest, and celebrate all God had done for them.

In our post-modern age, we have become people without rhythm living in a world without rhythm. We say rest sounds good and appropriate but my calendar, my voice, my life says differently. So, we go, go, go thinking we accomplish more by ignoring the rhythm of rest that should be in our life. However, when we take the time to incorporate that rest in our lives, it renews us spiritually, resets us emotionally, and restores us relationally. Living with a rhythm of rest demonstrates our faith is real.

With David in Psalms 23, we can say “we lack nothing” because we know He ultimately provides. Rest is not a time to do but a time to be. David reminds us to create margin in our lives…to intentionally receive things from God. So let me encourage you to do some things this week to create margin to hear God’s voice.

Get off your phone for 30 minutes a day. Put it away where you can’t hear the dings and rings. Get off social media for two hours a day. Allow time you usually spend “scrolling” to connect with God. Stop watching the news. Some of us leave our TV on all day to get the latest. Sure. Watch your 30 minute newscast but that’s it. And finally, go to bed at a reasonable hour. With us not going in to work and not going to school, it’s easy to rationalize staying up to all hours of the night. Get your 7-8 hours of good rest.

In Mark 1, Jesus set the example for us. The town brings out their sick and Jesus heals them all. He’s preaching and teaching. But in verse 35, it says that Jesus got up early in the morning, went to an isolated place and prayed to God. He simply rested in his Father. If Jesus needed that, my guess is we do as well.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me and I’ll give you rest.” So, go to Jesus. Get some rest. Lay your burdens at his feet. Blessings on your journey.