Time. Managed. Saved. Used.

Time is like money. We like to use it. We often waste it. And when we need it there is never enough.

If you actually follow my blog you will have noticed that I haven't posted in about a month. I have had severe writer's block, on top of computer problems, on top of the fact that I haven't had the time sit down, fix my computer and think about what to write....Or have I??

So yesterday I watched like 5 hours of tv. Time Management Fail. 

I have this bad habit of instead of saddling up and do when I need to do when I have a lot going on I just waste time and ignore all the things on my plate.

Ephesians 5:15-16 says, "Now walk circumspectly, not as fools but as the wise, redeeming the time, for the days are evil."  Other versions say, "Be careful how you walk". 

Wise men "redeem" or "buy back" time. Basically they don't let it go to waste, but get everything out if they can.  This doesn't mean we can't relax now and again, we just can't waste our time. We need to be productive. Sometimes it is most productive to sit and unwind. If we get so overwhelmed that we can't think or work then we are going to end up making mistakes. But, if we can do something, we need to do it. Fools waste time. Fools aren't careful how they walk. Fools don't understand that the days are evil.

They days are evil, not because they are innately of Satan, but because they are fleeting, and time has a way of working against us if we aren't redeeming it.

Prioritize.  I have been taught this my whole life. But, frankly, I'm not real good at it. I do things as they come to  me regardless on their lack of importance.

Use.  While TV isn't in and of itself evil. Watching 5 hours or more like me is a little excess. I wasn't even enjoying what was on! TV is a great way to unwind and chill out. But after yo"your show" goes off. Turn it off and get back to work. Or if you are a person who can have the TV on in the back ground and work at the time time, more power to you. I am not that person.

Manage. Along with priorities that thing that has helped me the most is keeping a list of everything i need to get done. I'm not a pro yet. But it helps.

The more you organize, manage and use time time to your advantage the more extra time you will find in your day. This is the end meaning of redeeming the time. There is always more if we invest in it. Use this extra time as your relaxation time. But even better, use it as a time to recharge spiritually. Use the extra time you have to pray and study the Bible. Use it to praise God. Express yourself in whatever means he has blessed you with. Breath....but all in good time.

Forgiving Yourself?

This is a topic pretty close to my heart for a number of reasons.  The problem is, the Bible never really address this issue specifically.  I have a philosophy about emotions.  Emotions are good; God has given them to us to help express our love to Him, to keep ourselves in perspective, and to get our attention sometimes.  Guilt is one of those good emotions.  In an ideal world no one would feel guilt, because no one would sin or do anything to feel guilty for.  However, as it stands, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Guilt helps us realize our faults, and gives us the motivation we need to come to God for salvation. The Bible does, however, talk a great deal about God's forgiveness of of us.  In particular a verse I want to point out is Jerimiah 31:34.  The last phrase of the verse says, "For I will forgive them of their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."  If we seek God, submit to His will, He will forgive us.  But He also forgets the sin. This is a cool concept that I have trouble wrapping my own mind around.  We as humans, we remember things. But God in all His power and glory has the power to make Himself forget, or at least to not bring it to rememberance. What happens when we hold on to what God lets go? We feel helpless.  If we won't accept that God has forgiven us, the we begin to feel like we have sinned so much or so badly that we have fallen to far for God to love us.  Paul recognized this fact, and several times talked about the fogiveness that God had given him.  He wrote to Timothy in 1 Tim 1:15-16, "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to saver sinners of which I am foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ might disply His perfect patience as an example for those who were to believe in Him for eternal life."  Paul accepted his salvation, but also kept his sins in remembace, not to wallow in self pity, but as a reminder to him of God's great love!  Self pity is the Devil's decptive counterpart to guilt.  We have a hold guilt, that brings us to God, but if we do nothing with that guilt and begin to wallow in it, it turns into self pity.  Through self pity we lose confidence in God  and our ability to come to Him.  So come to the Lord.  Accept your salvation.  And use your mistakes to guide others.

Your Soul is NOT a Used Car....

Hey guys, it has been ages since I posted on here. I'm still trying to make it a habit. But here is a good thought for the day...or life, whatever.  I don't know why I thought of this one morning last week. But your soul is not a used car.  Have you ever bought a used car? The guy asks a certain price; say 5K. You decide you want that car. So you offer the guy $3500.  He says, "Um...How about $4500?" Then you finally agree to $4000.
   God has told us the price of our salvation. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."  We can't just offer God lip service and act like that should be enough to cover it. We have to give him his asking price. No less. Jesus says again in Mark 8:34-35, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."  We have to deny ourselves. That's heavy. But it is necessary.  Paul says in Romans 12:1, "I appeal to you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, to present bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."  A living sacrifice. What does that mean? To deny ourselves. To do the will of the Father. To serve others.  That is the asking price for our souls.  And we must pay it all, or we get nothing. We can't bargain hunt with the Lord.

A Word on Worth

"When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
     The moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
 What is man that You are mindful of him,
     The son of man that You care for him?"  (Psalm 8:3-4)

    Psalm 8 is one of my favorite passages!  It decribes how awesome and powerful our Lord is; but even greater, it describes His love and His regard for us!!  I think we have all been where David was at some point in our lives. "What is man that you are mindful of him?"  More specifically: "Who am I that You love me?"  We see God, we recognize His greatness, and somewhere in there we lose sight of our value.  I don't mean to say that we have value because of our merit, or because we are so good.  I mean to say that God has given us value! 
   Get a load of Genesis 1:26-27! "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.  And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over all the livestock, and over all the earth and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.  So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female He created them."  We have been A) made in God's image, and B) given dominion over all the earth.  How cool is that???  Picture this: God picks up a handful of dirt, forms is into a person, and then sees fit to give that clay figure, not only life, but a spirit that God wants eternal fellowship with! 
    Paul wrote a powerful message to Titus.  Titus 2:11-14 says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from lawlessness and to purity for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works."  The particular thing I want to pull from this passage is the word REDEEM.  What does REDEEM mean? It means to buy back. How did He buy us back? By giving His life for us.  His blood was the currency of that spiritual transaction.  We are worth something to God if He is willing to die for us.
   To say you aren't worth forgiveness (or anything to that effect) is to call God either a liar or stupid.  And I thing we would all agree that neither of these are the case.  You are worth it! Because God made you worth it!

Make it a great day!!

Make it a Great Day!

Good Morning!
  Last night I was calling people about jobs for this summer, and as usual I got several voice mails.  But one in particular caught my interest.  At the end of his "leave a message" message, he ended it with "Make it a great day!" Normally you hear, "Have a great day!" If you are like me, when you hear someone say, "Have a great day," you just smile and say it back to them.  Does that really mean anything?  "Have a great day" sounds so passive, there is nothing you can do about it, you get it or you don't.  But "Make it a great day,"...that is active.  You have control over your day.  You make it good or bad.  Sure, things are going to happen to you, and you have no controll over some of them.  Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  There is a choice in that.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Paul says in Philippians 4:4  "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice!"  Even when bad things happen, we can rejoice in the fact that God is on our side. We have salvation in Him; among several other blessings.  "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) "I can do all things through Christ who strngthens me." (Philippians 4:13) God has blessed us all.  Keep this in mind, and make it a great day!

Word of the Year

Ok, so this isn't my idea. I was listening to K-Love radio today and they were talking about this.  It similar to a new year reselution, but a lot more life encompassing.  Pick one word that you want to shape your life this year. The word I picked is "opportunity".  I have a tendancy sometimes to just let opportunities pass me by.  I want to sieze them! If I see an opportunity for evangelism, I want to take it. If I see a chance for a relatioship or new friendship, I do not want to let it pass by without me giving it a chance. I want to seize, not just the day, but the moment. I firmly believe God puts things in our lives for a reason.  But the problem is, He can put as much as he wants in our lives, but it does us no good if we don't meet Him part way, take some initiative, and take hold of the chance He has given us. Even if...no. Especially if that opportunity takes me outside my comfort zone. That is how we learn and grow.  It is an old economic principle that the high risk can result in high reward. It can also lead to high loss, and this is where many of us get scared...or at least I do.  Apply this principle to your life. If you step out on a limb, you may accomplish the greatest thing you have ever done, or you could fall, possibly make a fool of yourself, and hurt your pride. But when its all said and done, that is really all that is hurt. Our PRIDE! We will live to see another day. We still have God on our side.  If He is with us who can stand against us and who shall we fear? Right? If we humble ourselves, not beat ourselves up for maing a mistake then we grow from our past failures. And we shine brighter for them.
      That is the reason for my word.  "Opportunity."  But you pick a word that works for you! What are you trying to change in your life? Do you want to be CLOSER to God, family, and friends?   How about showing AMAZEMENT; both in how you see God and how others see God in you? Just some food for thought.

Getting Started

Well, it is official, I have joined the blogging universe.  I feel like God has taught me so much over the past few years, and I want to be able to share my growth with all of my friends. I have things happen to me on an almost daily basis where I see God is showing me something new about His glory.  I also tend to have encouraging thoughts run through my head from time to time.  This is where I want to put all of those things. And I hope that you can be encouraged and use these little messages to focus more on the Lord. Here is praying that this goes well.