Category Archives: Our relationship with God

Time squandered can’t be regained

time

© 2018 Dreamstime Stock Images

Time is a funny thing. We spend so much of it making plans for the future and thinking about the things we wish we had done differently. We often forget that time squandered can’t ever be regained. Once it is gone, whether for good or bad, it is gone. As I share with you today, it is obvious that for much of 2018, I’ve wasted time. As a result, there are many things I haven’t kept up with in my life. I have a history class I want to revise. I’ve not been keeping up with my exercise and diet the way that I should. And I’ve not been as faithful in my personal Bible study as I should have been.

Things that squander our time

We all have things which takes up more of our time than they probably should. For me, it is easy to become focused health issues, work, family commitments, and even things I regret in my past. Each one of these things is enough to derail my best of intentions each day. A while back ago, when I was teaching a pre-teen Sunday school class, we discussed the things which can rob us of time. For a few, it was Facebook and other social media platforms. For others, it was video games and on-line gaming.No one is exempt for the very real spiritual battle of how we manage our life.

Our emotional state plays a role

A study of David’s life shows the power of emotions in our life. Whether it is our service to the Lord or our relationships with other believers, our emotions impact us. At times, when David was happy and full of life, his life reflected a wish to do all he could for the Lord. His faith wasn’t a chore or something he dreaded, but a part of himself he freely gave to God. But then there were the other times. And we’ve all experienced them. Our faith is challenged or we have failed Him. Guilt and depression begin to pull at our very soul. David captured this feeling when he wrote, How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? (Psalm 13:2).

But David doesn’t stop there. He doesn’t allow his emotional state of being interfere with his faith in the Lord. He writes, But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me (Psalm 13:5-6). This is often easier said than done especially if you struggle with depression. I often have to remind myself of the sovereignty of the Lord in every situation I face. And I understand it is difficult to praise and give thanks to the Lord when everything around you seems to be crashing down. It comes down to this: we either believe God will or we believe God can’t.

Attitude affects how we use our time

Our emotions have an impact on our attitude. Whether it is worshiping the Lord or even preparing dinner for the family, our attitude plays an important role. When we feel loved and valued by our family we have a tendency to focus on others more. For me, that involves cooking their favorite meals and helping with the household chores. Attitude is a mental position with regard to a fact or state; a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state.1

When we feel angry, bitter, or even depressed, our attitude will shift. Things that need to be done will often find a back seat as we seek emotional comfort. For me, that could be binge watching a television show on Netflix, eating junk food, or even binge-playing my favorite PC-based game. In a book written by Dr. Stephen Thurston Jr., Attitude – The Paint Brush of the Mind, the connection between our attitudes and how we approach the Lord and others around us is discussed. But as I read the book I began to understand my attitude was also affecting how I used my time.

Our attitude is a driving force each day

Since January of this year, there has been a struggle each day to stay focused on what needed to be done. At the heart of the struggle was my attitude. Unlike David who turned his entire heart over to the Lord, I allowed myself to become consumed by what I was feeling. Soon, things I normally did, such as daily Bible study and my daily prayer time began to suffer. My attitude, which was one of defeat and uselessness, was impacting every thing I did every day. Not only did it strain my relationship with the Lord, but it also affected relationships within my family, church, and even at work.

It also affected the ministry which the Lord called me into service. As you may have noticed, it has been a while since my last entry. The gifts and talents the Lord gave me went unused. Small things I do for the local church I attend, such as the monthly newsletter, the prayer list, and even preparation of the weekly Bible lesson I teach on Thursday were no longer fun. Therefore, they began to become things I did which were expected and not things I enjoyed doing. My attitude had caused me to lose my focus. I began focusing on other things trying to fill the void now created by my attitude. My attitude allowed me to waste time and to make excuses for it.

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Fireworks aren’t needed to serve the Lord

fireworks

© 2007 Michelle Simmons

Fireworks. In the tri-state area where my family and I call home, there are times it seems there is no reason needed for folks to shoot off fireworks. Tonight happens to be New Year’s Eve and the last day of 2017. Already around the world, scores of people are celebrating the beginning of a new year. Each nationality has a different way of celebrating the arrival of the new year. Within the United States, we gather with family and friends and share a meal. And during that meal, many will discuss their resolutions — the plans they have to live the new year differently than the last.

Fireworks? Are they necessary?

The short answer is no, they are not necessary. But just as with anything else, we can find a philosophical application that will explain them. Fireworks have, since the ancient days in China, been used in war and celebration. In war, the ancient Chinese would use them to scare their enemies. But in celebration they were used to mark a definitive moment in history. Tonight, around the world, as midnight ushers in 2018, the world celebrates, with fireworks, the end of the old year and the beginning of a new year with all the promises it will be better than the last.

Fireworks aren’t needed in our faith

Tomorrow many of us will set out with the intentions of doing things differently this year. While in graduate school, one of my neighbors would observe the arrival of the new year by shouting out into the apartment complex courtyard. He would shout out what his resolutions were. A few of those resolutions were about his faith. The Lord doesn’t want us to use verbal fireworks to announce our intentions. In fact, the Lord doesn’t want us to do anything beyond what the Bible teaches.

The apostle James wrote, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (James 1:22-25). The Lord intends us not to just talk about our faith; He wants us to be active participants in it!

Fireworks can be a distraction

Within the gospel of Luke, Jesus tells about two men praying in the temple. Jesus taught, Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:10-13). The pharisee was distracted by his own fireworks to the extent he couldn’t see the condition of his heart.

He was so busy proclaiming his spirituality that he could not see the real condition of his heart. He couldn’t see beyond the loud booms and bright flashes of light of his own proclamation to see the sincerity of the publican’s prayer. The publican wasn’t praying so that everyone can hear. He wasn’t telling the Lord what he planned to do. He was simply seeking the Lord in a heartfelt and sincere prayer.

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And then there are the hard days…

hard daysHard days happen to everyone. It is easy to remember that when you’re comforting someone you know who is having one of those days. It is easy to forget others have hard days when you’re having one of your own.  To be honest, it is a struggle for me some days to just keep functioning. And right now, I am having one of those hard days.

Words of comfort from the Bible

This morning, as things seemed to go from bad to worse, I had to force myself to do my daily Bible reading. In fact, since Saturday morning, I’ve had a verse that’s kept running in my mind: My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart (Job 17:11). When I first began this blog above all else, I wanted to share my triumphs with my failures. Too many Christian blogs give the appearance that Christians are never supposed to have hard days. In complete honesty, I’ve never found that promise in the Bible – and I’ve looked hard for it.

I am in a period of “hard days”

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (Psalms 34:18).

As I mentioned above, this morning was a fight to spend time in the Bible. But out of determination to keep my promise to the Lord, I did my reading anyway. I began my normal reading in Proverbs, but it was when I began to read the rest, a recurring theme appeared. God knows the reason of my broken heart. God also has a plan and even though I cannot see what that plan is, it is one that is best for me. But at times we all have days where knowing still does not ease the pain within my heart. And today is one of those hard days.

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken (Proverbs 15:13).

This verse simply states what we have all observed. When someone is truly happy, everything is impacted by that great joy. That joy becomes clear in everything they do. When someone has a heart that’s so heavy it breaks their spirit, they are almost inconsolable. When someone is that down and that broken, it’s often hard for their mind to make any sense of what is really happening around them. Right now, this is where I am. Not a lot makes sense right now.

What David said when he had  “those days”…

There are eight verses in Psalms that can be applied to “those days”. David, the Psalmist, calls them “days of trouble.” Eight is significant in the Bible because it symbolizes a new beginning. [1] It’s comforting to know that once these days of trouble are over, there’s a new beginning. A ninth verse, found in one of the minor prophets, states: The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him (Nahum 1:7). And yes, the number nine also has a significant meaning. It often refers to the fruits of the spirit or divine completeness from the Lord. [2]

There are times when we are going through “those days” where we do not want to hear the platitudes of others. I’ve heard so many “it’s going to be ok” and “you’ll come through this…” Right now, I do not want to hear those things any more. David understood those moments: In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted (Proverbs 77:2). David needed to hear from the Lord. I understand David’s mindset. I needed to hear from the Lord.

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