Dear Brethren,

I once heard it said, "If the devil can't get to you any other way, he will waste your time".

In Luke 21:34, Jesus warns, "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with...the cares of this life, and that Day comes on you unexpectedly".

I often hear from brethren that they are frustrated because they know they should spend more time with bible study, prayer, and with their families, but they have difficulty finding the time. The scriptures do tell us of the importance of bible study, prayer and teaching our children and grandchildren.

All Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). And Deuteronomy 6:4-9 shows how we are to have God's commandments in our heart and to teach them to our children.  

One principle that can make a difference is to focus on what's important, instead of what's urgent.

Here's an example.

You work hard all day long. Then you get home and have to make dinner, do laundry, answer emails, catch the news and so on. It's 10:00 pm before you know it. Your day is over and you never got around to the other things you wanted to do, because you were so focused on things that were urgent.

Important things like prayer, bible study, or spending quality time with your spouse or kids, are put on the back burner. While those things are important, they aren't urgent because they don't come with a time frame.

So most people put them off until tomorrow.

When tomorrow comes there are more fires to be put out, and tomorrow turns into next week. Next week turns into next month, and before long the years go by.

Then one day you wake up and discover that your relationship with God and your neighbor is wanting. Or that your marriage is struggling. Or that the kids (or grand kids) are half grown and hardly remember what you look like. And you ask yourself how you could have let things go that far.

It didn't happen because you were being lazy or doing nothing. It happened because you were so busy taking care of all the little things that were urgent, that you neglected other things - big things - that were important.

Instead of us managing our time - our time is managing us. Instead of us ruling our day - our day is ruling us. Becoming proactive rather than reactive is the beginning of turning the situation around. To begin with the end in mind - and to put first things first.

As future rulers in the Kingdom of God, let's begin to rule how we spend our time. To focus on what's important, and not just on what's urgent. 

Have a blessed Sabbath, 

Dave

 

Memory Scripture 

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 10:12)