No Hurry

I’ve learned a lot in almost thirty years of ministry… but today’s truth may be one of the hardest to apply.

To live the life you’ve always wanted you can’t be hurried.  You have to take your time.  

No rush.  No elevated heartbeat as you race to your next destination.  No hypertension... no ticking clock... no must-do agenda.  When we become hurried and push ourselves too hard, we lose the ability and capacity to love others.  Love takes time... and we can’t give what we don’t have.  If we are too busy... we might not be loving those around us at the level they need us to.  Plus, when we are in a hurry, we get angry much more quickly.   Our fuse shortens.  We snap at those we love... hoping that they’ll understand the pressure we’re under.  The closer the relationship it seems... the harsher the tone we use.  They’ll get over it... they are family.  

Right?

I talk to so many who claim that they have to hurry to get everything done.  I contend that if we can’t stop during our day to love people... take care of ourselves... and most importantly, talk to and praise God... than we’re too busy.   

Hurry sickness is real... and it’s not Biblical.  So many claim to follow Christ.  If Christ is their leader... than why do they spend their waking hours trying to outrun Him?  To outdo Him?  To handle things they aren’t supposed to in an attempt to win more favor from Him... so that He’ll bless them with even more opportunity... so they can add more to an already overbooked schedule.  You can’t earn favor.  He gives that away freely because He loves you unconditionally. 

If you are following Christ.  Follow Him.  He’s not running.  

While He was on the earth, Jesus Christ was never in a hurry.  He walked slowly enough to feel an old woman tug at his robe... stopped long enough to visit with Mary and Martha... and allowed little children to run up to Him so He could give them a hug.  Christ-followers stay behind their leader.  They let Him set the pace.

I know what some of you are saying... Pastor, that’s easy for you to say... you don’t live my life!  You’re right.  You are busy and it’s hard.  You’ve got bills to pay, kids to feed, and a boss that gives you the workload of two employees.  You’ve got professors who give you massive papers to write at the same time... a leaky roof... and in-laws who insist on calling and telling you how disappointed they are in you.  I hear you...  But I also know that God has asked us to do two things:  Love Him first and love our neighbors as ourselves.  In fact, love is what we are supposed to be known for...

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:35

Do you have time to love others?  To hear their needs?  To empathize with their situations?   LIfe isn’t about how much we can pack in before we head out... it’s about how many people we come into contact with and affect with the love of Christ.   I’m not saying you can abandon what you need to do to get through things.  What I am saying is that you’ve got to spend some time re-prioritizing and choosing the great tasks over just the good ones.   Commit today to look for some open space in your schedule and purposefully use it to read God’s Word and love others.  Make a list of the most important people in your life... do they know you love them?  When was the last time they got some uninterrupted quality time with you?  Maybe it’s been too long.  Maybe you’ve come down with a case of hurry sickness.  We want to partner together with you to help you discover and embrace the cure...

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”  Matthew 11:28

Weary? 

Have heavy burdens?

Stressed out? 

Hurried?

Come to Christ.  He will give you the rest you seek.

Today

Today is exactly 86,400 seconds long.... and it will go by in the blink of an eye.

Look at your day so far... you’re awake... maybe you’ve made some coffee... or a lunch appointment for later.  Maybe you’ve already checked your email, scanned twitter, and clicked the bookmark to join us here on my Facebook page.   Or perhaps it’s much later in your day and you’ve chatted with a client at lunch...or it’s night and you just put the kids to bed.

In any case... time hasn’t stopped or slowed down.  Not even once.  The sun blazed it’s path across the sky at the same rate it always does (except that once in Joshua 10:13).  

My point?  Today’s 86,400 seconds represent more than just things that happen to you. Your day is about more than handshakes, heartbreaks, and YouTube.  Your day was created special... by the Master Day-maker... by the One who cares more about you than anyone... by God.

Just for you.

Nobody on this whole planet has a day like you do.  The faces you’ll see... the words you will say... all unique to you.  Each experience hand-crafted to teach you something, remind you that you are loved, or present you with something that only you can grow from. 

What’s that “something”?  Opportunity.  What will you do with your opportunity today?

Make the most of life?

“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.”  - Colossians 4:5

Do good for others?

“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” Galatians 6:10

Be positive?  Teach someone something? Comfort a friend?  Confront someone lovingly?  Cease a relationship?  Start a new one?  Launch a business?  Take a class?  

You have 86,400 seconds a day to make the most of the opportunities that God has placed on your heart.  Some you will know are coming and you can prepare for... others you will be forced to handle on the spot.  In either case, your decision will move you closer to your God-potential or draw you further away... There are no neutral choices.  

The challenge with opportunity is that we think we have to wait for it to arrive... We’re ready for the thing we think is best for us... standing at the dock waiting for that ship to come in!  Unfortunately...many times while we wait for that ship, opportunity arrives on a plane at the airport.  

And we have to adjust.  And we think we miss it.  And life doesn’t go as we want it to.  And we aren’t ready.  And we think God’s mad at us.  And we think we deserve it.  

God doesn’t see it that way.

Tomorrow morning, God is going to reset the timer and you’re going to get another 86,400 seconds to love, protect, trust, obey, serve, give, cheer, be brave, dive in, high-five, cry, laugh, defend, and follow through.  There might be someone in your path that needs to hear about Christ... or someone who needs to see it modeled in your behavior.  Maybe what you’ve been praying for will come to fruition...or maybe it’s another day when God tells you to patiently wait because He has something better for you.  

Tomorrow you may get the opportunity to break the cycle and be the dad you didn’t have... or you’ll spend your seconds being both mom and dad to your kids.   I don’t know what opportunity you’ll have when God wakes you up in the morning... or even the ones He has planned out for the rest of your today...

What I do know is that you’ll have them... and that 95% of your success in those opportunities... the way you can truly honor God with the way you handle them... is in your perspective.  Winston Churchill said it this way:

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  

What do you see ahead?   Walls or windows?  Challenges or chances?   A way to feel sorry for yourself or a way to trust God because you don’t understand?  Sometimes we want to see life-events as punishment for our sins when all God means them to be are chances to grow.  The way we view what happened or what will happen to us can dramatically alter the way we see the size of our God.  

God is NEVER small.  He is all-powerful.  He is all-knowing.  He is everywhere at one time.  

And He has put together a day of chances and challenges that can draw you closer to Him and His will for your life.  It just takes the right perspective and an unflinching focus on loving Christ and loving those He has put in our path.  

The clock is ticking.   Make every second (and every opportunity) count.

The Speed of Time

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...” Ecclesiastes 3:1

My kids have grown up so fast.  It was only yesterday that I was watching Tyler take his first step or Carson saying his first word… or Baylee showing me the first picture she ever drew.  People used to tell me “Enjoy it now… it’ll be over before you realize.”  Now that more time has passed I realize that they were right.  Life has marched on despite my attempts to slow it down.  

Our most precious commodity is time.  In the course of one twenty-four hour day, we deal with so much... decide so much... and try to fit in so much.  It’s sometimes amazing how it all happens.  Have you ever looked back at a period of time and wished you could have done more?  Changed something that you really needed to do but didn’t?   Made time for someone that you opted not to?

We’ve all been there.  

  Often we don’t prioritize the important people or things in our lives and they get swept away in the waves of daily routine and stress that inevitably come.   We spend our energy committing to things we have no intention of doing... doing things that are good instead of great... or putting material gain over relational growth with those that matter to us.  A harsh reality... but the pain of regret is far more difficult to deal with than the temporary sting of the word “no” to things of lesser importance.  

Want to memorize scripture?  Put it on your calendar app.  Want to grow closer to your kids?  Carve out family time and promise to let nothing take its place.  Get healthier?  Set the alarm for the gym.  You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish!   

Once you set your priorities, I guarantee that you can get more done in twenty-four hours of spending time on them... than a lifetime of “when I get around to it.”   

Live intentionally.  Understand the gift of time.  Put first things first.  And give glory to God when it all comes together.   Sounds like the start of a great life plan to me.  

Only Read This If You Have Time

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Life’s most precious commodity is time.  In the course of one twenty-four hour day, we deal with so much... decide so much... and try to fit in so much.  It’s sometimes amazing how it all happens.  Have you ever looked back at a period of time and wished you could have done more?  Changed something that you really needed to do but didn’t?   Made time for someone that you opted not to?

We’ve all been there.  

  Often we don’t prioritize the important people or things in our lives and they get swept away in the waves of daily routine and stress that inevitably come.   We spend our energy committing to things we have no intention of doing... doing things that are good instead of great... or putting material gain over relational growth with those that matter to us.  A harsh reality... but the pain of regret is far more difficult to deal with than the temporary sting of the word “no” to things of lesser importance.  

Want to memorize scripture?  Put it on your calendar app.  Want to grow closer to your kids?  Carve out family time and promise to let nothing take its place.  Get healthier?  Set the alarm for the gym.  You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish!   

Once you set your priorities, I guarantee that you can get more done in twenty-four hours of spending time on them... than a lifetime of “when I get around to it.”   

Live intentionally.  Understand the gift of time.  Put first things first.  And give glory to God when it all comes together.   Sounds like the start of a great life plan to me.  

Time Off?

On average, people live about 75 years.  And while that seems like a long time… let’s break that down.   That’s around 3900 weeks… 27,000 days… or about 648,000 hours.  Now let’s remove the time we spend sleeping (about 1/3 of that if we’re doing it right…).  That leaves us with about 112 hours a week that we are awake.  Now back in the day, the human race spent 70 of those 112 hours per week productively working.  Today is quite different.  In fact, due to some productivity improvements through technology, the average work week is 30 hours.  

And what do we do with all of that remaining time?  The 82 hours that we are awake and active?  Would you believe that the biggest part of that time is squandered in front of a flat screen?  It’s true. According to statistics, the majority of people passively watch television 4-5 hours per day… and spend many more hours staring at tablets, smartphones, and laptop screens.  YouTube logs in billions of views a day… in fact, the average person watches 15 hours of YouTube videos per week.  

What are you doing with your life?  All of those hours… those ticks of the clock… are you leveraging them to change the world?  Or using them to change the channel?  

Did you know that Einstein, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Abraham Lincoln, and your hard-working great-grandparents all had the same 24 hours per day… they all had time management issues… and they all had to decide what they were going to do with their time awake.  

Some make a difference… other make excuses…all have the same amount of hours per day.  

The Bible addresses this issue of time in the parable of the talents.  Three servants are given some money by their master to manage for him.  Two make more money… while one buries it to keep it safe.  Here’s the master’s reply to the one that squandered his chance: 

“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it'" (Matthew 25:26-27, NLT).  

The Bible is clear that we are to maximize our time… to see our lives as something given to us by our Creator to invest in His Kingdom and others.  To serve the world… to love those that can do nothing for us in return… to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ… and to enjoy those that God has put around us as friends and family.  

Maybe it’s time to take a technology fast.  Live in the now.  Maybe it’s time to stop seeing the world as photo ops for instagram and maximize your minutes for Christ.   We’ve got one chance on this side of Heaven to change the world for God.  Let’s take today seriously.  There will never be another January 28, 2015.  Ever.  And there will never be another you.  Ever.  Get out there and seize the chance to shine God’s light into a world that is blanketed with darkness.  You’ve got 24 hours… let’s go make a difference. 

Don't Rush

To live the life you’ve always wanted you can’t be hurried.  

No rush.  No elevated heartbeat as you race to your next destination.  No hypertension... no ticking clock... no must-do agenda.  When we become hurried and push ourselves too hard, we lose the ability and capacity to love others.  Love takes time... and we can’t give what we don’t have.  If we are too busy... we might not be loving those around us at the level they need us to.  Plus, when we are in a hurry, we get angry much more quickly.   Our fuse shortens.  We snap at those we love... hoping that they’ll understand the pressure we’re under.  The closer the relationship it seems... the harsher the tone we use.  They’ll get over it... they are family.  

Right?

I talk to so many who claim that they have to hurry to get everything done.  I contend that if we can’t stop during our day to love people... take care of ourselves... and most importantly, talk to and praise God... than we’re too busy.   

Hurry sickness is real... and it’s not Biblical.  So many claim to follow Christ.  If Christ is their leader... than why do they spend their waking hours trying to outrun Him?  To outdo Him?  To handle things they aren’t supposed to in an attempt to win more favor from Him... so that He’ll bless them with even more opportunity... so they can add more to an already overbooked schedule.  You can’t earn favor.  He gives that away freely because He loves you unconditionally. 

If you are following Christ.  Follow Him.  He’s not running.  

While He was on the earth, Jesus Christ was never in a hurry.  He walked slowly enough to feel an old woman tug at his robe... stopped long enough to visit with Mary and Martha... and allowed little children to run up to Him so He could give them a hug.  Christ-followers stay behind their leader.  They let Him set the pace.

I know what some of you are saying... Pastor, that’s easy for you to say... you don’t live my life!  You’re right.  You are busy and it’s hard.  You’ve got bills to pay, kids to feed, and a boss that gives you the workload of two employees.  You’ve got professors who give you massive papers to write at the same time... a leaky roof... and in-laws who insist on calling you and telling you how disappointed they are in you.  I hear you...  But I also know that God has asked us to do two things:  Love Him first and love our neighbors as ourselves.  In fact, love is what we are supposed to be known for...

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:35

Do you have time to love others?  To hear their needs?  To empathize with their situations?   LIfe isn’t about how much we can pack in before we head out... it’s about how many people we come into contact with and affect with the love of Christ.   I’m not saying you can abandon what you need to do to get through things.  What I am saying is that you’ve got to spend some time re-prioritizing and choosing the great tasks over just the good ones.   Commit today to look for some open space in your schedule and purposefully use it to read God’s Word and love others.  Make a list of the most important people in your life... do they know you love them?  When was the last time they got some uninterrupted quality time with you?  Maybe it’s been too long.  Maybe you’ve come down with a case of hurry sickness.  We want to partner together with you to help you discover and embrace the cure...

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”  Matthew 11:28

Weary? 

Have heavy burdens?

Stressed out? 

Hurried?

Come to Christ.  He will give you the rest you seek.

Limited

Mother Teresa was once asked “Don’t you ever become angry at the causes of social injustice that you see in India or in any of the places in which you work?”  She thought for a long moment and replied, “Why should I expend energy in anger that I can expend in love.”

During the course of a day, we have a limited amount of both time and energy.  And decision by decision, we get to choose how we use it.   Should we become furious and yell... or be forgiving and loving?  Same amount of time.  Same amount of energy.  So which one is what God wants?  Scripture tells us in James chapter 1 that “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”  And if our goal is to become more like Christ (which it should be), then the choice is clear.  Why waste time throwing our hands in the air and yelling... instead, why not use that same passion to calm a situation, extend grace, show mercy, and help people see Christ reflected in our love for them.  While this isn’t always the easiest choice, it is the most effective one as we strive forward to reach our God potential.