01/05/2020
How important are God, and Jesus Christ to us? Did you determine that they are central to your life? Now, having answered that question there is one more... how much time do we dedicate to studying them, God’s Word, the Gospel of Christ, and in actual worship? As believers, and disciples, are we dedicating an appropriate amount of time to study, being in their presence, and our relationships?
“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—”
Philippians 3:3 ESV
When asked these two questions most believers say that they value God and Jesus before all else, but if they are our true treasure then why do we spend such a limited amount of time in their pursuit? If we value them above all else, and say we order our lives by their Word, commandments, teaching, and love, why isn’t our heart revealing the same thing that our mind is professing with our tongue?
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21 ESV
I taught a lesson to my Sunday school class last year in which I passed out a list of common areas where we typically spend time each day, and asked them to think about the last week, and honestly fill in the hours they spent in each of them. I took the test also, and when I had completed it the result was rather startling... my time was being spent in large part in the pursuit of worldly activities, and not nearly enough in endeavors of faith. Here is the simple test, be honest with yourself, and remember there are only 168 hours in a week...
How many hours a week do you average doing the following:
1) Working or School: _______
2) Recreational Activities: _______
3) Fitness: _______
4) Watching TV: _______
5) Worship - Reading the Bible - Praying: _______
6) Attending church: _______
7) Evangelism: _______
8) Eating: _______
9) Sleeping: _______ (if you sleep 8 hours each night that is 56 hours in a week)
10) Any Other Things: _______
Taking this very basic test revealed to me that I was saying one thing about God, and Jesus, but was living a very different life. It also showed me how I could reorder my day to get my priorities back in line... to give my heart the time it needed to pursue my true treasure.
“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”
1 Timothy 6:11 ESV
This is the kind of test we must give ourselves every so often because the world places many demands on our time, and by doing so the dark one misleads us in our understanding of what is actually important to us. So we need to sit down with the Lord, and reordered our priorities from time to time. In this way we are pursuing our faith, and fighting against those things that are meant to distract us... thus living the life we desire, and have professed.
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
1 Timothy 6:12 ESV
So, are you brave enough to look at how you are really spending your time, and if it shows you that your treasure is something other than God, and Jesus Christ, are you prepared to reorder your life?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for opening my eyes to my faith in you, and your Son Jesus. Thank you Lord for leading me to understand that you are the most important thing in my life, you are my treasure, and that I love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me Holy Father when the dark one creeps between us, and leads me to spend my time predominately in worldly pursuits; drawing me away from you. Guide me as I look at my days, and order them around my faith in you. Strengthen me in trusting that you will provide for me, and that if I give myself appropriately, and in full measure to you, I will find my days joyous, and my burdens light. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God, who loves me, and is the treasure I store in my heart. Great is your mercy that saves me, and true is your Word that leads me. I praise your name Father; help me to praise it above all else. I worship you Lord; teach me to yield myself in full measure to you. All glory is yours Heavenly Father, as your grace flows from Jesus, and covers me. Teach me Holy Spirit to pray without ceasing, and to walk every step of my life with God, and Jesus Christ. Make me a doer of God’s will, and to see only the face of Christ in the mirror of my life. In this day, and forevermore keep the focus of my heart on the Lord... my God, and my treasure.
“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”
James 1:23-24 ESV
Rich Forbes