"I passed on to you what was most important and what has also been passed on me - that Christ died for sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the 12 apostles. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, although some have died by now. Then he was seen by James and later all the apostles. Last of all, I saw him too, long after the others, as though I'd been born at the wrong time. Though I am the least of the apostles and I'm not worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted the Church of God. But whenever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me-and not without results. For I've worked harder than all the other apostles, yet it was not I but God who is working through me by His grace. So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, the important thing is that you believe what we preach to you."
- Corinthians 15:3-11You know I've been thinking recently about how we get sucked into our everyday lives. Here in America were driven by our schedule. Were so worried about not getting enough done that we spend all day doing a bunch of stuff that doesn't really matter. Satan is so good at what he does! He tells us time is short and so we need to get to work - we need to raise money, and get a new car, and paint your house, and go to the baseball game, and all kinds of useless stuff to fill our day to make you feel like were not wasting our time. But you know, as I look back over my day I see it although I did do a couple things for the Lord, 90% of everything I spent all of my time on isn't going to make a hill of beans - if I'd done it or if I hadn't, it would still make no difference. Personally I have over 20 web sites, do you know what I do instead of reading my Bible, going down to Wal-Mart with some friends to witness, or even spending time with my family? I re-design them almost constantly.
And I'm not talking about adding pages to them; I'm just talking about re-designing. It's sad, as I've been looking back recently it's dawned on me that when I get to heaven God will care-a-less what my web sites looks like, he'll ask me why the people suffering down the street were less important than my web site. He'll ask me why I wasn't at LEAST using the time to write an e-mail of encouragement to someone...Do you ever see that when you look back over the day? Do you look back and see that most of the stuff you spent your time on would still be there tomorrow? And will still be there month from now? And now that you’re done MORE stuff just pops in to fill its place?As I was reading this is morning I was thinking about how Paul, Jesus, Peter, and many others in the Bible said, you know what? I'm done with this! I'm not going to continue wasting my time on my job, or in front of my big-screen TV, or fiddling with my boat for an hour everyday. Starting today I'm living for you, I don't care about the things this world has to offer - I don't care about doing anything but your will. I want a life, a real life. And with nothing more than a relationship with God and willing heart they literally changed the world. One day they just got up, left, and never came back to a wasted life. They hit the road, saw the world, and spread the gospel - all with nothing!Why not today, right now, get up - go down to Wal-Mart, and see if you can find someone to witness too. A couple weeks ago I did, I was having a bad day where it felt like nothing I was doing was any good, I was just running around in circles. So I said you know what? I'm mad at you Satan for ruining my time, so now I'm going to ruin yours. I went and called a friend, took my brother and sister, and we all went down to Wal-Mart to witness to people and mess-up Satan's day. :grouphug: One of my pastors used to just walk around on the street for a couple of days and talk to people when he was younger, no car, no bed. You may ask, "How did he eat?" "Where did he sleep?" My answer is "the same way that Paul Jesus and many others have!” He would tell me stories about how God always provided whatever he needed. Now it wasn't always a hotel room or a meal at a nice restaurant, but God seldom responds in the way we think. Since then I've met other people that have also done this, and you know what, despite what Satan tells us, they enjoyed it!
"Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they?"
- Matthew 6:25-26Hey, if God said - it that's good enough for me! After all, this IS What Jesus Would Do (W.W.J.D.)Even as am writing this I'm shaking my head, because as much as I know how important and fulfilling it would be to travel around witnessing, helping people, and studying the Bible, it is still hard for me to stop doing what I'm doing and say "God, use me". :bible: You might want to look at your own life and figure out what is stopping you from spending your time the way God wants you too. For me, I believe the three main reasons I'm not out there making a difference is my vanity, self-centeredness, and fear of being rejected. I'm afraid of how look to others, I don't want to do what God wants me do - I want to do what I want to do, and I want people to like me. I'm praying about these everyday and hopefully soon, God will take them away from me so that I can do what He's called me do.Please consider what I just said even if this seems to drastic for you - pray about it ask God how you can be used today, and pray for Him to take away any hindrance to your following His will. The last thing I want myself or anyone else to have is a "static" life, the kind where your the same today as you were last year. The kind Satan fills with so much stuff you'll never have time left over for God or eternity...
- Corinthians 15:3-11You know I've been thinking recently about how we get sucked into our everyday lives. Here in America were driven by our schedule. Were so worried about not getting enough done that we spend all day doing a bunch of stuff that doesn't really matter. Satan is so good at what he does! He tells us time is short and so we need to get to work - we need to raise money, and get a new car, and paint your house, and go to the baseball game, and all kinds of useless stuff to fill our day to make you feel like were not wasting our time. But you know, as I look back over my day I see it although I did do a couple things for the Lord, 90% of everything I spent all of my time on isn't going to make a hill of beans - if I'd done it or if I hadn't, it would still make no difference. Personally I have over 20 web sites, do you know what I do instead of reading my Bible, going down to Wal-Mart with some friends to witness, or even spending time with my family? I re-design them almost constantly.
"Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they?"
- Matthew 6:25-26Hey, if God said - it that's good enough for me! After all, this IS What Jesus Would Do (W.W.J.D.)Even as am writing this I'm shaking my head, because as much as I know how important and fulfilling it would be to travel around witnessing, helping people, and studying the Bible, it is still hard for me to stop doing what I'm doing and say "God, use me". :bible: You might want to look at your own life and figure out what is stopping you from spending your time the way God wants you too. For me, I believe the three main reasons I'm not out there making a difference is my vanity, self-centeredness, and fear of being rejected. I'm afraid of how look to others, I don't want to do what God wants me do - I want to do what I want to do, and I want people to like me. I'm praying about these everyday and hopefully soon, God will take them away from me so that I can do what He's called me do.Please consider what I just said even if this seems to drastic for you - pray about it ask God how you can be used today, and pray for Him to take away any hindrance to your following His will. The last thing I want myself or anyone else to have is a "static" life, the kind where your the same today as you were last year. The kind Satan fills with so much stuff you'll never have time left over for God or eternity...
