Taking Time To Grow Spiritually
Luke 8:14
A. Man named Hummel wrote a book on time management for Christians
called Tyranny of
the Urgent. The message of the book was: It is dangerous
to let the urgent crowd the
important out of our lives.
We live in a busy, fast-paced world. Our time is consumed before
we know it. Time is at a premium. Time is what life is made of.
If I give you 15 minutes of my time Ive given you 15 minutes
of my life. When I give you 15 minutes of my life that 15 minutes
is gone forever. I cannot redeem even one second of it.
a. My time and my life are the most important and most valuable
things I possess. They are priceless. My time and my life are
not cheap and I will not squander them for a pittance.
Of all people Christians should understand the priceless value
of life and time.
(1) Be careful to spend our time in those activities God has designed
for our personal
spiritual growth. The easiest way to put you soul in serious danger
is to blow all
our time and your life on things of this world.
(a) How much time to you spend in prayer, Bible study, and meditation?
If you spend 3 or 4 hours a day watching TV and no time praying,
studying - What does that say about your spiritual priorities.
It takes time to grow spiritually. It takes quantity
time as well as quality time.
At the very least, spiritual growth requires spending time in
Gods word.
1 Pet. 2:2, says, We are to desire the pure milk of the
word, that you may grow thereby.
2 Tim 2:15.
1 Peter 3:15.
That cannot be done on the run even in this
day of the Walkman.
Time, like money, must be managed well to achieve proper spiritual
goals.
The Bible teaches that time and money are things over which we
must exercise good stewardship and sometimes we fail to
do that.
Eph 5:15?18. Understand and do Gods will.
Bad stewards squander Gods blessings and gifts of time,
possessions, ability.
Lk. 15:11-13, teaches this important principle. Prodigal son wasted
what he had been given in life.
Vs. 13, He wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
Prodigal means recklessly wasteful. From Latin prodigere
(to squander).
The Prodigal Son wasted, squandered what he had been given in
life.
2. One of the worst habits we can get into is Over-Commitment.
(1) Attracted to activities and things. Get involved and thing
these things are a must and I just cannot live without them.
(1) Get over committed and over extended to the point we have
no time or resources to give doing or accomplishing what God requires.
(1) Our souls and the Church begin to suffer.
(2) How many of your activities compete with your commitment to
this congregation?
(3) We may need to reallocate our resources in the
use of our time.
(2) As parents, how often do your children see you in quiet devotion
unto God?
(1) How often do you being your family together in time that is
devoted only to Bible
study, prayer and spiritual growth?
(2) One of the tragedies of life is not taking time for maintenance.
(3) Of all people farmers, ranchers should know it is not possible
to increase productivity by diminishing maintenance time.
(4) Yet we live as if we think we can go on indefinitely without
spending time alone with God. Eph. 6:4, And you, fathers,
do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the
training and admonition of the Lord.
(3) Dont let your spiritual failures, hypocrisy and Fox
Fire religion cause your children to turn away from the
Lord.
(1) Fox fire is a light that glows in the dark and its caused
by dead and decayed matter that cause phosphorus to glow in the
dark..
(2) Matt 5:16. Fox fire is a poor substitute for the real thing,
and your children and others around you can tell the difference.
(2) 1 Peter 2:21, Jesus died and left us example, that you
should follow His steps.
(1) Example of making time for private time alone with God.
(1) Mk. 6:30-32. Made time to be alone with God.
(2) Matt. 14:13-14, 22-25. Jesus spent all day teaching and feeding
five thousand, and then He prayed most of the night.
(3) Mk. 1:35.
(4) Lk. 6:12.
(2) Beautiful song by W.D. Longstaff, Take Time To Be Holy.
As a constant reminder we should sing that every time we assemble
together.
(1) Speak oft with thy Lord. Time for prayer.
(2) Feed on His word. Time for study.
(3) Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. Time
for meditation, contemplation, introspection.
(4) Be calm in thy soul. Time to enjoy Gods
blessings, praise and thank Him.
(3) Do what it takes before it is too lateto put a
calm center of spiritual devotion in the eye of the storm that
is our lives.
(1) Dont wait, hesitate, procrastinateRedeem
the time for the days are evil.
(2) Acts 20:32.
Spur - 10/26/2003 am
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