These are some of the notes & thoughts inspired by Charles Stanley’s message, “A Balanced Schedule.” (November 6, 2008)
Ephesians 5:15-17 “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.“
Your time is your life. Your life is your time. To become the person God wants you to be, it’s vitally important to spend your time wisely, where He wants you to invest it. Take advantage of every opportunity that God has given you. A balanced schedule is essential to living out God’s calling in your life.
We’re driven by the clock, living in a pressurized society. If we don’t manage our time wisely, we can become easily derailed and sidetracked from what God has in store for us.
If you’re going to become the person God wants you to be, you’re going to need to spend consistent time with the Lord. There are not shortcuts, no loopholes. We all face the same pressures and challenges in life, but if we don’t make it a priority, it simply won’t happen. And that’s what it all boils down to, you know: Priorities.
Look at your life. You go to work because you prioritize being able to have an income, being able to eat. You spend time with your family because you value and appreciate them (or should, at least). In your free time, you watch movies or read a book or listen to music or browse the internet or (fill in the blank).
These are all choices we make in our lives, and we’re lying when we say we simply don’t have time for God. The truth is we’re not MAKING time for God. Whether we verbalize it or not, we believe He’s not a high enough priority to invest our precious, limited time with Him. It’s too valuable to waste, we think. We have to much to DO. We can’t waste our time to just BE. To sit quietly and listen. To allow Him to have greater access to our hearts and our minds.
We really can be idiots, can’t we? Seriously. Who do we think we are? All that time we have? That we don’t want to surrender to Him? Where do we think it came from? This life we live? Who gave that to us? Who provided us with everything we see in our myopic little fishbowl of a world? Everything we enjoy and love?
God did. So why, oh WHY do we not give Him the time He so rightfully deserves? Because we’re human. And selfish. And afraid. We’re afraid of what He might say, or ask us to do, or think of us. We’re filled with guilt and shame and fear and anger or resentment, and we completely miss what God is all about. We miss the essense of His character.
Love. God loves us. And because He loves us so much, everything He might say to us or askus to do is based on love. Lemme tell ya, He’s asked me to do some pretty wild things the past few months, some of which I’ll write about later on. A typical person would shake their head and try to drown out that still, small voice inside them. I choose not to. I choose to listen to what He says to me, to accept the fact that He IS speaking, and then obey. (Don’t worry, it’s harder than it sounds.)
Spending time with God is when we get direction, encouragement, and peace. Who wouldn’t want that? Who wouldn‘t want to prioritize this stuff? We’re tempted to value all the fleeting things in life, the window dressing, if you will. We waste our time munching on the limp lettuce of life while He’s prepared a full course dinner for us back in the kitchen. And yet we think we’re living the “good life,” that “it just can’t any better than this!” Pfft. Try again.
Your time is a gift. A daily, limited gift that God’s given you. Make a choice today to use it differently, to change your life. Carve out the time to spend with Him. Five, ten, fifteen minutes… start small, if you have to. God doesn’t have a set requirement. But be consistent. Make a commitment to giving Him a regular portion of your time back, and then watch as He blesses your life in ways you never imagined.
You will be amazed.
Kevin