Our Most Precious Resource

The following quotes were shared at our church last Sunday during a message on TIME, which is the most precious resource that God has given us!

The problem with killing time is that you cannot resurrect it.

~ unknown

You cannot kill time without injuring eternity. 

~ adapted from Henry David Thoreau

(To those who aren’t familiar with it, these two quotes play off of the phrase “killing time”, which means to be idle or to do something just because you have time to use up. These quotations make for some interesting thoughts to ponder, but I do not think that a Christian should use or have any need to use this phrase as it is commonly used. We should always be productively engaged, using for God’s Kingdom this precious resource that He has entrusted to us!)

Obedience Is Not Optional

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”

~ Matthew 28:18-20

            What would you think if you had a child and when you gave them a command, they didn’t obey unless they felt like it? Or what if they said they needed to think about it, or ask someone else if they should do it? You would probably be aghast! Well, I don’t think Jesus feels any differently. And He has given His children a command: “GO!”

And yet, many times people just simply don’t obey that command because they don’t feel like it. It isn’t convenient or comfortable. And have you ever noticed how many times people say they need to “think about it” or “pray about it”?

Prayer is essential. Jesus prayed very often. But we don’t need to ask God if He wants us to do something that He has already commanded us to do. We may need to ask for specific guidance, and we certainly need to pray as we go. But we never need to pray about whether to go, and we can’t spend very long praying about where and how to go, or we will be disobeying by not going!

If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, this command is for you! The practical out-workings will look different for different people, but there is no provision in this verse for being a disciple and not going. Besides, if Jesus really has done something in our life, we will want to tell others!

The following is a message that I heard on this subject that I think is excellent. I would consider it a “must listen”!

The Simple Obedience of Go

[Disclaimer: We can learn a lot from others and I think that is true in the case of this message. The man who gave this message chooses to look the way he does because of the people that he ministers to. However, although I really appreciate his ministry, I do not believe in the idea of being like the world to win the world.]

The Great White Throne

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........"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds." -Revelation 20:11+12
........I recently heard a message titled "The Judgment Seat of Christ" by Leonard Ravenhill using this Scripture as the text. It was a powerful reminder of what is coming. We need to be ready! He also mentioned the Scripture at the end of Malachi, "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name." He encouraged his listeners to think about what God wrote in that book of remembrance each day about them.
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Seeking The Lord

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. ........Our family listened to a message this morning titled "Seek My Face" by Richard Owen Roberts. Many aspects of it were a challenge to me in my walk with the Lord and I would like to share several excerpts with you.

"True Christianity is not a good beginning, it is a glorious ending. Don't hang onto something in the past, you must live an ongoing repentence. The faith that saves is right now."
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"God dwells in two places. The high and holy place and the heart and spirit of the contrite and humble. ("For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." -Isaiah 57:15)"
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"If there is any pride in your life, you do not yet have a proper view of God because if you did, you would be humble."
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On Servanthood...

Yesterday we listened to a exhortation by Elizabeth Elliot on Servanthood. One sentence that she said really spoke to me...

Never think any task beneath you. --Elizabeth Elliot

Acceptance

My family and I listened to a message on acceptance a few days ago, and some of the thoughts really convicted me. I don't all have my thoughts together, so I'll just write a few notes.

Jesus knew what it was like to be rejected, and He was rejected, but He always accepted everyone.

Seek, or do as much as you can to accept everyone that comes across your path.

Acceptance and Approval are different. Even though you are to accept everyone, you are not to approve of their sin. You can accept others without approving of what they do. Accept them first, then point them to the Bible to show them their sin.

Even just a smile or a small act of service can show someone that you accept them.

Don't seek for acceptance, give it.

People will go almost anywhere and do almost anything, no matter if it is wrong to get acceptance. That shows how important acceptance is to people and it is important that we give it. People will not stay where there is no acceptance very long.

We are to even accept our enemies. "Love you enemies, pray for those who persecute you..."