Do you want to know the secret to living your life strong in Jesus Christ? You need to put our time in God's hands, making every moment count!
For some people there is never enough time in a day to do all the things they need and want to do. For others time is just an agonizing reality. We need to realize that God considers time an extremely important commodity. He knows that eternal destinies are decided during our earthly moments, and in His grace and mercy, He gives people plenty of time to come to know and trust Him.
God gives us all 24 hours in each day: 1440 minutes. With that amount, even if we gave the Lord 20 minutes a day, we would have 1,420 left for everything else! By "numbering our days," the Lord intends for us to think prudently about a seventy-year life span, even though we cannot be sure how many of these allotted years each of us will have.
So how does all this work on a practical level? How do I avoid falling into traps, such as the temptation to get so busy I can neither be blessed or be a blessing? How do I avoid ending up at the close of the day and another year with a whole lot of regrets about how I spent my God-given time? How do I make my minutes with the Master worthwhile for Him and for me?
Consider these essentials:
1. Decide on the logistics.
Choose an appropriate time and place for your daily walk with God and decide about how long that conversation should be.
2. Be quiet and "wait on the Lord."
What does this mean? So often we spend all our time with God asking Him for something. Somehow we have to learn the art of praying without expecting specific rewards. We must learn to listen to the Lord without requiring answers to our prayer requests - to just be happy and to "be still and know that He is God" (Psalm 46:10).
3. Read a few verses of Scripture.
Doing this will give you something to focus on. I usually find it most profitable to read the Scriptures right before my time with God in prayer. Then my mind does not wanter. One of the biggest problems with being still is that the mind thinks this is a perfect opportunity to plan the menu for dinner, worry about finances, or even wonder what on earth you are going to wear for the church social! You do not need to read a lot of verses - just enough to chew on, to bear down on, to meditate on.
4. Practice praise.
In Decision magazine, Billy Graham highlighted the importance of praise: "One reason we should number our days and apply our hearts to wisdom is that the day is lost which does not add to our knowledge of God and His Word. In eternity's scale of values, that day which I lost has no word of praise, no prayer of thanks, and no contact with God. Prayer and praise are not occasional notes played on the organ of life; they are pipes in the organ, and their absence means serious loss to the music of life. It means discord instead of harmony."
5. Journey around the world.
You can visit the continents of the world during ten minutes of prayer. I remember someone passing on this concept to me when I became a Christian. I had always wanted to travel. Now I could go far away and not spend hours in an airplane seat to do it! But this travel has an eternal purpose that goes beyond the temporary benefits a physical vacation brings. I found I could be in China in the moment it took to think about it, and I could visit the homes of believers there who were being persecuted for their faith. I could spend a few moments asking God to strengthen these people and help them to endure and keep believing. He can help us see our part in alleviating their pain and suffering.
We need to put our time in God's hands, making every moment count! What do you need to do to make that happen?
