The theme that is on my heart so heavily today is waste. God has given each of us a job to do on this earth. Why do we so often waste the time He has given us?
Now, I am not talking about time we spend enjoying a good movie, walking our dog on a gorgeous spring day or enjoying a coffee break with a treasured friend whose sweet spiritual counsel lifts us high above every storm or whose sense of humor helps us get our perspective back. Those activities energize us. They put gas in the tank for our work, inspire us, or just plain strengthen us emotionally so that we can jump back into the fray of our own individual callings.
Those of us who are bound and determined to follow Christ at all costs are going to face tremendous opposition in this life. Often that opposition comes in the form of direct challenges to our callings. Someone attacks the quality of our work, or a door closes that we think means the end of something when in fact God is blowing back a bigger door to a bigger opportunity in that arena. But at the time the setbacks feel like the heat of battle. We feel discouraged at times. We need God's help to stand again.
The type of time-wasting I am referring to has to do with groups we join or activities we engage in "for fun" which seem harmless to the outside world. We jump right in, even though we have a check in our spirit that this group or this activity is not really part of God's perfect plan FOR US! We spend hours in mindless banter with people who don't share our values and who we are not really witnessing to about God's grace and love. We have no confirmation in the Spirit that we need to be stopping off here, but stop we do anyway.
I'll give a more concrete potential scenario that might resonate with some of you. Let's say Susan B. Christian is humming along, cleaning her house and enjoying her day. She has lots to do but decides she will troll the internet for fun. Along the way she stumbles on a forum for local people who raise ferrets. Susan has ALWAYS wanted a ferret. She rapidly joins the forum and asks a million questions. There is a chatroom associated with the forum. Next thing Susan knows, she has jumped into "groupthink" and purchased a ferret, in spite of all of the personal reasons she never had before Her kids love it, she likes it. It's interesting for awhile. Now, whenever Susan is bored, she hops in that chatroom and dazzles the crew with her wit and wisdom. They love her. Next thing Susan knows, she is meeting Linda for coffee, a wonderful ferret-lover like Susan (Susan never knew she was one until she joined this group). This becomes a weekly event. Linda doesn't know the Lord, is not really interested, and steers any religious conversation back to ferrets.
Meanwhile, Susan's life is humming along well. She gets most of her daily work done, goes to church, reads the Bible to her kids at dinner and prays with those in need. She is still doing her volunteer work and taking time to pray by herself, although Binky the ferret is a bit of an inconvenience and does not bring the joy he once did. He just throws a little kink in here and there in many of her otherwise SEAMLESS days.
One day Susan and Linda meet for coffee at the mall. Linda says to Susan "You know, you have shared so much about how your husband hurts your feelings. Maybe you should get a divorce. I really think you should. You have really low self-esteem and I am sure it's his fault, based on what you have told me. I think all of your problems tie back to him. Get rid of him and you're rid of all of your problems." Susan sits staring wide-eyed at Linda. "I don't want a divorce," she stammers....then her people-pleasing nature kicks in and she begins to extoll all of her husband's virtues so that Linda (who has never met her husband) will see that she is wrong.
Alone in her car on the drive home, Susan goes over in her mind every negative remark she has ever made about her husband to Linda. She stews about this for days. Every time she goes to the ferret forum she wonders if Linda is talking about her to the others in the community, perhaps even others in her neighborhood! Finally, she finds herself down on her knees asking God for release from the emotional toll the whole thing has taken on her. He gently reminds her that she never asked Him whether or not she should get a ferret. Susan repents.
The lesson in this potential scenario is that, as the saying goes, it is INDEED the little foxes that will spoil the vines. All of the emotional energy it took Susan to get out of the funk caused by Linda's remarks could have been aimed at worthwhile pursuits. Getting the animal, spending time with unbelievers on the forum, getting together with someone who did not share her values on a regular basis, all added up to wasted time and, in the end, wasted emotional energy that Susan had to sort out at the foot of the cross.
The Bible calls Satan a "roaring lion seeking whom he may devour"....we can stand strong in the armor of God. However, we just shouldn't let those little foxes in in the first place. We'll have enough big ones coming at us to keep us busy on our knees. Time is short believers!!!! Pray and ask God to direct your every step. Then trust Him to do it!!!
Now, I am not talking about time we spend enjoying a good movie, walking our dog on a gorgeous spring day or enjoying a coffee break with a treasured friend whose sweet spiritual counsel lifts us high above every storm or whose sense of humor helps us get our perspective back. Those activities energize us. They put gas in the tank for our work, inspire us, or just plain strengthen us emotionally so that we can jump back into the fray of our own individual callings.
Those of us who are bound and determined to follow Christ at all costs are going to face tremendous opposition in this life. Often that opposition comes in the form of direct challenges to our callings. Someone attacks the quality of our work, or a door closes that we think means the end of something when in fact God is blowing back a bigger door to a bigger opportunity in that arena. But at the time the setbacks feel like the heat of battle. We feel discouraged at times. We need God's help to stand again.
The type of time-wasting I am referring to has to do with groups we join or activities we engage in "for fun" which seem harmless to the outside world. We jump right in, even though we have a check in our spirit that this group or this activity is not really part of God's perfect plan FOR US! We spend hours in mindless banter with people who don't share our values and who we are not really witnessing to about God's grace and love. We have no confirmation in the Spirit that we need to be stopping off here, but stop we do anyway.
I'll give a more concrete potential scenario that might resonate with some of you. Let's say Susan B. Christian is humming along, cleaning her house and enjoying her day. She has lots to do but decides she will troll the internet for fun. Along the way she stumbles on a forum for local people who raise ferrets. Susan has ALWAYS wanted a ferret. She rapidly joins the forum and asks a million questions. There is a chatroom associated with the forum. Next thing Susan knows, she has jumped into "groupthink" and purchased a ferret, in spite of all of the personal reasons she never had before Her kids love it, she likes it. It's interesting for awhile. Now, whenever Susan is bored, she hops in that chatroom and dazzles the crew with her wit and wisdom. They love her. Next thing Susan knows, she is meeting Linda for coffee, a wonderful ferret-lover like Susan (Susan never knew she was one until she joined this group). This becomes a weekly event. Linda doesn't know the Lord, is not really interested, and steers any religious conversation back to ferrets.
Meanwhile, Susan's life is humming along well. She gets most of her daily work done, goes to church, reads the Bible to her kids at dinner and prays with those in need. She is still doing her volunteer work and taking time to pray by herself, although Binky the ferret is a bit of an inconvenience and does not bring the joy he once did. He just throws a little kink in here and there in many of her otherwise SEAMLESS days.
One day Susan and Linda meet for coffee at the mall. Linda says to Susan "You know, you have shared so much about how your husband hurts your feelings. Maybe you should get a divorce. I really think you should. You have really low self-esteem and I am sure it's his fault, based on what you have told me. I think all of your problems tie back to him. Get rid of him and you're rid of all of your problems." Susan sits staring wide-eyed at Linda. "I don't want a divorce," she stammers....then her people-pleasing nature kicks in and she begins to extoll all of her husband's virtues so that Linda (who has never met her husband) will see that she is wrong.
Alone in her car on the drive home, Susan goes over in her mind every negative remark she has ever made about her husband to Linda. She stews about this for days. Every time she goes to the ferret forum she wonders if Linda is talking about her to the others in the community, perhaps even others in her neighborhood! Finally, she finds herself down on her knees asking God for release from the emotional toll the whole thing has taken on her. He gently reminds her that she never asked Him whether or not she should get a ferret. Susan repents.
The lesson in this potential scenario is that, as the saying goes, it is INDEED the little foxes that will spoil the vines. All of the emotional energy it took Susan to get out of the funk caused by Linda's remarks could have been aimed at worthwhile pursuits. Getting the animal, spending time with unbelievers on the forum, getting together with someone who did not share her values on a regular basis, all added up to wasted time and, in the end, wasted emotional energy that Susan had to sort out at the foot of the cross.
The Bible calls Satan a "roaring lion seeking whom he may devour"....we can stand strong in the armor of God. However, we just shouldn't let those little foxes in in the first place. We'll have enough big ones coming at us to keep us busy on our knees. Time is short believers!!!! Pray and ask God to direct your every step. Then trust Him to do it!!!
