Where’s Our Focus…?
Sometimes we look too much on our own hurt, our own problem, our own issue that we neglected the people whom God place in our hearts to pray or to encourage. Because we are so busy in trying to accomplish the things we have set for ourselves that we have shifted our focus from being God-centered and hence people-centered to being self-centered. Our time is too short to be spent on feeling sorry for ourselves. As what Josh wrote in last week’s prayer list, time that is passed will never be returned. But what we are going to do at the present is what counted most.
Even when His disciples ran away from him during persecution, even when his own people turn their backs against him and instead chose a criminal to be released, even when at that moment when God had to turn his face away from Him because of all our sins, yet Jesus did not spend the time to feel sorry for himself. Instead, the night before the soldiers came for him, He prayed and asked His disciples to stay awake and keep watch so that they will not fall into temptation. At the cross, before breathing his last breath, instead of scolding His father for abandoning Him, Jesus prayed asking God to forgive the people. After all that Jesus had went through, the only person who has the right to feel sorry is Jesus and yet, He chose to use the time and strength that He has to encourage and to pray for His disciples and His people.
Likewise, instead of just dwelling on our own feelings, we can use the strength and time that we have to help or pray for our friends who may need encouragements. If we ever have the time to dwell on our hurt or fear, let us pause and start to use that time to care for someone who are really in need or maybe need a listening ear or let us pray for our family, our friends, our church, our country. May we learn to take captive of all the bad thoughts and bad feelings that we have and make it obedience to Christ. When we pray, the devil will flee and we will have the peace of God that He is in control in all situations.
hp
Love vs Time
As a rather impatient guy, one of the things I hate most is wasting time. Traffic jams, long and boring dinners, waiting for two hours to see the dentist even though you’ve made an appointment… All these things strike me as a disgusting waste of my life. In my opinion, people who waste other people’s time (especially people who waste my time!) are tantamount to criminals and deserve a worse punishment than a robber or thief.
Time is precious. Once gone, it can never be replaced. If we lose money, we can earn more. If our house is destroyed, a new one can be built. But if we give up our time, we can never regain it. That’s why a sacrifice of our time is so precious. But it isn’t limited to only the rich, intelligent or talented; everyone can give of their time, even the poorest uneducated beggar on the street. And one second of a rich man’s life is no different in God’s eyes to one second of a beggar’s life.
God’s gift of salvation is one that cost him a lot. Although he provides it to us freely, it was a very expensive gift for him to buy. On the cross, Jesus went through the most painful thing in the universe: total separation from God. God is the source of love, hope, joy and everything beautiful in life; separation from him means total despair, pain and hopelessness. Jesus was willing to undergo that on our behalf as he bore our sins, so that we can receive salvation.
God has given so much for us. He endured total separation from God so that we would not have to. What, then, shall we do with our time?
JW
Angry Bird?
And “don’t sin by letting anger control you”. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26)
Joshua House 