NewDayvotional

From the pastor for the people

Five Time Management Tips Part 1

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The Bible gives us at least five tips for how we can manage our time in a God-honoring way. In this post we’ll at the first.

Tip #1: Budget your time. 

Genesis 1:1 reads “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” As we continue reading we see that God budgeted time in his week for each part of his creation.

  • He budgeted time on day 1 for making light.
  • He budgeted time on day 2 for making sky.
  • He budgeted time on day 3 for making land and vegetation.
  • He budgeted time on day 4 for making the sun, moon and stars.
  • He budgeted time on day 5 for making the creatures of the sea and the birds of the air.
  • He budgeted time on day 6 for making the land animals and then us (the pinnacle of his creation).
  • Finally, God budgeted time on day 7 for rest from all his work.

God budgets his time, so how much more so should we! Why do we need to budget our time? It’s for the same reason we need to budget our money – because we don’t have an unlimited amount! If we had an unlimited amount of money we could just spend it however we wanted and we’d never run out. But since we have a finite amount, we have to budget it. The same goes for our time.

Now when it comes to budgeting money, there are certain categories to allocate your income to:

  • Giving
  • Saving
  • Housing
  • Utilities
  • Debt
  • Food
  • Transportation
  • Clothing
  • Medical/Health
  • Personal
  • Recreation

In the same way, there are certain categories you have to budget time for. There’s at least five of them:

  1. Faith – you need to budget time for God
  2. Family & Friends – you need need to budget time for being with those you love
  3. Finances – you need to budget time for stewarding your wealth
  4. Fitness – you need to budget time for stewarding your health
  5. Fun – you need to budget time for hobbies and things you enjoy doing

In my next post I’ll give you some insight into how much time to allocate for each category, but for now I just want you to see that God budgets his time and we need to follow his example (Ephesians 5:1).

Where is the Rapture Foreshadowed?

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Though the Rapture takes place in the New Testament, it is foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

The rapture is first foreshadowed in the story of Enoch. In Genesis 5:21-24 we read, “When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.” In the same way that Enoch was and then suddenly was no more, so one day the church will be and then will be no more.

The rapture is secondly foreshadowed in the story of Elijah. In 2 Kings 2:11 we read, “As they [Elijah and Elisha] were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.” In the same way that Elijah was suddenly taken away up to heaven, so the church will one day be suddenly taken away up to heaven. In the same way that both Enoch and Elijah were snatched away suddenly, so Christ’s church will one be suddenly snatched away.

The stories of Enoch and Elijah foreshadow the yet future event where Jesus will return to take away his church (John 14:2-3).

Satan’s Three Temptations

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Satan will tempt you with three things: pleasure, possessions and pride. We see this over and over in Scripture.

Genesis 3:6, When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. 

  • GOOD FOR FOOD = pleasure
  • PLEASING TO THE EYE = possessions
  • DESIRABLE FOR GAINING WISDOM = pride

Deuteronomy 17:16-17, The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself… 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

  • GREAT NUMBERS OF HORSES = pride
  • MANY WIVES = pleasure
  • LARGE AMOUNTS OF SILVER AND GOLD = possessions

Matthew 4:1-10, Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 7  Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” 

  • TELL THESE STONES TO BECOME BREAD = pleasure
  • THROW YOURSELF DOWN AND THE ANGELS WILL RESCUE YOU = pride
  • ALL THIS I WILL GIVE YOU…IF YOU BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP ME = possessions

1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”  

  • LUST OF THE FLESH = pleasure
  • LUST OF THE EYES = possessions
  • PRIDE OF LIFE = pride

Be on guard for temptation in these three areas, for they are the areas Satan has been trying to tempt mankind in since the creation of the world.

Created to be Like Christ

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The Bible teaches that you were created to become like Christ. God announced this intention at Creation when in Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” What does the image and likeness of God look like? Jesus! Hebrews 1:3, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” The more we become like Jesus the more we reflect the image and likeness of God.

The story is told of a child on her way home from church with her mom when she turned to her mother and said, “Mommy, the preachers’s sermon this morning confused me.” “Oh? Why is that?” she asked. The little girl responded, “Well, the preacher said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?” “Yes, He is,” her mom replied. “And he also said that God lives in us. Is that also true, Mommy?” Again, her mother answered yes. “Well, said the little girl, “if God is bigger than us and He lives in us, shouldn’t He show through?”

God wants to change our character so that Christ shows through. God wants to work on us the same way a jeweler works on a diamond. A diamond goes through quite the process of change from mine to market. It’s rough and ugly when it first emerges from the mine. But it’s smooth and beautiful when it finally arrives at market. In the same way, when we first get saved we are rough in character, but God goes to work on us and slowly but surely transforms our character to diamond quality. So the saying is true – you really are a diamond in the rough! God wants the beautiful diamond of your character to show through.

Now let me be clear – God wants to change your character and conduct, not your unique personality. He created your uniqueness so the last thing God wants to do is destroy that which he created. So when we talk about God changing us, we’re always referring to God’s desire to make us more like Jesus in our conduct and character.

The Faith Test

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We learn of three tests in Genesis 22 that God gave to Abraham. In this post we’ll examine the third test. The third test God gave to Abraham and gives to us is: The Faith Test (Genesis 22:4-8)

We read in Genesis 22:4-8, On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Did you catch that? Abraham said “we” will come back to you. What’s up with that? Isaac was to be slaughtered and burned whole on the altar. How would Isaac come back with Abraham? Hebrews gives us some insight into what Abraham was thinking when he said this. In Hebrews 11:17-19 we read: “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead…” What tremendous faith for at this time there had never been a resurrection from the dead! So Abraham not only believed God for something miraculous, he also believed God for something that had never even been done before. What faith!!

But it doesn’t stop there. Look what else we see. When Isaac asked his father, “…where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. Abraham was preparing to obey God in a radical way, yet he wasn’t freaking out. He was calm and this calmness came from a deep rooted faith and trust in God. God tested Abraham’s faith to see if Abraham would freak out in fear or trust him with a confident faith. And God tests our faith as well. God wants us to be like Abraham by responding in faith in every situation – even scary ones.

I remember being in the car with some unsaved friends in high school. We almost got into an accident and had to swerve to avoid crashing. I remember being supernaturally calm and at peace even as we swerved suddenly. My unsaved friends screamed and expletives filled the air. But God as my witness, I was cool as a cucumber. I don’t recall even flinching. My response shocked both my friends AND me but as I thought about it after-the-fact I realized that I was calm and at peace because of my deep-rooted faith and trust in God. I knew that my life was in his hands and that nothing could happen to me except that which God allowed and I knew God wasn’t done using me on this earth so I had nothing to fear.

This is how God wants us to go through life – with a peaceful calm that comes from deep-rooted faith and trust in God – in his goodness – in his protection – in his care. Maybe God has allowed you to be in a scary situation.

  • Maybe you got a report from the doctor that isn’t so good – or maybe there’s been talk at your work of downsizing – and you’re scared. Well, have you ever thought that God may be testing your faith? How will you choose to respond? In John 6:5-6 Jesus ask’s Philip where they would find bread to feed the 5,000 men that had come to hear Jesus preach (never mind all the women and children). He asked Philip this to test him – to see how he would respond – in faith or in fear. Well Philip freaked out! Buy bread for these people? Are you kidding? It would take more than half a year’s wages just for each person to have one bite! Jesus is like: Aiiinnt! Wrong answer! He looks around at his other disciples to see how they would respond. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus is like: Now you’re talking. To offer five small barley loaves and two small fish as a potential solution to feed 5,000 men (and many more women and children) was a response of faith! Philip failed the test. Andrew passed the test. Who do you relate to more? Philip or Andrew? Do you freak out or respond in faith?
  • If you’re considering tithing, no doubt you are scared to take this step of obedience. If that’s you, let me encourage you with this: As Abraham literally took steps of faith up one side of the mountain, God’s provision was trotting up the other side. In the same way, as you step out in faith to honor God in this area of your life, God will simultaneously line up your provision. God says in Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Not only does God test us, but when it comes to the tithe, He invites US to test HIM! Every time you get paid, it’s a test. Will you respond in fear (if I give to God there won’t be enough for me) or faith (I’m going to return to God what is rightfully His and trust Him to provide everything I need)?
  • Maybe you’re scared to invite a friend or coworker or family member to church. You are so afraid of what they will think of you and of how they might respond. Fear of rejection is holding you back. But why assume a negative response? Since you don’t know either way, why not assume a positive one? This would be a faith filled approach, which the Bible says honors God greatly.

Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:6 says “…and without faith it is impossible to please God…” Friends – God is pleased when we respond to life’s obstacles and opportunities in faith and not fear. When we live our life in faith God becomes Jehovah Jireh our Provider. When in faith, we trust God to provide our needs, he does.

Answer this question in your heart: are you passing the faith test? Where in your life does God need to replace fear with faith?