Excerpts From: The Messenger |
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"For the grace of God ".. (teaches) us that " We should live soberly, righteously, and godly." (Titus 2:11, 12)
Someone, has calculated how a typical lifespan of 70 years is spent. Here is his estimate:
Sleep 23 years 32% Work 16 years 22% TV 8 years 11.4% Eating 6 years 8.6 % Travel 6 years 8.6 % Leisure 4.5 years 6.5 % Illness 4 years 5.7 % Dressing 2 years 2.8 % Religion .5 years 0.7 % Total 70 years 100 %
Folks now, if we knew for sure that our years on earth would be considerably less than the usual threescore and ten, what adjustment would we make in the expenditure of our time? When our time comes to an end, it is like a tale that is told. What kind of story would our life tell? Would it reflect God- honoring priorities or something else?
The Scripture quoted earlier suggests that the grace of God, which brings us salvation, teaches us to live ?soberly, righteously, and godly.? As we allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives, we will be able to distribute our time properly and invest it wisely. Like Moses of old, we must ask God to ?teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom?. (Psalm 90:12)
Even though we are God's children, we also need to be aware of what time it is in our world. The evil one still exercises his control over the hearts of many people. God wants us to "redeem the time," making the most of every opportunity we have to touch the lives of others with His grace and to resist the temptation and overcome the opposition of the evil one. Then the years of our lives will add up to something truly worthwhile.
Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.-- Ephesians 5:15-16
PRAYER:
Give me wisdom, O LORD, to discern the best way to use my time and my
influence. Open my eyes to see the temptation the evil one puts in my path.
Give me courage to boldly stand for you and sensitivity to know
the best way to bless others according to their needs. In
Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Shalom,
Pastor Samuel King-Kabu
This month Pastor Samuel's devotion asks us how our life measures up. What a good question for such a congregation! Most of us are old enough to reflect on that question, and others are embarking on a wonderful ?life? adventure where this might be the time they want to reflect on their future. Let?s face it, here in the western world we are a generation of choice. We choose how we spend our time.
Based on the figures Pastor Samuel has cited: over 50 % of our life will be spent either working or sleeping. That leaves us about 50 % where we can decide to some extent. That is pretty awesome if you ask me. What is even more awesome is that our place of work (or leisure if retired) can also be chosen to be a place of worship.
Os Hillman describes two words ?Avodah? (Ah´-voe-dah) and ?l?Avod? both meaning worship and work. The former is a Hebrew noun and the latter is a verb. The words are used in the Bible and he believes the dual meaning offers powerful wisdom for modern times for how we are to view our lives.
Work, if done with integrity and unto God, is a form of worship in the biblical Hebrew context. There has never been a concept of separating our work from our faith life in the Bible. It is in the realm of the sacred to bring God into our everyday life. Hebrews did not set aside a "day of worship," such as Saturday or Sunday, but everyday is a place and time of worship. They did set aside a Sabbath day of rest.
Os Hillman suggests that it is a western idea to segment one's faith life from one?s work life. The Hebrews may have had an easier time of assimilating their faith into their work because they have always done so. Wouldn?t it be a novel idea perhaps to some of us if we consider that God calls us to do our work as an act of worship to Him
.Our work is not to be a place of sweat and toil, but an expression of our love, faith and adoration of Jesus Christ. When next you spend time working or enjoying a leisure activity why not ask God to help you see it in a new way ? as worship to Him.
"One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike" (Rom 14:5).
The perfect job
My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned...couldn't concentrate.
After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it...mainly because it was a so-so job.
Then I tried to be a chef -- figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.
Next I tried working in a muffler factory but that was too exhausting.
I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining.
I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard.
Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.
Next was a job in a shoe factory; I tried but I just didn't fit in.
So then I got a job in a workout center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.
After many years of trying to find steady work I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it.
I studied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn't have any patience.
My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.
I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.
My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind.
SO I RETIRED AND FOUND I'M PERFECT FOR THE JOB!
Submitted by Rosemarie Grabs
(from a 6-year-old)
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.
He said, ''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' The Six-year-old continued, ''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''
(Contribution from Jette Blair)
Web Page prepared by:
Roger Kenner
& Jette Blair.
Content-New Topics Last Updated: 2010/07/15
St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal