Making Time to Make a Difference

Romans 5:8(NASB) ⁸But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Several years ago I was preaching a revival on Long Island in New York. The meetings were unusual in that they began the night after Christmas and continued through New Year’s Eve. As everyone knows, New Year’s Eve in New York is an amazing event. However, instead of spending our time at Times Square, we were at a small church in the midst of millions of people.

After the service that New Year’s Eve, we spent the rest of the time talking and praying until just after midnight. Shortly after the new year began, we made our way to eat breakfast in a local restaurant. During our meal, a fight among two rival groups broke out in the streets right outside of where we were eating. Very few people in the restaurant even seemed to notice.

From where I was sitting I could see that there were police nearby sitting in cars. I was stunned. Why didn’t they stop the violence? The minister I was with assured me that it was safer for the police to pick up the pieces than to break up the fight.

Later that morning, as I prepared to go to bed, my mind was still racing. The pieces left behind in the fight were people - broken, battered, and bruised. They were created in the image of God. And Jesus had died for them. Most of these were young men who had lost a sense of purpose and were grasping for something that would redefine them. That night I wondered how many hundreds and thousands of other people were lost in the struggle of discovery having never heard of the love, forgiveness, and abundant life offered by Jesus.

Every soul is important to Jesus Christ. He came for the purpose of revolutionizing the lives of each individual. Luke 19:10(NASB) ¹⁰"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus left us with the mission of sharing the eternal hope that can be found in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:20(NASB) ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

That night I asked the question. How many of us are making the time to appeal to others and beg them to be reconciled to God so that their lives may be morphed by His wonderful mercy and love? Or how many of us just wait to pick up the pieces, making time for everything else in our lives without giving a thought to sharing Hope with someone else? With those questions in mind, I penned this poem.

ALONE IN THE SOLITUDE OF TIME

Alone in the solitude of time

watching the busy day go by,

Through the alley and the streets

the children run unnoticed

and untouched by a loving hand.

Searching and seeking to find answers

to the fairytales of life

only to find reality too soon.

Never young and never happy,

too busy to be a person

yet too afraid to stop and try.

But to find that time moves on

and the time of youth vanishes

without knowing the meaning of life.

Grown to be against us,

Yet, God chose them to be for us.

But which of us has shown him love?

And which of us has shown him life?

The life of truth and good,

The life of light and love,

Or which of us have stayed,

Alone in the solitude of time

watching the busy day passing by?

God loved us so much that He demonstrated it on the cross. Today, let’s choose to love Him so much that we will demonstrate it by sharing the Hope of the world with others. The world is depending on it.

Replacing Habits

We seem to be creatures of habit. I have often heard the phrase, "Practice makes Perfect." In reality practice only makes the action, whether correct or incorrect, a consistent part of our life. The practices become automatic. They become so reflexive that we become unaware that they are a part of our daily actions.

Many people, when they hear the word habit immediately think of ones that are bad. The context of the words "bad habit" denotes a wide range of negative behavior. A negative habit is anything that inhibits Christian growth. Usually omitting growth leads us to offend others, but most definitely puts us in the position as an offender of God. Bad habits rob us of positive energy for negative results. As we surrender all to Jesus, we must conclude that our habits are a part of that.

The Scripture calls on us to "walk in newness of life." (Rom.6:4) The newness incorporates a change in us, which moves us from anything which is negative to those things that are positive. Changes are sometimes difficult but possible. God will work through us to bring our lives into line with what pleases Him, and benefits us.

When we’re thinking about changing to good habits, we need to remember these eight things.

1. We need to commit our life to Jesus Christ or reexamine our commitment to Jesus Christ. (Rom. 13:14)

2. We need to understand that we can change because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)

3. We need to be specific and identify the non-glorifying habit(s) that needs to be changed. Remember the cures are neither instantaneous nor easy. (Rom. 7:24)

4. We need to confess our bad habit(s) to the Lord as sin and ask for His forgiveness. (1 John 1:9)

5. We need to choose to take a stand with God. (Josh.24:15)

6. We need to replace bad habits with good principles. (Eph. 4:20-32)

7. We need to make it a daily habit to read the Bible, memorize Scripture, and pray. (2 Tim. 2:15)

8. We need to develop a buddy system or accountability group to help us stay focused. (Prov. 21:17, Eccl. 4:12)

We are told that it takes 21 days to instill a good habit into our lives. Let’s do an inventory and begin to replace those habits in our lives which don’t bring God the highest glory to ones which will bring Him the glory. We already know that whatever brings God the greatest glory in and through our lives, brings us the highest good.

Striving to do better because I want to give Him Glory!

The Square Box

As children there are many times that we want to do something and we assume that the excellence which we see in someone else can be copied quickly and without all the effort that’s necessary to become a craftsman. I can remember one time when I wanted to build some furniture like my dad was building that he had a prerequisite for me. He suggested that my very first serious project should be to build a perfectly square box.

Inside, I was frustrated. I believed that building something as simple as a box was way below my skill level. The challenge was not that great, so the effort I put into completing the challenge wasn’t that great either. When I confidently presented my box to him, I found out that my quick attempt to build the square box was a failure.

In assuming the simplicity, I neglected the craftsmanship. Oh, it was a box, but not truly square. You see I had looked at the task that I was given as being beneath my skill level, undemanding, and really unnecessary. I didn’t see the values he was trying to instruct me in.

Are we disappointed in life when God asks us to do something that we consider having gone far beyond earlier? Do we consider the simple task as something which requires much less than our best?

We need to understand that the Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. There are no parts to that plan which are unnecessary, demeaning, or undemanding. The "Oh, I can already do that" mentality will get us into trouble very fast. We will carelessly listen to directions, half-heartedly attempt the task, or rush right past the teachable moment.

We see the disaster of this approach with Joshua and the Hebrew people when they rushed to battle with Ai. It seemed so simple that they did not seek seriously the input of God. A simple, supposed victory turned into a horrific defeat (Joshua 6-7).

When we start living out the truths of God’s Word, we will find that even the simple things require a full measure of faith and trust in the Father. To truly love others the way Jesus tells us to love requires a personal connection with Him.

When Jesus said to, "Love our enemy," that doesn’t make sense. Further, He informed His followers to carry a Roman soldiers burden for an extra mile. Surely, as a Christian did this joyfully, it would raise the questions that would allow for the sharing of the Good News. It is interesting to see that by the end of the first century there was a church in practically ever city that had a Roman outpost. Had the simple act of obedience and the witness of the love for Christ changed the entire known world? (Matthew 5:41,44)

One of the most beautiful things with Christianity is that Christ says, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." He will teach us to be the craftsmen that He needs, in order to bring Him glory. (Matthew 4:19)

Lord help me not to think of the task you give me as simple and therefore failing to give my best and forfeiting the benefits. Teach me to be the craftsman you want me to be.