“There is a right time and a right way to do everything, but we know so little!”
Ecclesiastes 8:6 (GNT) In many aspects of your life—from business decisions to your closest relationships—timing can make all the difference. And, as a follower of Christ, its critical for you to stay tuned in to God’s timing. Every great accomplishment involves timing. A successful football catch requires incredible timing between quarterback and receiver. In business, good timing in the market—particularly decisions about hiring and expanding—can mean everything. If you sing, you know how important it is to keep time with the other musicians. In the book called The Purpose Driven Church, in the first chapter, leadership is compared to surfing. No surfer says, “Let’s go make some waves today.” Surfers can’t create waves in the ocean. Only God can do that. Surfers wait for the waves that God creates. That means surfers spend a lot of time waiting. Sometimes they might see a wave and let it go, knowing it’s not the right time. Then the surfer sees just the right wave, starts paddling faster and faster, catches the wave, rides the wave, and gets off the wave without wiping out. Surfing looks easy, but it requires a lot of skill. The same is true in life. You have to develop the skill of timing. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 8:6, “There is a right time and a right way to do everything, but we know so little!” (GNT). There’s a rhythm to life. Learning to do the right thing at the right time takes skill. Christians often call that skill “walking in the Spirit.” The more you grow as a follower of Christ, the better you get at walking in the Spirit. Sometimes God’s Spirit leads you to run fast. Sometimes he leads you to walk slowly. You can live life trying to make your own waves. Or you can learn to see and catch the waves God is making all around you.
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“Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life—they don’t know God.”
1 Timothy 6:21 (TLB) The key to a friendship with God is deciding whose friendship you want most. You don’t have time for everybody to be your best friend. You’ve got to decide who you want most to be your best friend. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:21, “Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life—they don’t know God” (TLB). They know all the baseball scores. They know the stock market quotes. They know the top 10 songs. They know who’s in and who’s out in every soap opera. But they don’t know God. They’ve missed the most important thing in life! If you’re not a friend of God, it means you care about something else more. James 4:4 says, “You should know that loving the world is the same as hating God. Anyone who wants to be a friend of the world becomes God’s enemy” (NCV). When James writes “loving the world,” he means loving the value system of the world. God wants you to love people, but that doesn’t mean you have to love the world’s value system. It’s so easy to get caught up in the distractions of life. And when you love the world’s value system, there’s not much room to love people. Instead, you love materialism. You love pleasure. You love popularity. You love prestige. You love passion, possessions, and position. But God loves people. And he wants you to love them too. One way to show your love of others is by taking an interest in their interests. In other words, what is important to you becomes important to me (always within the context of biblical truth). That’s how you show your love of God too. If you’re going to be a friend of God, then you’ve got to care about what he cares about and stop caring about the things he doesn’t care about. God doesn’t care about your image. He’s not interested in your status. He’s interested in your character—not how you look but who you are. Are you ready to take a practical step toward friendship with God? Choose to value what he values. “Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.”
Philippians 3:8 (NLT) You’re never going to become a friend of God in your spare time. To become his friend, you have to make knowing him your number one priority. Paul says it like this: “Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8 NLT). Are you doing that? Are you seeking God with all your heart every day? Remember: You are as close to God as you choose to be. You’re going to become a friend of God only when you decide you want to become a friend of God. If you feel far from God, guess who moved? You did. You can’t blame anyone else. You can’t blame your spouse, your parents, or your kids. It’s you who didn’t make him the number one priority of your life. Knowing and loving God is humanity’s greatest privilege. And being known and being loved by God is our greatest pleasure. You can tell what’s important to people by what they brag about. If their kids are most important, they brag about their kids. If their job is the most important thing in their life, they brag about their job. If travel and having experiences is most important, that’s what they talk about. If partying or buying new clothes is what you talk about most, guess what you value most? You brag about what you value most. God says in Jeremiah 9:23-24, “The wise should not boast of their wisdom, nor the strong of their strength, nor the rich of their wealth. If any want to boast, they should boast that they know and understand me” (GNT). Knowing God is what matters most—it’s what life is all about. The God of the universe loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. And getting close to him will give you peace and perspective. That’s good news! “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) Why does the Bible say vision is so important in your life? Because “where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). Here are three reasons it’s essential to have a clear vision of God’s purpose for your life. Without God’s vision, there’s indecision. James 1:8 says, “A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things at the same time and can’t make up his mind about anything” (GW). Without God’s vision for your future, you drift and wander through life. You don’t have goals, purpose, or meaning. When you just let life happen to you, you’re not really living! With no vision, you waste time and you miss opportunities. You don’t make the most of what you’ve been given, and that makes you a poor steward of your life. You end up just coasting. And when you’re coasting, you’re always heading downhill. Without God’s vision, there’s division. If you don’t understand God’s vision for your life, how can you expect others to support you in your purpose? In fact, the lack of vision makes you vulnerable to others steering you toward what they think or assume your purpose is. Only God can tell you your purpose because he created you specifically and uniquely to live it out. And only following his vision will allow you to live the abundant life God intends for you. If you aren’t sure where you’re headed, then don’t expect anybody else to go with you. Proverbs 28:2 says, “When the country is in chaos, everybody has a plan to fix it—But it takes a leader of real understanding to straighten things out” (The Message). Vision is the antidote to division. Without God’s vision, there’s collision. For many people, life is just a series of relational confrontations, financial crashes, and personal crises. It’s like a bumper car ride, where you just keep getting hit from all sides. Without God’s clear direction for your life, you will inevitably hit a dead end. The Bible warns of the consequences of not following God’s vision for your life: “Some have refused to let their faith guide their conscience and their faith has been destroyed like a wrecked ship” (1 Timothy 1:19 GW). Getting God’s vision for your life requires prayer, careful thought, and a continual effort to hear God’s voice. It’s the result of seeing things clearly, with eyes of faith rather than eyes of fear. When your faith guides your conscience, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of how to move forward with purpose. “O Lord, now I have heard your report, and I worship you in awe."
Habakkuk 3:2 (TLB) Do you ever wonder how to hear God speak when you pray? One of the best ways is by worshiping him as you pray. Another is by developing a friendship with him. First, let’s look at worshiping God through prayer. Start by thanking him for being part of your life and for being interested in the details of your life. Pray like Habakkuk: “O Lord, now I have heard your report, and I worship you in awe” (Habakkuk 3:2 TLB). When God gives you a vision or a dream, or shows you what he wants you to do, thank him for answering your prayer. That’s part of worshiping God. Second, develop a friendship with him and get to know him. Prayer isn’t a monologue; it’s a dialogue. It’s a conversation with God. God hears you when you pray; he answers you when you ask questions. He wants to talk with you every day. And when you faithfully talk with God throughout the day, it will revolutionize your life. There are three levels of knowing God: recognition, acquaintance, and friendship. At the recognition level, you know God is there, but you don’t really know him personally. At the acquaintance level, you know God a little, but you don’t know him very well. God wants you to live at the friendship level, where you are familiar with each other and talk regularly. God wants to have a continuous conversation with you. As you spend time in prayer, worshiping God and developing a friendship with him, you’ll learn how to hear and recognize his voice. “I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed. But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold."
Job 23:8-10 (NLT) God has promised repeatedly, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5 GNT). Yet God has not promised that you will always feel his presence. In fact, God acknowledges that sometimes he hides his face (see Isaiah 45:15). There are times when he appears to be missing-in-action in your life. This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. Every Christian goes through it at least once. It is painful and confusing, but it is absolutely vital for the development of your faith. This knowledge gave Job hope when he could not feel God’s presence in his life. He said, “I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed. But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold” (Job 23:8-10 NLT). When God seems distant, you may feel that he is angry with you or is disciplining you for some sin. In fact, sin does disconnect you from intimate fellowship with God. You grieve God’s Spirit and diminish your fellowship with him by disobedience, conflict with others, busyness, friendship with the world, and other sins (see Psalm 51; Ephesians 4:29-30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; Jeremiah 2:32; 1 Corinthians 8:12; James 4:4). But often this feeling of abandonment or separation from God has nothing to do with sin. It is a test of faith, one all believers must face: Will you continue to love, trust, obey, and worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his work in your life? The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if that feeling happens, they conclude that they have worshiped. But God often removes feelings so you won’t depend on them. Instead, he wants to draw you into a deeper relationship with him. “The LORD is near to all who call on him."
Psalm 145:18 (NIV) God isn’t far away. In fact, it’s just the opposite. He’s as close as your next heartbeat. He’s right there with you every moment. The Bible says, “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27 NIV). You might feel like God is a million miles away. But your feelings and reality don’t always match. The truth is, God is with you right now. Here are three truths about your heavenly Father: He is never too busy for you. Sometimes you get too busy for God. But he never gets too busy for you. That’s the kind of love he has for you. Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him” (NIV). Every time you call, God is near. He thinks about you a lot more than you think about him. He thought about you before you were born and thinks about you every moment of every day. He loves to meet your needs. He doesn’t do it begrudgingly—he loves it! Matthew 7:11 says, “If you . . . know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (NIV) Simply enjoy the fact that God loves giving good gifts to you. He is sympathetic to your hurts. If you’re going through something tough this week, you may need this verse: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 NIV). God is sympathetic. He’s not standing on the sidelines. He’s present in your pain. God is close to you, and he understands what you’re going through. Turn to him; he’s already there waiting for you! “Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths in your law."
Psalm 119:18 (GNT) The Bible is filled with countless examples of people getting God’s vision, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Miriam, Esther, Daniel, Jonah, Ruth, Micah, and Mary. Seeing God’s vision for your life is a wonderful thing! God often uses a mental picture to clarify the next step he wants you to take. This doesn't need to be explained to those who are visual thinkers. Maybe that’s you. When you read a story in the Bible, you can see it in 3D and vivid color. When you read a book, you can picture the story in your mind. But for the rest of us, it’s a little harder. Many of us are not visual thinkers. We tend to think in words, not pictures. So how do you get God’s vision if you’re not a visual thinker? First, ask God a specific question. In your quiet time, after you’ve read the Bible and prayed, just be quiet and wait before God. You could ask, “God, is there anything you want to say to me?” And then you wait. Then ask, “God, is there anything I need to know that I’m not thinking about?” And then you wait. James 1:5 says, “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking” (CEV). God wants you to ask him for advice, and he wants you to be specific. He’s waiting for you to ask! Second, read God’s Word to discover what God wants to say to you. Psalm 119:18 is a great verse to memorize: “Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths in your law” (GNT). It’s also a perfect verse to pray as you open God’s Word. Every answer to every problem you have is in that book. But you’ve got to read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it as you seek God’s vision—for your life or even just for today. “You will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him."
Deuteronomy 4:29 (NLT) You’re not going to hear God unless you really, really want to. God doesn’t tell his dream for your life if you want to debate it. God doesn’t tell his vision for your life if you want to discuss it. God doesn’t tell you what he put you on Earth to do just so you can say, “Let me think about it.” No! It’s got to be a necessity. You have to say, “I’ve got to know why I’m here. I’ve got to know what you want me to do with my life. I’ve got to hear your voice. I’ve got to have your vision.” King David wrote in the book of Psalms, “My God, I want to do what you want” (Psalm 40:8 NCV) and “What I want most of all and at all times is to honor your laws” (Psalm 119:20 CEV). David was passionate in his declaration that what he wanted most of all was to honor God. Being obedient and following God were not options for him. They were the only thing David wanted to do. He used phrases for seeking God like, “I long for it,” “I crave it,” “I hunger for it,” and “I’m like a deer panting for water.” When you get that desperate, you’re going to hear from God. A lot of people talk to God but never hear from God. For them, prayer is a monologue. But you can’t have a relationship through a monologue. What if I had married my wife and talked to her, but she never talked to me? That’s not a relationship. You’ve got to have a conversation. Just as important as talking to God in prayer is listening to God and letting him talk to you. How does that happen? First, you’ve got to want it more than anything else. Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “You will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him” (NLT). It’s guaranteed! “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
Luke 21:33 (NIV) Sometimes it’s hard to recognize God’s voice. When an idea comes into your mind, you wonder if it’s an instruction from God, a deception from Satan, or just something you want to do. But it’s important to know how to discern God’s voice, because it can have eternal consequences. A lot of evil gets blamed on God when people say, “God told me to do it!” The Bible says in 1 John 4:1, “Don’t always believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it really is” (TLB). God will never contradict his Word. So you can ask yourself: “Does that idea in my mind right now agree with the Bible?” God doesn’t say one thing and then change his mind and say something else. If he said it, it’s true—and it will always be true. God is consistent. He isn’t moody. He doesn’t change his mind. He will never tell you to violate a principle that he’s already given in his Word, the Bible. So, when you’re wondering whether you’re hearing God’s voice, the first question you need to ask is, “Does this thought line up with what God has already said?” If what you’re thinking contradicts something that God has already said in the Bible, then you know it’s wrong. Jesus said in Luke 21:33, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (NIV). God’s Word is eternal, because truth never changes. If something was true 5,000 years ago, it was true 1,000 years ago, it is true today, and it will be true 5,000 years from today. People might say, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” No! God said it, and that settles it—whether you believe it or not! God won’t contradict himself. So, when you’re trying to recognize his voice, the best starting place is to ask yourself, “Is this idea in harmony with the Word of God?” |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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