Time with the Lord

Do you know that if you spend 1 1/2 hrs. at church a week that is only about 1% of the time he has given you for the week? If you tithe that time and spend 10% you would spend about 2 1/2 hrs. per day-reading the word, praying, going to fellowship functions, witnessing in some way, worshiping etc. I don't necessarily think God expects us to be legalistic re. that but it does give perspective. I also think that our heart attitude counts-if we go through the day offering up prayer, thanksgiving, praise to the Lord we are putting in time with him. Who better to walk through the day with. Remember the word says to "pray at all times".

Two of my "heroes" are my daughters-they do this and they are an example of how a Godly woman walks & talks & always a challenge to me to walk in an upright manner before the Lord. As proud as I am of their accomplishments, I am most proud of the relationship with the Lord that they exhibit. God honors the righteous so I can know each day they are covered in whatever they do. One of the greatest blessings in my life has been to have Godly children-children who help others with no second thought (my eldest son has a wonderful gift of "helping"), children who will travel to faraway lands to spread the love of God, children who honor the Lord and live righteous lives. As I watch them nurture their children in the ways of God I see marvelous examples of his spirit shining through the children.

So much around us today is tainted with worldly, unrighteous, hideous examples of what people can be who are not grounded in the Word. TV is rampant with real-life examples of this on the news & even more so is flooded with ungodly behavior in programming. "Garbage in, garbage out" is a well known phrase about what we put in our minds and what then manifests in our lives. If you soak up negative ungodly examples long enough you begin to believe that is the way you should live & that is the way everyone lives. You can find so much material in the video store & the bookstore to pollute your mind! If you would be uncomfortable with Jesus reading over your shoulder or viewing what you do-maybe your spirit is telling you there is a better way! Were there movies & TV in Jesus' day I wonder how much he would have given a G rating? One of the most infiltrating ways our mind is affected is by music. Much of the secular music today is filled with horrible lyrics, but listening regularly to spiritual songs can really transform your thinking in a positive way.

The Bible says we are to "be transformed by the renewal of our minds". This must happen every day-not once in a lifetime or once a year or even once a month or week. We must continually have an "attitude adjustment" so that our speech, our actions, and our thoughts are "taken captive to Christ". We are just grown up children. If you look at a child, they imitate what we do, what we say, and they learn what our words & actions teach them. There is a poem that says a child learns what he lives. If we live selfless lives before them, as Christ lived for us, sacrificing our own desires & comforts for that of others, so shall they. Although they will learn bad things in the world, the home is where they spend about 3/4 of their time in the formative years.

Spend time with God today-this week-and reflect on how you can renew your mind, taking it captive to him, and therefore being a Godly example in the world. If we were to add up the hours spent with God & then the hours spent in useless endeavors, glued to the TV for hours, or even just doing nothing we would probably be pretty shocked at ourselves! I do this every once in awhile and it centers me with a new perspective. One of my favorite scriptures is the one about "when I was thirsty you gave me water..." Time spent helping others is time spent for God! It is actually a form of worship if done in a cheerful, loving manner. Yeah, sorry grumbling time doesn't count for much in God's eyes. (Remember the Israelites!)

Here is the BEST part-time joyfully spent with & for God will make you feel SO GOOD! Way better than that off color movie you watched, that sleazy article you read, those hours vegging & feeling sorry for yourself, and even those hours you helped your neighbor all the while muttering to yourself that "you" shouldn't have to do this! It isn't about you! It IS about Jesus & living upright before & because of him!