Deciding to follow Jesus is not a decision we make flippantly. When we commit to Him, we commit to His ways and not our own. We release any of our worldly hopes and dreams and make way for His all-surpassing plans of magnificence for our lives. We surrender it all. (Or at least we are supposed to.)
Following Jesus is a sacrifice of all our selfish preferences. It applies to all areas of our lives and not just some. A lot of Christians are good at sacrificing in some areas over others, and think they've done enough. But Jesus asks for it all.
Over the next few days, I plan to go over some of the basic areas in our life that we should concentrate on sacrificing to Jesus, as He sacrificed Himself for us.
Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (ESV)
Time
No matter what we do, we should always be bringing our focus on Jesus. We should not be engaged in anything that takes away from Him. We should be very careful with the way we spend our time, because we will never get it back. And we never know how much time we really have left.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (ESV)
When we are spending time with our friends, we should be making an effort to strengthen fellow believers and lead others to get to know Jesus! We should be jumping at every opportunity to do these things, even when we feel like we would rather just take a nap. Would you miss out on an opportunity to see someone saved or built up for sake of 2 hours of your time? I wouldn't want to risk it.
What if your friend calls you up having a really hard time with something? Would you offer to go and spend time with them? Or would you try to fit it into your predetermined schedule? Sometimes we even have to sacrifice time with no forewarning. It is impossible to put life down on a concrete schedule with all its complexities. Be the kind of person who will sacrifice your time for others' needs, in whatever respect.
Lastly and most importantly, we all need to be making time to spend one-on-one in relationship with Jesus. That is where our definition, meaning, and clarity in life come from! What changes us is the time we spend getting to know our savior in an intimate way. He reveals things to each of our hearts personally. Also we need to be able to take time to worship Him and get our mind away from the ways of the world and onto the realities of Heaven!
This week, consciously take note of how you are spending your time and how it is affecting you. Is there something more you can do to glorify Jesus? Are you being stingy with others (and or Jesus!) for sake of your "relaxation" time? It is always more rewarding spending your time Jesus' way. He loves you and wants your entire heart, all that you can offer. Give it to Him. I promise you won't regret it!
Following Jesus is a sacrifice of all our selfish preferences. It applies to all areas of our lives and not just some. A lot of Christians are good at sacrificing in some areas over others, and think they've done enough. But Jesus asks for it all.
Over the next few days, I plan to go over some of the basic areas in our life that we should concentrate on sacrificing to Jesus, as He sacrificed Himself for us.
Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (ESV)
Time
No matter what we do, we should always be bringing our focus on Jesus. We should not be engaged in anything that takes away from Him. We should be very careful with the way we spend our time, because we will never get it back. And we never know how much time we really have left.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (ESV)
When we are spending time with our friends, we should be making an effort to strengthen fellow believers and lead others to get to know Jesus! We should be jumping at every opportunity to do these things, even when we feel like we would rather just take a nap. Would you miss out on an opportunity to see someone saved or built up for sake of 2 hours of your time? I wouldn't want to risk it.
What if your friend calls you up having a really hard time with something? Would you offer to go and spend time with them? Or would you try to fit it into your predetermined schedule? Sometimes we even have to sacrifice time with no forewarning. It is impossible to put life down on a concrete schedule with all its complexities. Be the kind of person who will sacrifice your time for others' needs, in whatever respect.
Lastly and most importantly, we all need to be making time to spend one-on-one in relationship with Jesus. That is where our definition, meaning, and clarity in life come from! What changes us is the time we spend getting to know our savior in an intimate way. He reveals things to each of our hearts personally. Also we need to be able to take time to worship Him and get our mind away from the ways of the world and onto the realities of Heaven!
This week, consciously take note of how you are spending your time and how it is affecting you. Is there something more you can do to glorify Jesus? Are you being stingy with others (and or Jesus!) for sake of your "relaxation" time? It is always more rewarding spending your time Jesus' way. He loves you and wants your entire heart, all that you can offer. Give it to Him. I promise you won't regret it!
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