July 22, 2014

Calling As At Other Times, Post #40

“Here I am; You called me.”  It’s a scripture response and passage you may have heard before, but I just noticed five words of this profound Bible story I had never paid attention to before.

 “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. ..

Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.’ And he ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’ But Eli said, ‘I did not call; go back and lie down.’ So he went and lay down.

God called him again. Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, ‘Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” –1 Samuel 3:1, 4-11 NIV84

Did you notice it? The Lord came and stood there, calling as at other times…That phrase hit me over the head.

God talks with us all the time, yet we are so distracted, we do not listen. Or we may think it’s someone/something else, not God. It took Eli to prepare Samuel to really listen the next time the Lord “came and stood there” and called him. How often do we blow off the Eli’s in our lives and dismiss their insight?

Who is an Eli in your life, who can help you  focus on God, preparing you to listen to Him calling you? The Lord is talking to you, calling your name, calling as at other times. Listen to God, and listen to your “Eli”, so you can listen to Him.

Thank God for the intentional times to slow us down and help us hear the Lord speaking. “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Reflect:

–Do you find that your world is noisy, distracted, hard to hear God? Please comment.

–Who is an Eli in your life? Please comment.

Renew:

–“And the Lord said to Samuel: ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.’ …The Lord was will Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.” –1 Samuel 3: 11, 19-20 NIV 84

–“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” –Psalm 46:10 NIV84

Recharge:

–What will you do this week to quiet yourself, focus, and listen? Shhh… can you hear Him calling as at other times?

July 8, 2014

What is Your Self-Worth Worth? Post #38

You may have heard this story before. It bears repeating. May it touch your soul as it does mine.

“A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.

In the room of 200 he asked, ‘Who would like this $20 bill?’

Hands started going up.

He said, ‘I am going to give it to someone, but first let me do this.’ He proceeded to crumple up the bill. He then asked, ‘Who still wants it?’

Still the hands went up in the air.

‘Well,’ he replied, ‘what if I do this?’ And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

‘Now who still wants it?’ he asked.

Again the hands went into the air.

‘My friends, ‘ he continued, ‘we have all learned a valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

‘Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We sometimes feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what happens to you, you will never lose your value–dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to God (your Creator) and to those who love you.’

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or whom we know, but by WHO WE ARE.

To the whole world, each of us is a ‘nobody’–but to somebody, each of us is the whole world.

Reflect:

–How can you relate to this story? Please comment.

Renew:

–“Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.” –Proverbs 16:13 NIV84

–“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.” –Proverbs 31:1-2

–“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” –Matthew 10:30-31 NIV84

Recharge:

–Name three people you will encourage this week and let them know how much you value and appreciate them.

July 1, 2014

1440 Minutes, Post #37

Each day, each of us is given the same gift of 24 hours…1440 minutes. July 1st, our 182nd day of the year (the halfway mark eve), is a good time to reflect on time and how we use it.

Let’s ponder a typical day. Perhaps you work fulltime outside the home. At least eight hours (480 minutes) is removed from your 24-hour day.  How long is your commute to and from work? Would you say another hour (60 minutes) is knocked off?

Sleep needs to be factored in—how about seven hours of sleep (420 minutes)?  That leaves eight hours for family and leisure time.

According to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor 2013 Statistics, 83 percent of American women and 65 percent of men spent at least two hours (120 minutes) daily doing household activities such as housework, cooking, lawn care, or financial and other household management.

Adults living in households with children under age 6 spent an average of two hours (120 minutes) per day providing primary childcare to household children. Adults, living in households where the youngest child was between the ages of 6 and 17, spent less than half as much time providing primary childcare to household children–47 minutes per day. 

This next statistic pains me to tell you. The average American watches 2.8 hours of TV per day (let’s round up to three hours or 180 minutes), accounting for more than half of leisure time, on average, for those age 15 and over.  Factor in time on the computer or Ipad and it increases.

It’s time to add these hours and minutes up…

24  (1440)
-8   (-480)  work
-1    (-60)   commute
-7    (-420)  sleep
-2    (-120) household activities
-2    (-120) childcare
-3    (-180) TV/computer!!!
 1  =   60 minutes remaining

Are you as startled as I am that only one hour remains in our day, after all those activities? Granted, we have not even factored in showering, eating, and even using the bathroom!

How can we be more cognizant of how we spend our time (and the appropriate verb is “spent” since we are not able to regain time)?

Let’s do our best to turn our televisions off or at least do a “television fast” for a week or two. I have a few friends who don’t even have televisions in their homes.

Let’s go outside with our families and friends, enjoying the early daylight and longer evenings, when it’s cooler outside. Swimming, boating, bikeriding, playing games, hula hooping, kayaking, canoeing, walking the beach or walking around our neighborhoods are all wonderful, memorable ways to savor these moments.

Let’s watch the sunrise and sunset, gaze up at the sparkling stars set upon the inky blue sky.

Let’s awaken a few minutes earlier and spend some quiet time reading our Bibles and writing in our Gratitude Journals.

Let’s volunteer, give back, make a difference. Time is of the essence.

Reflect:

–How will you choose to spend your time differently? Please comment.

–What are some ways you spend time wisely for you and your family? Please comment.

Renew:

–“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…He has made everything beautiful in its time..I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.” –Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11, 12 NIV84

–“I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” –2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV84

Recharge:

–What will you change this week in the way you spend your time?

Resource:

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm

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