Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180012A
|
00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls. 00:13 And to be diligent to present yourself approved to God 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is 00:27 "Stewardship Motives of the Heart." 00:32 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:35 I'm Jill Morikone, and we're delighted 00:37 that you're taking time to open up God's Word 00:39 with us and study together. 00:41 It's hard to believe 00:42 we are almost at the end of the quarter. 00:44 We are on lesson number 12, we only have one more week. 00:48 In our lesson this, 00:50 this week is on the habits of a steward, 00:53 the habit of seeking God first, 00:56 of looking for the return of Jesus, 00:58 of using our time wisely. 01:01 I need to learn that, of keeping a healthy mind, 01:04 body and soul and the habit of self-discipline. 01:07 So if you don't have a quarterly, 01:09 you can go to the website, 01:10 ABSG.Adventist.org 01:14 that stands for Adult Bible Study Guide 01:17 dot Adventist dot org. 01:19 And you can download the lesson and follow along with us 01:22 or you can always visit 01:24 your local Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:25 and get a copy. 01:27 Right now I want to introduce our wonderful panel 01:29 that we have here. 01:30 Sitting next to me... 01:31 Sitting next to me, 01:33 this is a blessing, my husband, Greg. 01:34 Good to be here. 01:35 Good to have you here and then Shelley Quinn, 01:37 Mollie Steenson and Pastor John Lomacang. 01:40 And it's always a privilege 01:41 to open up the Word of God together and to share. 01:44 Before we go any further, let's open up with prayer. 01:47 And, sweetheart, would you pray for us? 01:48 Sure. Yes, I'd be happy to. 01:49 Father in Heaven Lord, 01:51 what a privilege it is to open Your word. 01:53 And, Lord, we just ask 01:54 for Your Holy Spirit to be with us 01:57 during this important study. 01:59 And Lord, I just pray for those that are viewing and listening, 02:01 Lord that they would also be in-tuned to Your Holy Spirit 02:05 as You speak to each one of us everyday. 02:08 Lord again, we thank You for Your word 02:09 and we thank You for Jesus Christ 02:11 and in His name we pray, amen. 02:13 Amen. 02:14 We're talking about the habits of a steward. 02:17 So I looked up, "What is a habit?" 02:20 The dictionary says, 02:22 "It's a routine of behavior that's repeated regularly 02:26 and tends to occur subconsciously." 02:29 So a habit is something that's so ingrained, 02:32 we're not even really thinking about what we're doing. 02:35 When the alarm rings in the morning, 02:38 you jump out of bed or hit the snooze. 02:40 That's a habit, right? You're either... 02:42 You hear that noise 02:43 and I'm gonna hit the snooze or I jump out of bed, 02:45 either one is a habit 02:46 and we become ingrained in that. 02:48 Think about walking. 02:50 When I stand up from this chair, 02:51 I'm not gonna think, 02:53 "Does the right foot go first or the left foot?" 02:55 In fact, I can't even tell you 02:56 which foot I usually start with. 02:58 We just know, the feet move, the legs move, the arms move, 03:02 it's a learned habit that we have learned. 03:05 What about if someone yells at you? 03:09 Now your natural inclination or learned behavior, habit. 03:14 Some people might cry, 03:15 some people might get in their face and yell back, 03:18 some people might sit back and listen. 03:22 Either one of those responses would be a learned habit. 03:26 There's a quote in the lesson on Sabbath. 03:28 This is from fourth volume of the Testimonies page, 452. 03:31 It says 03:33 "We shall be individually for time and eternity 03:37 what our habits make us. 03:40 The lives of those 03:41 who form right habits and are faithful 03:43 in their performance of every duty 03:46 would be as shining lights, 03:48 shedding bright beams upon the pathway of others." 03:51 So we're gonna talk today about some of the habits 03:53 that we have to develop as stewards of God. 03:57 Let's read our memory text. 03:59 We're in Psalms 119 verses 9 through 11. 04:03 This has taken from the New King James Version 04:04 of the Bible. 04:06 We'll read together here. 04:07 "How can a young man cleanse his way? 04:10 By taking heed according to Your word. 04:14 With my whole heart I have sought You, 04:18 Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments. 04:21 Your word I have hidden in my heart, 04:25 that I might not sin against You." 04:29 On Sunday we look at the habit of seeking God first, 04:33 to seek God first. 04:35 You know, if you think about the development of a habit... 04:38 Greg and I, we were in Florida a couple years ago, 04:41 we went to the Zoo. 04:42 Now when you go to the zoo, 04:43 my favorite place at the zoo was the big cats. 04:46 You have the lions and the tigers, 04:49 you have the leopards. 04:51 This particular cage, but it was a big cage, 04:54 it was the leopard cage. 04:56 Now he had a lot of room to roam, 04:58 even though I don't like seeing them caged up, 05:00 but he did have a large cage for a zoo. 05:02 But when Greg and I were there, 05:04 he walked on one side down this way, 05:06 turned around and he came back, 05:08 then he went down this way 05:10 and he turned around and he came back. 05:12 The whole time we stood there. 05:14 Down this way, he turned around and he came back. 05:17 Now the grass in his cage was lush and green 05:20 and beautiful and the whole cage, 05:21 except for where he was walking. 05:23 There was no grass. 05:24 And it was not just dirt packed, 05:26 it was actually, had formed a rut. 05:29 It was a depression in the ground. 05:32 To me that's a habit. 05:33 We do this, we come back. 05:35 We do this... 05:36 Whatever it is, it can be a good habit, 05:38 it can be a bad habit, 05:39 but it's something that's developed, 05:40 it almost forms a rut as it were in the mind. 05:44 And so if we look at the concept 05:45 of seeking God first, 05:46 if you are not used to seeking God first, 05:49 we can develop a new habit. 05:51 We can get out of that rut 05:53 and begin walk in a different way 05:56 and pretty soon the grass is gonna grow 05:58 where the old rut used to be, 06:00 and we can form a new rut 06:02 that would be seeking God first and that's the beautiful thing. 06:05 God can enable us to develop new habits. 06:08 Let's look at Matthew 6:33. 06:10 If you think of seeking God first, 06:12 this is the first verse that comes to mind. 06:14 Matthew 6:33. 06:17 "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, 06:22 and all these things shall be added to you." 06:25 In the Greek for seek it means, 06:26 to seek, to search for desire or strive after. 06:31 We are to seek or strive after God, 06:35 first and foremost above everything. 06:37 I want to talk today in my time 06:39 about four keys to seeking God first 06:43 or four keys to developing a habit to seek God first. 06:48 First would be in Matthew 22:37. 06:51 This would be love God supremely. 06:54 Love God supremely. Matthew 22... 06:56 We're already in Matthew, 06:57 just turned over to a couple chapters. 06:59 Matthew 22:37. 07:04 Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God 07:06 with all your heart, with all your soul, 07:09 with all your mind." 07:11 This is the first and great commandment. 07:15 We are to love God supremely. 07:20 It talks about in here three different parts of us. 07:23 You could say that we're to love God with. 07:24 What does it say? 07:26 Love God with our heart, love God with our soul, 07:30 love God with our mind. 07:33 The word in the Greek for heart 07:35 is used over 800 times in scripture. 07:39 It's never referred 07:40 to as the literal heart that pumps. 07:42 It's, in scripture it's referred to as the center 07:45 or the seat of our spiritual life, 07:49 heart, our mind, our character as it were. 07:54 Love God with your character, your mind. 07:58 We also love God with our soul and that word in the Greek 08:00 is similar to our word psychology. 08:04 And it means a person's distinct identity 08:06 or their personality. 08:07 So we don't just love God with our character as it were 08:11 or the place where the seed of our spiritual life is, 08:14 we also love God with just who we are. 08:16 We all have a different way, a different personality 08:19 but we love God in the midst of that. 08:22 And then finally, the mind. 08:23 And in the Greek that means critical thinking, 08:26 thorough reasoning, 08:28 incorporate both sides of a matter 08:30 to reach a conclusion. 08:32 So some people love God emotionally, right? 08:35 Just from the heart, 08:37 but yet you put critical thinking aside. 08:39 Some people only analyze and think about God 08:43 but they neglect the emotional side. 08:45 But we have to love God with everything we have, 08:48 both the thinking, the emotion, who we are as a person, 08:51 everything combined. 08:53 Number two. 08:55 How do we develop this habit of seeking God first? 08:57 Don't allow anything between you and God. 09:01 Exodus 20:3, that commandment, 09:03 "You shall have no other gods before me." 09:06 So this passage... 09:08 You know, what's interesting? 09:09 We don't pick our days for a lesson, 09:11 they are always assigned. 09:12 And it seems like, 09:13 I always get the day that I most need. 09:16 And when I think about this, what gods do we put between... 09:21 I'm saying little "g," what gods, 09:24 do we put between us and God? 09:27 What about my time? And I'm talking to myself here. 09:30 Do I spend more time? 09:32 What percentage of time do I spend in the Word of God, 09:35 in prayer with Jesus verses doing something else, 09:40 doing something worldly pursuits, 09:42 doing something to please myself? 09:44 If I do more for myself, that's not seeking God first, 09:47 that's seeking my own pleasure 09:49 or my own pursuits instead of God. 09:51 What about my talents? 09:53 Are the skill and ability 09:55 that God has given to each one of us, 09:56 do we put that for selfish means 09:59 or selfish pursuits, or are we seeking God first, 10:02 then we give everything 10:03 we have to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. 10:07 What about the money that God has entrusted to me? 10:10 Do I spend it on spreading the gospel 10:12 or do I spend it over here on myself? 10:15 What about the things I look at and the things I listen to, 10:18 all of that? 10:20 This principle of seeking God first comes 10:23 into every area of our lives. 10:28 Third, we act intentionally. Third, we act intentionally. 10:33 Ephesians 5:15 and 16 says, 10:36 "See then that you walk circumspectly." 10:40 The word in Greek for circumspectfully means 10:42 carefully with exactness. 10:45 "Not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, 10:50 because the days are evil." 10:53 If I'm going to see God first, sweetheart, 10:55 I need to act intentionally about it. 10:58 If I just say 10:59 "Okay, I want to follow God but I don't make a plan 11:01 and I don't have any sort 11:03 of specific intentions about it, 11:05 what's gonna happen?" 11:06 I'll probably do my own thing. 11:07 I'll do my own way, I'll go my own, 11:10 instead of making a specific plan 11:11 and it's a choice. 11:13 It is a choice. 11:14 So act intentionally for God 11:17 and to seek God first and to put Him first. 11:19 And finally, make God a priority. 11:22 And I think one of the most important ways 11:24 we can do that, 11:25 is to spend early morning time in prayer and Bible study. 11:30 I think in Psalms 119:147, 11:33 it says "I rise before the dawning of the morning." 11:38 That means I get up early. 11:39 "And cry for help, I hope in Your word." 11:45 You know, I used to have this habit 11:47 and I have gotten out of this habit, 11:49 so I want to incorporate this habit again, 11:51 of asking God before I go to bed, 11:55 to wake me up in the morning. 11:56 When He wants me to get up and spend time with Him. 12:00 Now Greg and I do get up early 12:02 and we do have our devotional time 12:04 every morning with God. 12:06 But I used to say "God, will You wake me up?" 12:09 You know what my days gonna face. 12:11 You know what's going to be coming. 12:12 Well, You wake me up when You want me to get up? 12:15 So you know how much time tomorrow 12:17 I'm gonna need with You. 12:18 And I would pray that before going to bed 12:20 and then the next morning, God will wake me up. 12:23 And I remember one time, the clock read 3:59. 12:28 And I thought, "God, you're crazy. 12:31 You're crazy, 3:59?" 12:34 You know, we don't get up to five, that's early, 12:37 that's too early, I'm not getting up. 12:40 And I remember, I turned over in bed 12:42 and I was wide awake 12:44 when God had woken me up 'cause when He wakes you up, 12:45 you're wide awake. 12:47 But I turned over in bed, now I'm back to sleep, 12:48 the alarm rang at five 12:50 and I was super groggy, got up, studied, 12:53 went into the day 12:54 and it was one of those hard days. 12:57 And I felt God say, "I knew that. 12:59 I wanted you to have an extra hour with Me." 13:03 And so the next day, I said, 13:04 "God, please, will you wake me up?" 13:06 And that day it wasn't 3:59, it was a different time. 13:09 But when He woke me up, I spent that time. 13:12 And that's a beautiful habit of getting early in the morning 13:15 and spending time with God. 13:16 And there are several Bible examples of people 13:19 who got up early to spend time with God, 13:21 I know we're almost out of time. 13:22 Greg, will you take Genesis 19:27? 13:25 Shelley, Mark 1:35? Mollie, Exodus 34:4? 13:30 And Pastor John, 13:31 Genesis 28:18? 13:36 So, Greg, you have Genesis 19:27. 13:39 Now this is the example of Abraham. 13:42 Genesis 19:27 says, 13:44 "And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place 13:48 where he stood before the Lord." 13:50 So Abraham got up early to spend time with God. 13:52 Amen. Shelley, you have Mark 1:35? 13:55 Mark 1:35. 13:58 Now "In the morning having risen a long way 14:00 before daylight, He being Jesus went out 14:03 and departed to a solitary place 14:06 and there He prayed." 14:07 Jesus got up early to spend time with God. 14:09 Mollie, you have Exodus 34:4? 14:12 "And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, 14:15 and Moses rose up early in the morning, 14:18 and went up unto Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, 14:22 and took in his hand the two tables of stone." 14:25 So Moses went up early 14:26 in the morning to spend time with God 14:28 on the Mount Sinai. 14:29 And Pastor John, you have Genesis 28:18? 14:32 "Then Jacob rose early in the morning 14:33 and took the stone that he had put at his head, 14:37 set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it." 14:41 So he rose early in the morning, 14:43 Jacob did as well. 14:44 So we see many examples 14:46 of Bible characters of rising early. 14:47 So God calls us to seek Him first, 14:50 to love Him supremely, 14:52 don't allow anything between yourself and God, 14:54 act intentionally and make God a priority. 14:57 Amen. Amen. 14:58 Well said. 15:00 I have Monday, 15:01 the habit of looking for the return of Jesus. 15:06 I have here always be ready for his return. 15:10 You know, and a lot of times some people can get weary. 15:12 They say, "Well, we don't know when Jesus is gonna come. 15:15 I'm tired of waiting." 15:17 You know, New York Times put out, 15:19 they printed an article several years ago 15:21 and there was a particular airport 15:23 that they mentioned 15:24 where they received a lot of complaints 15:26 at baggage claim. 15:27 There was a whole crowd of people 15:28 waiting for their baggage. 15:30 So they said, "Let's hire some more baggage handlers." 15:33 So they hired more baggage handlers 15:36 and guess what? 15:37 They cut down the time by a minute. 15:39 So people didn't have to wait as long, 15:41 but there were still just about the same amount of complaints. 15:44 Yeah. Isn't that amazing? 15:46 So then the airport said, "Oh, I know what, let's do." 15:49 Let's have people instead of coming 15:51 into a terminal that's close to baggage claim, 15:53 let's put them way down yonder and have them walk." 15:57 So long story short. 15:58 People had to walk six times longer 16:01 and were basically arriving at the same time 16:03 the luggage was coming through the carousel 16:06 and the complaints went down to almost zero. 16:07 Isn't that funny? 16:09 So here people were just walking, right? 16:10 They were, yeah, busy, 16:11 but yet they felt like they weren't waiting 16:14 because they were doing something. 16:16 In the same article, they said, the elevators. 16:19 When elevators were invented 16:21 and they had high-rise buildings 16:23 that people were complaining about the time 16:24 they had to wait by the elevators. 16:26 So what did they do? 16:28 I hadn't noticed this before but they said that they started 16:30 putting mirrors by the elevators, 16:32 so people could look at themselves. 16:34 You know, is my hair I guess "Okay." 16:36 They said this that people 16:38 were actually spying on other people, 16:39 actually there too, 16:41 like kind of look in the mirror saying, 16:42 "Oh, wow, look at that person." 16:44 So like, kept them busy. 16:45 In the same article, 16:48 I guess you could take that wrong. 16:50 Yeah, you shouldn't be spying up 16:51 people inappropriately. 16:52 But grocery stores, they said, it's a $5.5 billion industry. 16:58 When they have the gum, the candy, the tabloids 17:00 because again people didn't want 17:02 to just stand there in the grocery line 17:04 waiting for the checker to check out their groceries, 17:06 so they started putting things there to keep people 17:08 temporarily occupied buying more things. 17:11 And they also mentioned... 17:12 Now this was interesting, they said, 17:13 that often times 17:15 if we're looking as society at two lines, 17:17 one short and one is long. 17:20 We'll pick the shorter line even though it's moving slower 17:24 and not pick the longer line even if it's moving faster. 17:27 Isn't that amazing? Yeah. 17:28 It kind of funny society and I'm part of society. 17:29 I know I don't like wait, 17:31 I become a little impatient at times. 17:33 But we're looking for the return of Jesus Christ 17:36 and we don't want to grow weary 17:38 in looking for Jesus Christ, 17:40 we want to occupy until He comes. 17:42 Amen. So we want to look at that. 17:43 Let's look at Luke Chapter 12 17:47 and this is kind of a long passage, 17:48 so we won't read all of it. 17:50 But Luke Chapter 12, starting with verse 35, 17:53 we'll just read several of these verses. 17:55 Let's see, verse 35 of Luke 12 says, 17:58 "Let your loins be girded about, 18:01 and your lights burning, 18:02 and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, 18:07 when He will return from the wedding, 18:09 that when He comes and knocks, 18:11 they may open unto Him immediately. 18:14 Blessed are those servants, 18:16 whom the Lord when He comes shall find watching. 18:20 Verily I say unto you, that he that girds himself, 18:24 and make them to sit down to meat, 18:26 and will come forth and serve them. 18:28 And if He shall come in the second watch, 18:30 or come in the third watch and find them so, 18:33 blessed are those servants." 18:35 Let's skip down verse 40. 18:38 "Be ye therefore ready also, 18:41 for the Son of man comes in an hour 18:43 when you think not." 18:45 And, boy, there are so many great verses. 18:47 Verse 43 says, 18:48 "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, 18:51 when He comes shall find so doing." 18:55 And then all the way down to verse 48, 18:58 it says, "But he that knew not 19:01 and did not commit things worthy of stripes, 19:03 shall be beaten with few stripes. 19:05 For unto whomsoever much is given..." 19:09 This is pretty critical here. 19:10 "Of him shall much be required, 19:12 and to whom men have committed much, 19:15 of him they will ask the more." 19:17 I want to just comment 19:18 a little bit on some of these verses. 19:20 Verse 35, if you go back to that, 19:21 that we just looked at. 19:23 "Lions girded and lights burning." 19:25 It's not like, "Oh, no, my light, my light. 19:28 Where is my fuel or my match?" 19:30 You know, to get it going. No. 19:31 Their light is burning and they are ready, 19:34 they have their clothes on, their loins are girded. 19:36 Verse 36 says what? I like this. 19:39 They opened the door immediately. 19:42 It wasn't like, "Oh, no, someone's at the door. 19:44 We need to get ready." It's like, no. 19:46 They opened the door immediately. 19:48 They were ready. The servants were watching. 19:50 In verse 37, they were ready, they were watching and looking. 19:53 Verse 40, 19:55 "Be ye therefore ready" says in the verse. 19:58 Verse 43 19:59 "Blessed is the servant whom his Lord 20:03 when He comes will find so doing." 20:05 I have here, keep busy with God's work. 20:11 And then, of course verse 48. 20:13 "Whomsoever much is given, 20:15 of him shall be much be required 20:18 and to whom men have committed much, 20:21 of him they will ask the more." 20:23 I have written down. 20:24 Since we know Jesus is coming soon, 20:27 our responsibility... 20:28 This is, in my opinion, is much heavier. 20:30 I mean, the Bible is very clear that Christ is coming soon. 20:35 This is from the lesson, 20:36 if you want to look in your lesson. 20:37 It says, "Faithful stewards carry out 20:39 their responsibilities by watching and working 20:44 just as if their master were present. 20:47 They live for the future and faithfully work." 20:50 And I think that's really key, they faithfully work. 20:53 What does it say? "Day-by-day." 20:56 It's a daily choice and a daily process. 20:59 We're talking about what do we do while we wait? 21:02 Luke 19, a couple of chapters further on in Luke. 21:06 We were 12, 21:08 so Luke Chapter 19 and verse 13 says... 21:13 And it's the last part 21:15 I want to look at but we'll start... 21:17 Yeah, yeah verse 13. 21:19 "And He called his ten servants..." 21:20 This is a parable that Jesus is talking 21:24 about here and says, 21:26 "And delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, 21:29 Occupy until I come." 21:32 Now the Greek word for Occupy 21:34 is to basically keep yourself busy 21:38 or too busy oneself. 21:40 And I want to talk about 21:41 that just in the next few minutes. 21:43 But I want to look at, focus on the eternal. 21:46 You know, what do we do as we wait? 21:48 We want to focus on the eternal. 21:50 And 2nd Corinthians 4:18. 21:54 My Bible is the King James Version 21:55 but I actually wrote down here from the NIV. 21:57 I liked what it said, but 2nd Corinthians 4:18 says, 22:00 "So we fix our eyes 22:02 not on what is seen but on what is unseen." 22:07 It seems kind of strange, doesn't it? 22:09 When you're looking at something you can't see it, 22:10 quite seem to make sense, does it? 22:12 But it says 22:13 "Since what is seen is temporary." 22:15 That's where I think 22:16 we can get caught up his things all around us 22:18 and what's going on like our day-to-day lives, 22:20 we can get so caught up in that, 22:21 they were not thinking about Christ soon return. 22:23 That's right. But what is unseen is eternal. 22:27 "So we fix our eyes not on 22:28 what is seen but on what is unseen, 22:30 since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal." 22:35 I have some Biblical examples of those 22:37 who focused on the eternal. 22:39 We have Abraham, Hebrews, 22:42 this all actually comes from the Book of Hebrews. 22:44 It's kind of interesting. 22:45 Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 10 says, 22:47 "Abraham looked for..." 22:49 What? 22:50 "An Eternal City." 22:52 Paul who I believe wrote the Book of Hebrews, 22:54 in Chapter 10 verse 25, says "Looked for Christ's return." 23:00 Jesus mentioned, is mentioned in Hebrews 12:2. 23:03 It says, "He endured the cross because of..." 23:05 What? 23:06 "The joy that was set before him." 23:09 That's correct. 23:11 Moses, Hebrews Chapter 12 verses 23:13 24 through 26 says, 23:16 "He endured by faith. 23:18 He had respect 23:20 unto the recompense of the reward." 23:23 So how do I busy myself or I keep myself occupied 23:27 while waiting for Christ return? 23:29 But at the same time, 23:30 we remain focused on the eternal. 23:32 Let's look at Titus. Titus Chapter 2. 23:39 Should be just be four Hebrews. 23:41 You have Titus, Philemon and Hebrews. 23:43 Yeah. 23:45 Titus Chapter 2 verses... 23:48 Let's go 11 through 13. 23:51 "For the grace of God 23:52 that bring salvation has appeared to all men." 23:56 That's right, Pastor. 23:58 "Teaching us that, 23:59 denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, 24:03 we should live soberly." 24:05 This is how we should live, "soberly, 24:08 righteously and godly in this present world." 24:10 Verse 13, "Looking for that blessed hope," 24:14 Christ soon return, 24:16 "And the glorious appearing 24:17 of the great God our Savior Jesus Christ." 24:22 From the Lesson I like this. 24:23 "Instead of peeking..." 24:25 I like that description. 24:27 "Instead of peeking now 24:28 and then and casually glancing at prophecy, 24:31 we need to continuously look, watch, 24:35 and do, always being aware of the eternity 24:38 that awaits us when Christ returns." 24:41 So be ready at anytime. 24:42 Matthew 24:44, "Therefore be ye also ready, 24:46 for in such an hour as he think not the Son of man comes." 24:49 So do we look for the return of Jesus Christ? 24:51 Yes, we do. How do we do it? 24:53 We occupy our time 24:55 by, of course, doing our day-to-day duties. 24:56 We don't want to be just off, you know... 25:00 You know, we need to be practical 25:01 but at the same time, 25:02 we need to always remember that Christ can come quickly, 25:05 because we don't know when our life may end 25:07 in a moment's notice, 25:08 we want to always be ready for His return. 25:11 Amen and amen. Well done, Greg. 25:14 Well, so we're looking at the habits of a steward 25:17 to seek God first, 25:19 to be looking and thinking about His soon return. 25:24 And my day is Tuesday and it is use time wisely. 25:30 Let's look at Job. 25:33 And we'll look at Chapter 8 and verse 9. 25:35 The easy way, if you don't know where Job is, 25:38 it's right before Psalms. 25:39 And the way you can think of this is, 25:42 how appropriate that after Job here came 25:46 those beautiful Psalms, right? 25:47 So it's right before Psalms. 25:49 And Job 8:9 says 25:51 "For we were born yesterday and know nothing, 25:57 it's because our days on earth are a shadow." 26:01 In the quarterly, 26:02 it says, you can stop a clock but not the movement of time. 26:06 Time does not wait. 26:08 It keeps moving forward 26:10 even if we stand still and do nothing. 26:13 So life is short, life is fleeting. 26:16 It's like a vanishing shadow. 26:18 Let's look at how precious our time is. 26:21 James 4:14, 26:22 would you take that please, Jill? 26:24 Absolutely. 26:25 And, Greg, will you take Psalms 90 and verse 10? 26:30 And then, let's see, Mollie, 90 and verse 12. 26:33 And Pastor, Psalms 39:4 and 5. Okay. 26:37 So let's look Jill at James 4:14. 26:40 "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. 26:42 For what is your life? 26:43 It is even a vapor that appears for a little time 26:46 and then vanishes away." 26:47 So tomorrow is uncertain. That's right. 26:51 The time is so brief. 26:53 We can not arrogantly predict 26:57 what is going to be happening tomorrow. 26:59 Life is fragile, is it not? 27:01 A catastrophe, 27:03 an accident can happen in our... 27:06 He's saying that, our life is like a vapor, 27:10 it's like a little puff of smoke, 27:12 that's here and then it's gone. 27:15 So no matter how long we live, when you think about this, 27:18 I don't care if you live to be 110, 27:20 when you think about the line of eternity, 27:24 the continuum of eternity, 27:26 the whole history of the world 27:28 will be this little tiny pinprick 27:31 on that line and our life, 27:33 the time that we spend on this earth 27:35 is insignificant compared to eternity. 27:40 So what do we need to do? Reassess our priorities. 27:44 Seek first the Kingdom of God, 27:46 make certain that we're looking for, 27:49 the return of Christ. 27:50 Work diligently to do God's will. 27:53 All right. Psalms 90:10. 27:55 Psalms 90:10 says, 27:56 "The days of our years are threescore years and ten, 28:01 and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, 28:05 yet is their strength, labor and sorrow, 28:07 for it is soon cut off and we fly away." 28:10 So basically, what this is saying is, 28:13 70 to 80 years 28:14 is the average lifespan of most people. 28:17 And when we live beyond that, 28:18 there's little room to boast because you become... 28:22 I mean, as we grow older, we become more decrepit. 28:26 So there's sorrow, there's labor. 28:29 So life even for the Godly, there's blessings, 28:33 but there's adversities 28:34 because a life without trials would lead us 28:37 to be too independent of God, is what I think. 28:40 Mollie, Psalms 90:12. 28:42 "So teach us to number our days, 28:45 that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." 28:49 Teach us to number our days. 28:51 We need to weigh and value each day 28:56 and use our time wisely. 28:57 Take into account how brief life is. 29:00 The Lord once spoke this into my heart. 29:05 He was teaching me not to waste my life 29:07 but to invest my life for eternity 29:10 and how He taught me was by saying this. 29:13 "Time is life. 29:16 How you invest your time is how you invest your life." 29:20 And I thought that that was so amazing. 29:23 Psalms 39 verses 4 and 5. 29:27 "The Lord, make me to know my end..." 29:30 "Lord, make me to know my end 29:32 and what is the measure of my days, 29:35 that I may know how frail I am. 29:38 Indeed you have made my days as handbreadths 29:43 and my age is as nothing before you. 29:46 Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. 29:50 Selah." 29:52 Her best state, 29:53 were nothing more than a puff of air. 29:55 I mean, no matter how long that we live. 29:58 So earth... 30:00 I mean, our earthly life will definitely come to an end, 30:04 should we not be alive when Jesus returns. 30:06 But what we have to think about here is that, 30:10 as time marches on and we go to our grave, 30:13 the human accomplishments 30:14 that we've made begin to fade away, 30:16 unless it's been something for the glory of God, right? 30:19 That's right. So here's some thoughts. 30:23 Time is limited. It's un-renewable. 30:26 We need to be good stewards of our time. 30:29 Time is a gift that God has given to us. 30:32 So I think of myself. 30:34 JD will always tell me, 30:36 you're the most productive person I know. 30:39 My schedule stays with... 30:41 As soon as I meet one deadline, I've got the next one, 30:44 then the next one, then the next one. 30:46 I'm not using my time wisely. 30:49 I may be getting the most out of my time 30:52 but that doesn't mean I'm using my time wisely. 30:55 We need to know, 30:56 you know, Jesus told His disciples come aside 31:00 and rest for a while. 31:01 We can run ourselves into the ground 31:04 even doing the work of the Lord. 31:06 And so the Lord, 31:07 as I was looking at this thinking 31:09 I'm pretty good at how I used my time 31:11 because I'm producing, 31:12 producing, producing, that's not what God wants. 31:16 Listen to this from Christ's Object Lessons. 31:19 "Our time belongs to God, every moment is His. 31:22 And we are under the most solemn obligation 31:25 to improve it to His glory. 31:27 Of no talent he has given, 31:29 will He require more strict account 31:31 than of our time?" 31:33 The most strict account 31:35 that God is going to demand and accounting for, 31:39 is how we used our time. 31:41 "The value of time is beyond computation. 31:44 Christ regarded every moment is precious 31:47 and it is thus that we should regard it. 31:49 Life is too short to be trifled away. 31:52 We have but a few days of probation 31:54 in which to prepare for eternity, 31:55 no time to waste, 31:57 no time to devote to selfish pleasure, 31:59 no time for the indulgence of sin." 32:02 But what we do have time for? 32:03 God has set aside, 32:05 a templing time every seventh day. 32:08 He made certain that that time 32:11 would be a time that we will spend with Him 32:13 and with our family. 32:15 You know, you sometimes see pastors 32:17 who put the work of the church 32:20 before their family, that's wrong. 32:22 You're investing your time in a wrong way. 32:25 We need to prioritize God first, 32:28 then family and then the work. 32:30 And I'm speaking to myself, I'm not a pastor, 32:33 but I'm speaking to myself 32:34 because there's so many times 32:36 that I let projects come above the priority. 32:41 I mean, I let them be a priority 32:42 over spending time with my own husband 32:44 and so I'm talking to myself here. 32:47 Ephesians 5:16. Oh, excuse me. 32:50 Ephesians 5:15-16. Boy, time just rushes away. 32:55 He says, Paul writes to the Ephesians 32:59 and considering the brevity of time. 33:01 He says, "See then that you walked circumspectly, 33:05 not as fools but as wise, 33:08 redeeming the time because the days are evil." 33:12 There's many words in the Bible that are used for time 33:15 and it can be a day or an hour, or an season, or an age, 33:18 but the most important word is the word that is used here, 33:23 which is Kairos, K-A-I-R-O-S. 33:27 If you contrast that to one of the words kronos. 33:30 Kronos is talking about chronology, 33:34 things happening one right after another, 33:36 you know, the chronology of time. 33:38 But this word Kairos means, it is a special time, 33:43 it is a time that is especially significant 33:47 for special purpose. 33:48 Like when it said, 33:50 when his time had come speaking of Jesus, 33:52 it's a special time. 33:54 So He's saying, 33:55 we are to redeem this special time. 33:57 And I think that what He's saying is, 33:59 we need to look around. 34:01 We need to give prayerful attention 34:03 to what our circumstances 34:04 are and make the most of every opportunity 34:08 that God gives us. 34:09 You might be in Walmart, 34:11 you might see someone in Walmart 34:13 that God just impress 34:15 upon you to go pray with that person, 34:17 go pray with him 34:19 if he impresses that upon you. 34:21 To redeem the time 34:22 and make the most of every opportunity, 34:25 the price is self-denial. 34:28 That's what it cost to redeem the time. 34:30 And we have to be ready to do that. 34:34 Time, it's not neutral. It can... 34:36 If it's not being used for good, 34:38 it can be used for evil and we certainly know 34:41 that the days are evil. 34:42 But we can redeem our time from evil and use wisdom, 34:49 use care when we are considering 34:53 how we will spend this most precious resource 34:56 that God has given to us. 34:58 Amen and amen. Wow, very good. 35:00 You know, we just must not be short sighted. 35:03 This isn't all there is. That's right. 35:05 It's what we do 35:07 with this short time that we have, 35:10 that determines our very eternity. 35:12 Amen. We must redeem our time. 35:14 Well, I have Wednesday. 35:17 And Wednesday is habit, 35:20 keeping a healthy mind, body and soul. 35:25 Should have been mine. 35:27 You know, we were originally created perfect. 35:31 Were we not? 35:33 Originally in the garden where Adam and Eve, perfect? 35:36 They were perfect, mentally, 35:39 physically, spiritually, mind, 35:42 body and soul. 35:44 Sin ruined that. 35:47 Now we know it was a spiritual fall. 35:49 Was there not? 35:50 They were walking in the cool of the day with the Lord 35:53 and then they were hiding themselves. 35:55 There was a spiritual disconnect. 35:59 But do you know physically and mentally, 36:04 we fail, humanity fail as well. 36:08 And now, there's good news. 36:12 And the good news is that among other things, 36:17 God is in the process of restoring 36:22 what we were meant to be in the first place. 36:25 Now that's good news. That is good news. 36:27 I want us to turn to Acts, the 3rd Chapter. 36:31 We're going to look at verses 19 through 21. 36:35 Acts Chapter 3:19-21. 36:39 This scripture says, "Repent, therefore, 36:42 and be converted 36:43 that your sins maybe blotted out, 36:46 so that the times of refreshing 36:49 may come from the presence of the Lord. 36:53 And that he may sinned, Jesus Christ, 36:57 who was preached to you 36:58 before whom heaven must receive." 37:02 Now let's look at that word receive. 37:04 That word receives means to retain or keep, 37:10 whom the heavens must keep. 37:13 But there's until, until is a time space word. 37:17 Heaven is going to keep Jesus, 37:20 retain Him until the times 37:24 of restoration of all things. 37:27 How many things are going to be restored? 37:29 All things which God has spoken by the mouth 37:33 of all His holy prophets since the world began. 37:37 We are in a process 37:39 and it's called a restoration process, 37:44 mind, body and thank the Lord, soul, 37:48 mentally, physically and spiritually. 37:51 Now total restoration. 37:55 Jill, if you have... 37:56 Let's say you've got antique chest 38:01 and you're going to restore it. 38:03 What does that mean? What does restoration mean? 38:07 Bring it back to its original quality. 38:09 She said that perfectly. 38:11 Bring it back to its original condition. 38:16 So this restoration process 38:18 that we are in is to bring us back to, what? 38:22 To our original condition. 38:25 Now what was our original condition? 38:28 That would be Genesis 1:31, 38:30 you don't have to turn to that 38:32 because most people know this scripture. 38:36 "Then God saw everything that He had made, 38:40 indeed it was very good." 38:44 Saw the evening and the morning, 38:46 were the sixth day." 38:47 God had created everything and it was very good. 38:53 Christ worked tirelessly 38:57 while He was here to lift humanity up 39:00 in all areas of our lives, 39:03 spiritually, mentally and physically, 39:06 mind, body and soul. 39:09 So that, Acts 10:38, 39:12 you can turn to that if you want to. 39:14 Acts 10:38. 39:16 The scripture tells us 39:20 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 39:24 with the Holy Spirit and with power 39:27 who went about doing good 39:30 and healing all who were oppressed 39:33 by the devil, for God was with him. 39:35 We were created perfect. 39:40 Adam and Eve were perfect. 39:43 Then there was the fall and we fail in all areas, 39:47 mind, body and soul, mentally, physically, spiritually, 39:51 there was a fall. 39:53 Christ in His coming... 39:55 What He... 39:56 He spend his time doing, was ministering 40:00 and lifting humanity up spiritually, 40:05 mentally and physically. 40:07 Everywhere Jesus went, 40:10 people were healed, were they not? 40:13 Jesus went about doing good 40:14 and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. 40:18 Now I want us to turn to Isaiah Chapter 53. 40:22 Isaiah 53:5. 40:25 You know what Isaiah tells us? 40:28 That, what was accomplished for us 40:32 at the crucifixion of Christ... 40:34 Isaiah tells us what Christ accomplished, 40:39 roam out for us at Calvary. 40:42 Isaiah 53:5, 40:45 "But He was wounded for our..." 40:47 Transgression. 40:49 What are transgressions? Our sins. 40:51 Sins. 40:53 He was wounded to heal us spiritually. 40:58 "He was bruised for our iniquities." 41:00 What are iniquities? Cherished sins. 41:03 Cherished sins. Immorality. 41:06 "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him." 41:10 What is the chastisement of our peace? 41:13 That would mean our mental wellbeing was upon Him, 41:18 and by His stripes we are healed physically. 41:23 So there we see at the cross, 41:25 where all three areas taken care of, 41:30 spiritually, mentally and physically. 41:33 It was accomplished at Calvary. 41:36 It's so important to Christ 41:39 that we are healed in all three areas, 41:43 all three areas. 41:44 He died to accomplish this for us. 41:48 Thus, here is the teaching that we have today, 41:52 habits of a good steward 41:54 and its habits for us to form in all three areas. 41:58 If it was so important to Christ, 42:01 shouldn't it be important to us? 42:02 It was important enough to Him 42:05 that He would lay down His life, 42:07 then we need to form habits 42:10 as good stewards to develop areas, 42:14 mind, body and soul 42:16 that would promote a healthy lifestyle. 42:19 Jill, I loved what you called it, 42:22 natural inclinations. 42:24 Natural habit is a natural inclination, 42:27 a natural inclination for us to be healthy 42:32 and for us to have good mental acuity 42:35 and spiritually strong. 42:38 For a new behavior to become automatically, 42:41 it takes about 66 days 42:45 and for the new behavior to become a habit, 42:48 can vary widely depending on the behavior of the person 42:51 in the circumstance. 42:53 So what I wanted to do was be able to tell you, 42:55 if you will do this for 66 days, 42:58 then you're going to develop a new behavior, 43:02 but a new behavior must then become a habit. 43:05 And I wanted to say, 43:06 "No, 10 more days and you got your habit." 43:08 But it's not that cut and dried. 43:11 It depends on what the thing is. 43:13 But here is what I want us to look at. 43:16 For us to have new behaviors for our minds, 43:19 that would be Philippians 4:8. 43:21 As a matter of fact, Jill, 43:23 I want you to read Philippians 4:8. 43:26 Shelley, will you read Proverbs 14:30? 43:31 And, Pastor John, 43:32 if you will read 3rd John 1 and 2? 43:38 We're looking at our mind, 43:39 how to develop the new habits or new behaviors for our minds. 43:44 Jill, Philippians 4:8. 43:46 "Finally, Brethren, whatsoever things are true, 43:48 whatsoever things are noble, whatsoever things are just, 43:51 whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, 43:55 whatsoever things are of good report? 43:57 If there is any virtue, if there is any praise, 44:00 meditate on these things." 44:02 And, Greg. 44:05 Shelley? Shelley. 44:06 Shelley. Me. 44:07 Proverbs 14:30. 44:09 "A second heart..." 44:10 Excuse me, 44:12 "A sound heart is life to the body 44:14 but envy is rottenness to the bones." 44:16 And I will... 44:18 Greg, I meant to give you Isaiah 26:3, 44:20 but let me just read that to you. 44:22 "You will keep him in perfect peace, 44:25 whose mind is stayed on you, because He trusts in you." 44:30 And, Pastor Lomacang, I think you have 3rd John 1-2. 44:34 Okay. 44:36 To the 3rd John, just verse one and two. 44:38 Okay. 44:39 "To the beloved Gaius whom I love in truth. 44:43 Beloved, I pray 44:44 that you may prosper in all things 44:46 and be in health just as your soul prospers." 44:49 Okay. And 1st Thessalonians 5:23. 44:53 "Now may the God of Peace himself 44:55 sanctify you completely 44:57 and may your whole spirit and soul and body 45:02 be preserved blameless 45:04 at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 45:06 We develop new patterns of behavior 45:11 by spending time in God's Word, 45:13 allowing Him to change those things 45:15 that are important to us. 45:16 Don't be short sighted. This isn't all there is. 45:19 There is an eternity to be gained. 45:22 Lomacang? Amen. Thank you, Mollie. 45:24 Thank you all for preparing the table, 45:28 putting all the vegetables on 45:29 and now it comes to me and I can eat it. 45:33 Habit, self discipline. March 22nd. 45:38 You know, discipline not desire, 45:40 determines our destiny. 45:42 Discipline not desire, determines our destiny. 45:44 Yeah, that's good. 45:45 And when I thought about this lesson, 45:48 you know, in a society, 45:50 in the vacuum that we live in here at 3ABN. 45:54 Let me just quote and draw in briefly. 45:57 What we need 45:58 more than anything else is self-discipline, 46:01 because every day something new comes our way. 46:03 I mean, Shelley just... 46:05 As the director of new programming, 46:08 you know that. 46:09 And Mollie, each one of us has hats that, 46:13 when we go home sometimes 46:15 we figure out which one do we wear today. 46:18 So self-discipline, sometimes discipline 46:21 could be as simple as saying, no. 46:24 Sometimes discipline 46:25 could be as gritty as saying, yes. 46:29 But discipline also comes with something else, 46:32 because we're talk about habit here, 46:34 habit and discipline together. 46:35 Habit is stronger than reason. Why should I do this? 46:41 If I make a decision about what I'm going to do 46:43 and I repeat that discipline over and over again, 46:46 it becomes a habit. 46:47 A habit becomes a character. A character becomes a destiny. 46:53 But the singular act and the thing 46:55 that oftentimes works against us 46:57 is because 46:59 we are sometimes motivated to get started 47:01 but its habits that's gonna keep us going. 47:04 So motivation, habit, self-discipline, 47:08 all these things are determining factors 47:09 as to what our future is going to be. 47:11 So when the author of this lesson 47:13 or the authors of this lesson, 47:15 they pointed out in the very beginning 47:17 of Thursday, March 22nd says, 47:21 "Self-discipline 47:24 is one of the most important character traits 47:27 a steward can have." 47:29 And 2nd Timothy 1:7 47:32 in the NIV communicates you this way. 47:35 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity 47:41 but a spirit of power, 47:43 of love and of self-discipline or of a sound mind." 47:47 God did not give us a spirit of fear 47:49 but of power of love and of a sound mind. 47:51 I like that one better because I'm used to that. 47:53 You know, we're used to that. 47:55 Because timidity, it seem like... 47:57 But fear is a different word. 47:58 He's not given us a spirit of fear. 48:00 Fear to me is greater than just being timid. 48:03 But of power of love and of a sound mind, 48:06 a good friend of ours, many of you know her, Monic, 48:09 used to work here. 48:10 I was so thrilled. 48:13 Monic has been stretching herself in areas 48:15 that most of us wouldn't even think of 48:17 and just recently she jumped out, 48:18 she went to skydiving. 48:20 Oh, wow. 48:21 And you skydive at a maximum of 12,000 feet, 48:23 at 13,000 feet, you need oxygen. 48:26 So she did a tandem skydive 48:27 and I saw the picture of her on Facebook 48:29 with a hand stretched wide and the earth beneath her feet. 48:34 And she said, it was a great, great feeling. 48:36 How many of us would do that? Me. 48:39 I mean, I'd love to do that, but, you know, 48:41 when you jump out of the plane 48:42 and here is where habit comes in. 48:45 When you jump out of a plane, there is no going back. 48:49 That's right. 48:50 But that first act of starting 48:53 to develop a new habit is where, it is irreversible. 48:58 When you jump out or when you decide to dive 49:00 into something to create a new habit, 49:03 there's no going back. 49:04 You may live with regret. 49:06 And I have a saying here that really makes... 49:10 This is very, very, very powerful. 49:14 "The pain of self-discipline 49:18 will never be as great as the pain of regret." 49:21 Amen. I like that. 49:23 So should I have jumped out of this plane? 49:27 I've heard some horrible stories of people 49:28 that went skydiving. 49:29 A young lady 49:31 who was skydiving in Lodi, California, 49:34 and it was a solo skydiving, 49:36 and her chute didn't open and she landed on the Vineyard, 49:38 while the rest of the story is obvious. 49:40 But the pain of self-discipline 49:45 is not as great as the pain of regret. 49:48 So when we... 49:49 When we think about self-discipline, 49:52 it's the ability to do 49:55 what must be done and not to deviate. 49:59 The ability to do 50:00 what must be done and not to deviate. 50:02 And I'll be honest with you. 50:04 Sometimes we live 50:05 with what I might refer to as a spirit of entitlement. 50:10 I've worked hard. I have this time. 50:13 I'm just gonna do what I want to do right now, 50:15 I really worked hard. 50:17 And sometimes we take what I want to do to a level 50:19 that we think, 50:20 "Wow, I mean, I really overdid it," 50:22 or I shouldn't have done what I've done, 50:24 but I thought of myself as being entitled 50:26 to this free time to do what I wanted to do. 50:29 And that comes in all the areas we talked about. 50:30 Sometimes entitled to spend the money we don't have, 50:34 sometimes to go on a vacation we can afford, 50:36 sometimes to purchase an item that we don't really need, 50:39 whatever that may be, self-discipline is important 50:43 because self-discipline teaches us 50:44 to govern our actions in a principal manner. 50:48 It teaches us to govern our actions in a principle 50:51 not in a feeling. 50:53 And when principle guides the way, 50:54 the moment will never override. 50:56 My wife and I have developed a way to go to Best Buy 50:59 with principles, 51:01 because Best Buy, you know, Black Friday, 51:02 gray Friday, whatever they may call it. 51:03 Now it's becoming Black Thursday, 51:05 used to be open on early Friday morning. 51:07 There's some people 51:08 who are so determined to get that next thing 51:10 and I'm looking at that, they spend the night, 51:13 they camp out two days ahead or week ahead, 51:16 because they have this perception 51:17 that the moment that door opens, 51:18 there's something 51:20 that I'm gonna be able to get access 51:21 to that no one else will get access to. 51:25 Why if people have that self-discipline 51:26 about eternity? 51:28 Amen. Wow. 51:30 How badly and I think about this. 51:32 I am a person who has had a habit, 51:34 and this is a good one, 51:35 over the last six, seven years, 51:37 I really, really loved astronomy. 51:40 And I have on my iPad a few software apps 51:45 that I love to use when I turn the lights off. 51:49 And it is designed 51:50 when I just got most recent one about satellites. 51:53 And it's designed in such a way, 51:54 you could find every satellite that circles the earth. 51:57 And so when you turn the light off in your bedroom, 51:58 you lean in different directions, 52:00 and tells me when that satellite 52:01 is going to come around again, 52:03 how long the rotation 52:04 of that satellite is going to be. 52:06 And I thought about that, about missed opportunities. 52:09 When will that opportunity come around again? 52:11 That's good. 52:12 You know, when will it rotate in your direction? 52:15 And I thought as of those... 52:17 for those of us who in Southern Illinois, 52:19 we just had an event a few months ago 52:21 where we had a total eclipse, 52:23 one of the best places to be was here 52:25 in Southern Illinois, in Makanda, particularly, 52:28 in Makanda particularly. 52:30 And now to know that in the next seven years, 52:32 we're gonna have another event in the same small town. 52:36 What are the chances? Well, you think about that. 52:39 In life, if you look at the life of Christ, 52:41 there are many instances 52:42 where coming through a particular town, 52:44 when the woman who was bleeding for many years was healed, 52:47 that was the last journey of Jesus through that town. 52:50 And you find in many instances. 52:52 When the lepers said, "Have mercy on us," 52:54 that was the last journey of Jesus through that town. 52:57 He wasn't coming back. 52:59 But these are the opportunities 53:00 where self-discipline becomes imperative for us 53:03 to be able to develop. 53:05 So I've put some things together 53:07 that I believe will help us develop self-discipline. 53:11 Let's go to Hebrews 5:14. 53:16 We have to... 53:18 In order for us to be able to get here, 53:20 we have to be able to know that. 53:21 The Bible says, 53:23 "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, 53:26 that is, those who by reason of use." 53:30 That's constant practice. 53:31 "Have their senses exercise to discern both good and evil." 53:36 You know, there's something's now, 53:37 Mollie, I'm sure. 53:39 As we're older, 53:42 we say, "If I had only known then what I know now..." 53:47 I think everybody say, 53:49 "I would have done things, what?" 53:50 Differently. Different. 53:51 If I had all the known then, what I know now, 53:54 I would have done things differently. 53:56 But we're living in an information age 53:57 and Shelley talked about this. 53:58 We're living in an information age 54:00 where it's important 54:01 to really, really, really research something 54:03 before we dive into it. 54:04 So the point being made here is guidance, 54:07 pray for guidance to discern good and evil. 54:09 Yes. In the Word of God. 54:10 Instead of saying, 54:12 "How does this feel and whether or not 54:13 this is what I want." 54:14 Pray for guidance and God will guide you. 54:16 Another one, Shelley go to Ezekiel 44:23. 54:21 And the other one is James 1:5. 54:27 Greg, go there for me. Yeah. 54:29 And then one more, I'm gonna try to get this in, 54:31 which I'm gonna do it. 54:33 Because in this case self-discipline 54:34 just went out the window. 54:36 But let's go ahead hit that for me, Shelley, 54:37 Ezekiel 44:23. 54:39 Ezekiel 44:23, "And they shall teach my people 54:41 the difference between the holy and the unholy, 54:44 and cause them to discern 54:46 between the unclean and the clean." 54:48 So the Lord will give us discernment. 54:50 And that's where self-discipline discerned. 54:52 And I like the stories in the Bible. 54:54 I'll make some references here. 54:55 Daniel, when he was faced with the decision 54:58 to eat the king's food, he purposed in his heart. 55:01 That's right. 55:03 But that purpose didn't come at that moment, 55:04 it was a practice from the time he was the young person. 55:07 The three Hebrews on the plain of Dura, 55:09 they said, we were friends, Nebuchadnezzar, 55:11 but I'm not gonna 55:12 even talk to you about this matter." 55:14 Because before they were captives, 55:15 they made up their mind 55:16 in their training as young children 55:18 to determine not to violate 55:20 any of the commandments of God. 55:21 Which one did I give you? Oh, Hebrews, James. 55:24 James 1:5. Okay. Hebrew, James. 55:26 Sorry. Okay. 55:27 1 verse 5 says," If any of you lack wisdom, 55:29 let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, 55:32 and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." 55:35 Okay. 55:36 And Benjamin Franklin says this, think about this. 55:39 "Your net worth to the world is usually determined 55:42 by what remains after your bad habits 55:44 are subtracted from your good one." 55:47 That's good. From Benjamin Franklin? 55:49 Your net worth, what's your net worth? 55:51 If you subtract your bad habits from your good ones, 55:53 what's your net worth? 55:54 There you go. Amen. 55:56 Thank you so much each one of you. 55:57 Pastor John, 55:59 discipline not desire determines our destiny. 56:01 Mollie, we are 56:02 in the restoration process of body, mind and soul. 56:05 Shelley, time is not neutral and redeem the time. 56:08 And, Greg, we are to occupy till I come 56:11 and focus on the eternal 56:12 as we look for the return of Jesus. 56:14 I want to give each one of you a moment, 56:16 just a few seconds, 56:17 share a key thought from your day. 56:19 Well, I think for me is exactly what you were saying is that, 56:22 actually focus that Christ is coming soon 56:24 and do everything I can for His soon return. 56:26 Amen. Shelley? 56:27 Time is life, how you invest your time 56:29 is how you invest your life. 56:32 And the Lord Jesus Christ loves you so much 56:35 that He died on the cross for you 56:38 to be reform mentally, physically, 56:40 and restored mentally, physically and emotionally. 56:43 Take that seriously. 56:45 And simply, who you are going to be, 56:48 you are now becoming. 56:49 Oh, that's good. Oh, amen. 56:52 Who you are going to be, you are now becoming. 56:55 Praise the Lord. 56:57 So what a wonderful privilege is ours to spend time 56:59 in the Word of God, 57:00 to know that we can become like Jesus. 57:04 He can fashion and form 57:06 and make us into the image of Jesus. 57:08 We have one more lesson in this quarter. 57:12 Next lesson is "The Results of Stewardship." 57:14 We want to invite you to join us for that. 57:16 Thank you, Pastor John, 57:18 Miss Mollie, Miss Shelley, and Greg. 57:19 Thank you so much for sharing from your heart 57:21 and the Word of God. 57:22 We thank you for joining us as well. 57:25 You know that we pray for you 57:26 that you would redeem the time because the days are evil. |
Revised 2018-03-29