I Got All S's!

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he first nine-weeks of school flew by.  I couldn’t believe it was time for me to bring home my first report card but before I knew it Mrs. Avery, my first-grade teacher, was handing them out.  Everyone received one and her instructions were clear, “Take them home, show them to your parents, and bring them back signed.”

Now, I didn’t fully understand the concept of the report card.  I knew that it was meant to update my parents on my progress to that point and to show them areas where I needed improvement.  As soon as Mrs. Avery gave me my report card, I opened it to see what all the hype was about.  The report card was pink and, thanks to Mrs. Avery’s hard work, I could read my name which she had meticulously written at the top of the card.

As I looked down the long list of things she had graded, I noticed a peculiar pattern. She had entered the same letter for all the areas we had covered that quarter.  There were no absences and no marks, at least as far as I could tell, for inappropriate behavior.

The bell rang and, like racehorses out of the starting gate, we all darted from the room and exited East Elementary School.  I ran to my mom and dad’s place of business, threw open the door, ran into her office, gave her the report card, and announced in a loud and proud voice, “I got all S’s!”

My mom looked just a little befuddled.  I learned later that grades were usually listed as A, B, C, D, or F, but not S’s. But once she opened the report card and noticed that S meant satisfactory, she smiled and gave me a big hug!  She showed my dad and he was equally happy with the results.  I determined right there and then that making all S’s was a good thing and that I would do my best to keep that streak going.    

Would it surprise you to know that Jesus, himself, spoke about the importance of getting all S’s on our final report cards?  Well, open your Bibles to Matthew 25:21 and you will see exactly that.  In this passage, taken from the parable of the bags of gold, Jesus says, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’

In this parable, three servants are entrusted with bags of gold provided by their master.  Two of these servants, take the bags entrusted to them and invest his money.  Upon his return, they present the master with a solid return on his investment.  The third servant, however, hid his master’s money and did nothing to steward his trust.  He gave his master only what his master had entrusted to him.  The first two servants did well, as indicated by their master’s words; but the third servant did not receive his master’s praise but a rebuke.  His gold was taken and entrusted to the first servant because of his faithfulness.

God has entrusted to each of us with a life. The question is what are we doing with it?  How are we stewarding what he has entrusted to us?  When we stand before him, will we hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” or will we be left dumbfounded, making flimsy excuses for not investing our lives in his service and producing a return?  When we stand before our heavenly father and receive our report cards for the lives we have lived, will we get all S’s? 

Can You Manage It?

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 grew up in a very small town in western North Carolina called Cherryville.  It is a small town with a population of approximately 5,000 people.  Life is slow there and good.  People know each other by their first names and some families, like mine, have been there for generations.  The town has very nice neighborhoods with large yards shaded by large trees and it is very common to see people taking long walks during the evening hours. It was here that I grew up, here that I learned about life, and here that I made good friends, many of whom still live in town.

Our neighborhood had several kids, several dogs, and a small store called Nell's where we would get snacks, candy, drinks, and bubble gum.  There was also a man who lived in the neighborhood who taught me the wonderful lesson of faithfulness that I learned to appreciate much later in life.  This is an attribute seriously lacking in society today, but back then, this man demonstrated faithfulness by his actions, his words, and his life.

The man's name was Emmitt Clark and every kid in the neighborhood knew him. We just called him Emmitt and he was always ready with a smile and a laugh.  He always called me his "old buddy" and every time I saw him, be it in the neighborhood or downtown, his voice would ring out, "There's my old buddy" and I knew right away it was Emmitt.  He had this neat little workshop behind his house full of all kinds of gadgets, tools, spare parts, oilcans, etc.  He opened this shop on a regular basis and we all took our bikes to him to have them inspected, oiled, repaired, or to have our tires filled with air.  Emmitt took it upon himself to ensure that every kid had a well-maintained bike and he would build bikes from spare parts for kids who didn't have them.  No matter what the time, Emmitt always had time for us kids.  He never complained, never hurried us away, but always took time for us and cared for us.  I know of no better picture of faithfulness than this.

In 1Corinthians 4:2, the Apostle Paul writes, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful" Although this verse is short, it has far reaching implications.  The first thing we must understand is that we are all stewards.  This means we must manage those things God has put in our care.  These include our relationships with others, our relationship with God, our financial resources, our time, and our lives.  In addition to being stewards, we must be faithful to fulfill the responsibilities God has entrusted to us. We must conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to God and we must manage the gifts he has given us in a way that will glorify him.  We must use our time to his glory, our relationships to his glory, our finances to his glory, and our lives to his glory. 

The requirement to be faithful also means we are accountable to God for our stewardship.  Every action we take, every thought we have, every dollar we spend, every moment we live, and every life we touch must be accounted for.  God calls us not only to profess faith in him; he calls us to be faithful. In one of his parables, Jesus described a faithful servant who labored in the absence of his master.  He described him with these words, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46“Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. “Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods." (Matthew 24:45-47). Will God find us so doing today?

Stocking The Pantry

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he sound of the doorbell let me know mom was back.  She had been gone for a little over an hour and now she needed our help.  The routine was always the same whenever she returned from the grocery store.  She would haul the bags to the porch and we would carry them into the kitchen or set them in front of the pantry door.  When all the bags were in the house, we put the groceries away, emptying the bags and filling the pantry.

This activity hasn’t stopped.  On Saturday mornings I make my weekly pilgrimage to the grocery store, buy my groceries, put them in the car, carry them in the house, and put them away.  Every week, my pantry gets restocked with vegetables, bread, cereal, rice, sugar etc.  Although I don’t really enjoy the hour I spend in the grocery store every week, I am glad I have a place to store my provisions. When the need strikes, I can simply grab something from the pantry and fix myself something to eat.  The lesson my mom taught me several years ago still rings true today.  If you take the time to stock the pantry, you will always have something to eat.

This lesson, however, did not originate with my mother.  For years, people have lived by this rule. Did you know we can go all the way back to Old Testament times to see this idea in action?  The story is a familiar one but the truth it contains has several applications to our lives today.

Hard times were coming to the land of Egypt.  Pharaoh’s dreams warned of an unprecedented famine in Egypt and the surrounding countries that would take place seven years in the future.  God revealed the meaning of the dreams to Joseph and he gave Pharaoh the interpretation. Joseph also provided a solution to the problem and Pharaoh set him in charge of the land of Egypt.

Joseph’s solution was simple: Stock the pantry!  Joseph’s plan was to put 20% of Egypt’s crops into storage for seven years so that they would have plenty in the years of famine. In Genesis 41:36 Joseph explains his plan “This food should be held in reserve for the country to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

Joseph knew there were hard times ahead and he knew that if Egypt stored her grain, there would be food in times of trouble.  This principle is the same for us in our daily walk with God.  His word is full of promises and blessings that we experience each and every day if we spend time with him.  Spending time in God’s word is the same as stocking our spiritual pantries.  We take from his abundance and keep it in our spiritual storehouses.  In times of great difficulty or trial, we can then go to the pantry and feed on the truths we have stored there.  But if we fail to store his word, if we fail to spend time with him on a regular basis, we will have nothing from which to draw in times of hardship and spiritual famine.

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he lesson of the pantry is a good one.  Sometime today, you will venture into your pantry or cabinets for something to eat or drink.  When you open that door, stop for a minute and ask yourself these questions, “How well have I stocked my spiritual pantry?  Is there food enough for the lean times ahead?”   

Can You Keep A Secret?

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ne evening, after I finished teaching my conversational French class, I went downstairs to my office to drop off my books and the CD player I had used during the session.  As I exited the office I noticed one of several custodial workers responsible for keeping our building clean and neat.  There are several people who maintain and clean our building.  Unfortunately, they are rarely recognized or thanked for the contribution they make to our students’ education.

As I got on the elevator, the lady sweeping the floor wished me a good evening and a safe journey home.  She would work late into the night, mopping hallways, sweeping trash, cleaning blackboards, dusting offices, and vacuuming floors.  The offices in the morning would show the evidence of her work done in secret, out of sight of anyone else.  However, were her job not done, everyone would immediately notice and be very upset that no one was cleaning the building.

On the way home, God spoke to me as I reflected on the lady I had just left.  What impressed me most were her dedication and her faithfulness to her job.  She had no supervisor glaring over her shoulder, she had no foreman giving instructions, and she had no manager pointing out her assigned task for the evening.  Instead, she knew her responsibilities and she set about the task of making sure her job was done.  She knew people were counting on her to provide clean offices and classrooms that would help us do our jobs better.  All the while, this lady worked knowing that very few, people, if any, would take notice of her or her faithfulness to her task. However, the absence of praise and appreciation did not phase her.  She faithfully worked until her job was done.

What a wonderful picture of faithfulness this woman provides.  Sometimes God calls us to work during the night, in places that are unnoticed, unimpressive, and seemingly unimportant. He calls us to perform tasks that seem so trivial and menial.  We wonder how our efforts in these endeavors can ever achieve great things for God and further His kingdom.  God, however, sees things from a completely different perspective.  All God wants from us is our availability and our faithfulness to the task to which He has called us.  The task may be large or it may be small, but whatever it is, God has assigned and entrusted it to us.

In Matthew6:4, Jesus speaks about the work we do in secret and he actually encourages it. “So that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  This is a very important lesson and one we should consider carefully.  Jesus encourages us to give in secret.  So many times we read this as only pertaining to money.  However, the Lord does not limit himself to this one area of obedience.  He clearly states that we are to give (ourselves, our money, our time, our industry, our support, our caring, etc) in secret, so that we will not receive honor from those around us. 

When we perform these acts of obedience, God takes notice of our work.  He sees everything we do, He hears every prayer we pray, He counts every tear we shed, He understands every heartache we experience, and He feels every pain we feel.  There is nothing that affects us that does not also affect Him.  His promise to us is to reward us for our obedience to Him.  God promises He will bless us and that He will bring us closer to Him if we remain faithful to Him and obey His commands.

As I turned into my driveway, I thanked God for the lady who cleans our building.  Her task is to prepare the building so the rest of us can do our jobs.  I pray that God will use us to prepare the way for others who will lead people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Whatever we do for God, though hidden from the rest of the world, never escapes His notice. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 4:5, “He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” 

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herever your place of service is today, I pray that you will remain faithful to the charge God has given you.  He has placed you exactly where you are for a reason.  He knows your faithfulness will lead to His glory.  Work for Him with all your might, receiving your praise from God and not from men.  When God calls us into His service He asks us one overriding question, “Can you keep a secret?”  Let us remain faithful to Him who called us knowing that when the time comes, He will reward us for our faithfulness to Him.

How Low Can You Go?

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t was a gorgeous Friday afternoon. I had just finished teaching my last class and was enjoying the drive back home.  The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the music was pleasant, and I was feeling great!!  Everything was going my way, no problems in sight!

All that changed in a split second!  One glance at my instrument panel sent a wave of fear over me.  Suddenly, the music didn't seem so cheerful, the weather didn't seem so pleasant, and the weekend seemed like an eternity away.  The needle on my fuel gauge was parked right on empty.  There was no distance between the needle and the E!  I was riding on fumes, hoping against hope the car wouldn't stop on the freeway!

I quickly calculated the distance to the nearest gas station and began praying.  I was praying and driving, driving and praying, doing my best to remain calm in the face of this desperate situation.  I normally keep a close watch on my fuel levels but this particular week, I hadn't kept as close a watch and I was paying for it.

Finally, I saw my exit, left the freeway, and pulled into the filling station.  The gas wasn't the most inexpensive, but I didn't have any choice. I was just glad to have the opportunity to fill my tank, regardless of price!  While I stood there, slowing my breathing, I reflected on what had just happened. If I had paid closer attention to my gauges, I would have had no worries and I could have paid less for gas.  As it was, I was scared, worried, and a few bucks over budget for gasoline that week.

My adventure at the gas pump has a direct parallel in the New Testament.  In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins who were awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom so they could go in with him to the marriage feast.  Five of them brought extra oil for their lamps and five of them didn't.  When the bridegroom came, five of them were ready to go in but the other five were not.

Matthew 25:3 reveals Jesus’ assessment of those who were not ready, who didn't pay attention to their fuel levels. “The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.”  These five did only half the job!  They took their lamps, they made provision for the short term, but they brought no oil in case the party started later.  That is exactly what happened.  The bridegroom delayed his coming and their oil ran out.

When the groom came, they were unprepared to meet him.  They asked their five friends to share oil with them but they refused lest there not be enough oil for them.  While the five foolish virgins went to buy oil, the bridegroom came and they missed the party!

The application for us is a good one.  How low can we go before we realize we are in trouble?  How often do we pay attention to the fuel gauges in our spiritual lives?  Are we keeping our tanks full, drawing our supply from God and his word?  Are we refueling our lives from his provision, running on the fuel he provides?  Or are we like the five foolish virgins, making provision for the short term but never thinking ahead?

When we fail to keep our tanks filled, when we let them run dry, then we run a great risk.  We will stop to fill them at the nearest station, taking on lower grade fuel at a higher price and we always pay for it.  God never intends for this to happen to us. He provides the best fuel in constant supply.  All we need do is fill our tanks each day and keep a watch on our gauges.  The world cannot supply the fuel we need; it can only come from God.

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o, what does your fuel gauge read?  Do you have a full tank, half of a tank, or are you slap on empty?  Are you enjoying the ride or are you panicking today?

A Keeper Of The Door

            

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t's funny how some people come into our lives and leave a lasting impression.  Unknown to them, their mannerisms and means of living teach us volumes we could never learn in a book or in a formal lecture.  These individuals teach us by example and they don't even realize their lives send a strong message to those around them. Such was the case with a man I met during my years as a high school teacher in North Carolina

I had the privilege of teaching seven years at a high school near my home.  I have very fond memories of the people with whom I worked and the students I was fortunate to teach.  I hear from some of them occasionally, and from time to time faces and names cross my mind.  I relive conversations and events that were both memorable and special.

One of these memorable people was Joe, one of our school janitors who worked the night shift. He was responsible for securing the building and preparing it for the next school day.  Joe would arrive at work around 2:00 p.m. and would stay until 11:00 p.m.  Usually, he would stop by my room just to chat and as I left each day, he would always say the same thing without fail.  I would call out, "Have a good evening Joe," and he would reply "I wish to you the same." 

Joe supervised every sporting event at the school, opening the door as people entered the building. Everybody knew Joe.  He would always greet you with a smile and a laugh and made you feel genuinely welcome.  Although he never held a high position in administration, although he never taught a class, although he never wrote a speech or performed on the football field, Joe was as important to that school, if not more so, than any one else working there.

Our scripture for today speaks of the importance of the people who keep doors.  1 Chronicles 9:21-27 tells us that the gatekeepers and doorkeepers were responsible for the treasury and upkeep of God's house.  In fact, they were the ones who opened God's house each day.

Look closely at verse 27 and you'll see that "they lodged all around the house of God because they had the responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning." Although they held a very lowly position, no other official business of the temple could occur until the gatekeepers had opened God's house.  No sacrifices could be made, no prayers could be offered, no sins could be atoned for, unless the gatekeepers opened the doors.

What an awesome responsibility and privilege these men had.  I'm sure there were times when they felt they could be doing something else, something more important, something more glamorous, and something more sophisticated.  I'm sure others may have encouraged them to seek more prominent positions within the temple itself.  But these men were appointed to this position, it was their area of service and ministry, and it was there that they were most effective.

Today, you may feel as if your service is unimportant, unnoticed, and of very little significance.  But you are very wrong to think this way.  The place you are serving has been given you by God himself and there are no unimportant positions in his kingdom.  The gatekeepers of the tabernacle lived in the very presence of God.  They were clothed, fed, safe, and warm.  It was their duty and privilege to make God available to those around them by opening the tabernacle doors so all could come in and worship.

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e, as believers in Christ, share the same privilege and responsibility as the tabernacle gatekeepers.  Every day, our lives represent a door that is either opened or closed.  We are either making it possible for people to come to Christ or we are preventing them from doing so.  There is no middle ground!  Are we as faithful in our walk with God today as these men were? Could God entrust us with the awesome responsibility of being gatekeepers?  The truth is, he has.  The question is, are we?     

Balancing Your Statement

 Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2015

Today's Title: Balancing Your Statement

Today's Scripture: Daniel 5:27

It is one of the most unpleasant but oh so necessary tasks I have to perform on a monthly basis.  Once a month, the bank notifies me via e-mail that it is time to reconcile my statement.  In essence, the bank calls me to account for my spending during the previous month to see if my records match theirs.  Their records are the standard and, with very few instances, their records are accurate.

Time was when this process took several hours, if not days!  The ritual included pencils, paper, coffee, calculators, more coffee, erasers, alarm clock, and another pot of coffee.  The process was tedious because at some point, you had failed to enter a transaction and that meant spending the majority of the night chasing down a few dollars or pennies. 

On more than one occasion, I have witnessed my mother chase a penny for days as she balanced the books at my dad’s business.  To my mind, all that was necessary was to add the penny back in, but not mom! She wanted the books to balance and she worked at it until they did!

The jump from balancing a bank statement to balancing a life is not a large one.  The same principle that applies to keeping abreast of the funds in a bank account also applies to the Christian life. Let’s take a quick look at what the Scriptures teach us about living a life in balance with God.

In the Old Testament book of Daniel we meet a king whose life was out of balance.  The people of Israel were living in captivity in Babylon.  Daniel, who was a wise and godly man, was called to stand before the king and explain a mysterious message he had received.  During a great banquet King Belshazzar had thrown, in which he drank from the gold and silver goblets stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem, the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall of the banquet hall.  Belshazzar summoned Daniel to interpret the message and Daniel did so.

Daniel 5:27 is the heart of God’s message to Belshazzar.  It is a message we all need to hear and to consider as we bring our lives into balance with God’s word and His expectations for all those who bear His name.  This passage says, “You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.”  What a sobering statement for Belshazzar to hear. In fact, the Scriptures tell us the king grew pale when he saw the handwriting on the wall and this is understandable.  The message, however, tells us that there is a standard against which the king was measured and that standard was God’s standard and this standard is always accurate!

As Christians, we need to take heed and consider this statement from the book of Daniel.  God’s standards for holiness, His standards that we are to be like Christ, and His standards for maintaining our relationship with Him have not and will not change.  Every day we are to take account of our lives and to compare them with the accurate statement found in God’s word.  Do our transactions, the things we do in life, square and balance with God’s word?  Are we living in a manner consistent with God’s statement or are our lives woefully out of balance with God’s will?

Today, as you go about your routine, stop and consider your actions, your thoughts, your words, and your motives.  Are they inline with God’s requirements?  Are we stewarding our lives wisely or are we writing checks haphazardly, expecting God to cover us when they are presented for payment?  Are our lives in balance today or are we, like Belshazzar, weighed in the balance and found wanting?  Have you balanced your spiritual statement today?

Equal Installments

Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Thursday, January 22, 2015

Today's Title: Equal Installments!

Today's Scripture: Luke 9:23

The year was 1987.  I had just returned from France and had started teaching in a local high school.  For the first time since college, I had a steady job and a steady paycheck.  That’s when it arrived.  I came home one afternoon to find a small package, wrapped in a small white envelope, addressed solely to me.  I checked the return mailing address and, although I recognized the name, I wasn't sure why I was receiving mail from this location.  As soon as I opened the envelope, however, I became painfully aware of the sender’s intent.

Inside were a letter and a booklet of coupons with my name and address printed on each one.  The letter informed me that the payment book for my college loan had arrived and that the fist payment was due!  Furthermore, the letter instructed me to flip through the payment booklet to verify that my personal information was correct.  I quickly flipped through the coupons and, as luck would have it, all the information was correct.  That meant I could start making payments right away.  The lending company had even done the math for me, dividing my entire loan into 120 equal installments!  That’s 10 years for you math whizzes!!!

I stared at that payment book for what seemed like the longest time.  How in the world was I going to pay that back?  For the next 10 years of my life, a certain chunk of my paycheck belonged to a company hundreds of miles away.  After the shock wore off and reality set in, I shrugged my shoulders, took out my pen, wrote the check, sealed it and the payment coupon in an envelope, and sent them on their way.  For the next several years, I did the same thing, finally paying off the loan with help from my parents.

I’m sure that many of you reading this Tidbit can identify with the story above.  All of us, it seems, are making payments for one thing or another in our lives.  We are either purchasing a house, a car, or furniture, and we are making payments on a monthly basis.  Our payments are divided into equal installments and we make them an integral part of our budgets, making sure our money is used wisely so we can meet all our obligations.

Do you realize that God also works on the installment plan?  That’s right!  Now, I’m not saying that God is a mortgage broker or a lending institution.  He isn't!  However, the principle of making equal payments does apply to our spiritual lives.  Jesus addressed this in a conversation with his disciples concerning the cost of becoming one of his followers.  Luke 9:23 records Jesus’ words concerning the cost of discipleship. "Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Look very carefully at the fourth word from the end of Jesus’ statement.  Did you see it?  Did you take a good hard look at the word daily?  Yes, you read correctly.  He said daily! These are the terms Jesus set forth as a requirement for following him.  However, unlike a bank or savings and loan, Jesus doesn't want us to communicate with him monthly.  Instead, he wants us to relate to him on a daily basis.  He doesn't want just a part of our lives, he wants the whole thing!

Some people, even believers, think this is a high price to pay.  However, when it comes to buying a house or a car, they are willing to sign a contract obligating them for several years, or a lifetime, in order to buy something. Making payments becomes a way of life for them, and they diligently and faithfully meet this obligation.  If we will adjust our lives to purchase something that is not permanent, doesn't it make sense that we would also arrange our lives in order to gain that which is eternal?  God is not selling us anything.  Instead, He is offering us eternal life and, more importantly, a loving and daily relationship with Him.

So we must ask ourselves some hard questions.  How much of our lives is God getting?  As we spend our lives, do we remember to make our daily payment to God?  Do we spend time with Him by reading His word and praying?  Are we budgeting our time and resources in accordance with His will and commandments?  Are we willing to give God the payment due Him, namely, ourselves and to do this on a daily basis?  Are we living our lives on the daily installment plan, seeking God’s will and obeying Him?  Think about it, won’t you?  Have you made your payment today?

How Do You Spend Your Day?

Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Today's Title: How Do You Spend Your Day?

Today's Scripture: Psalm 90:12 

One of the most important lessons I have learned since moving to Texas is how to manage my money and live on a budget.  I had always heard others talking about having or not having enough money in their budgets to do a certain project or buy something for themselves or someone else.  The concept, however, was simply lost on me.  I figured as long as I had money in the checking account, I was doing OK.  The only problem was, at the end of the month, I could never figure out where I had spent my money.  However, a quick perusal over my check register revealed that money had gone out for movies, restaurants, things I wanted, etc. but precious little, if any, had gone into savings or even to buy clothes.

However, this all changed when I started seminary.  It became very apparent very quickly that I needed to apportion my earnings in a very precise manner in order to steward my resources wisely.  This is a lesson I have never regretted and I am now thankful that God continues to show His faithfulness to me on a daily basis.  Each time I reconcile my banking statement, I am always amazed and humbled at how God has proved Himself over and over by keeping me right on track with my money.  The money belongs to God, my responsibility is to steward it wisely and faithfully.

But there is another area in my life that I am finding very difficult to steward.  It is an area we all struggle with and an area in which we always seem to run a deficit.  That area is time.  No matter how early I get up, no matter how good my intentions, and no matter how much I rearrange my schedule, there never seems to be enough hours in the day.  If I go to bed earlier than normal, the next day finds me worn out before all my tasks are completed.  If I make more room in my schedule in the morning, something always crops up in the afternoon to rob me of the time I've saved.

Isn't it amazing that we will spend such a long time poring over our finances, making sure we spend just the right amount in just the right place, but we will completely ignore our daily schedules?  We always seem to spend our time poorly, neglecting to give God His time, failing to spend time with our families, forgetting to tell others we love and appreciate them, and pushing ourselves to the limit on a consistent basis.

The prayer of Moses in Psalm 90 addresses just this issue.  Israel wondered in the desert for forty years.  They could have been in the Promised Land in a matter of weeks but due to their disobedience and stubbornness, they spent their time poorly and what a price they paid!  All those twenty years of age and older never saw the Promised Land.  They all died in the desert and their children entered in their place.  How tragic!  They forfeited all those years of happiness and all those years of blessing because they disobeyed God.

Listen to the words of Moses from Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  There are two important points in this short passage of scripture.  First, Moses looks to God for instruction on how to account for his time.  Moses realizes that left to ourselves, we are poor stewards of the lives and resources God gives us.  Only with His guidance, only with His wisdom, and only with His grace can we ever hope to spend our time and our lives wisely.  Second, the purpose of following God’s instruction and learning from Him is to gain a heart full of wisdom.  We can only do this when we make God a priority in our lives.  We must spend time with Him.  We must make our relationship with Him top priority and learn to apportion our time in order be in His presence.  If we fail to do this, we will wander through life, wondering what happened to all of our time.

So, how do you spend your day?  Does the budget of your time show you are spending it wisely or are you running a deficit? Think about it!