How Much?

How Much?

by David Brenneman 

How much of your day goes to Jesus?

How much time do you spend in prayer?

How often during what you do, do your thoughts go towards what the Bible says that God thinks about?

How often during your day do you come to Christ in thankfulness rather than only in need?

Yesterday I was given a very good reason to just be coming in thankfulness.  When I leave work each day I pray on my way home, thanking God for getting me through the day.  Yesterday it was something more.  Sunday our garage door broke.  Was sitting in my recliner, much as I am now, and I heard a tremendously loud bang. After realizing it wasn't a cat tree falling over again, we investigated to find one of the springs on the garage door snapped.  We managed to lift it n get the car out.  The next day we made a call n it indeed was going to be pricey.  We prayed about it because we really couldn't afford that kind of hit financially.  God heard us.

We had it fixed as it was indeed a necessity.  The very next day, God sent a blessing to cover that and then some. 

"What a friend we have in Jesus,

all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

all because we do not carry

everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer!

Can we find a friend so faithful

who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

take it to the Lord in prayer!

Are we weak and heavy laden,

cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge--

take it to the Lord in prayer!

Do your friends despise, forsake you?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield you;

you will find a solace there."

Author: Joseph Medlicott Scriven (1855)

How often do you leave Jesus at your house when you go about you day?

How often is your heart far from Him?

How often are you quitting when God's just needing you to get back into the game? That He's already taken care of things and is waiting for you?

It was just about a week ago this blog hit 110,000 views.  Praying that God would take it farther, last night it already broke 111,000 views.  

Let's be honest, I am weak and heavy laden. I am cumbered with a load of care. 

Jesus isn't on the other side of the Universe.  He's right here if we would just acknowledge Him.  Just give Him our time. 

A while ago our Pastor preached on that subject.  Today I certainly have increased my time in which I spend with My Savior. 

In this moment in the morning is but one. I look for moments that I can afford to listen to Godly material during the day.  At night before going to bed I read my Life Principles Daily Bible. 4 sections of the Bible to read. I have now added Dr. David Jeremiah's Study Bible. Am reading through the book of Proverbs in that along with what Dr. Jeremiah's had to say about each chapter.  

Are you so consumed with having it your way that you have set Jesus aside?

Are you a doer or a hearer only?

When you read your Bible you learn much about what self-deception is about. In reading the books of Ezra and now Nehemiah, you read them admit what the Pharisees and Sadducees denied.  Those two in Jesus's day stated they weren't slaves to anyone. Yet indeed they were...and had been for centuries. 

In reading I had been curious. Was looking at maps of Gethsemane and where it was in regards to the Temple.  Gives a different perspective on the night He was betrayed. 

Jesus doesn't want your lip service. 

Jesus wants you.  He's jealous for you. 

"Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree

Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy

When all of a sudden

I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory

And I realize just how beautiful You are

And how great Your affections are for me

And oh, how He loves us, oh

Oh, how He loves us

How He loves us all" 

- From 'How He Loves' -David Crowder Band

Is it sinking in yet?  We do a seriously understand the relationship that Jesus seeks to have with us?

Life isn't about our fulfilling our dreams that we want for ourselves.  That's akin to what we read in the Bible about everyone doing what was right in their own eyes. 

Life is about coming to the realization that we needed a Savior, who is Christ Jesus. 

Then it's a life of transformation into the kind of person that is like Christ. It's our laying aside our wants and ways in favor of what Jesus has in mind for us.

How much value do you place on your relationship with Jesus?  

Does it bother you at all when you make choices or decisions and are showing Him you don't care what He thinks?

Does it bother you when you will stand before Jesus to give an account of your life and you know that in this moment you will have nothing to show for it?

Today can be your first step in the right direction.  Today can be you beginning to store up treasure in Heaven.  

Today you can start off on the right foot with that long awaited conversation with Jesus that He's been dying to have with you.

Jesus said we would know people by their fruits. What kind of fruit are you? Good or rotten?  Fragrant or fowl?  Would someone looking at your social media see Jesus when they see you or would they see a life distracted by everything else?  Would they even have to dig to through your vast amounts of posts to see what you believed?   

I am not a fan of those kinds of posts where you are goaded into liking and sharing if you believe this or that about God or Jesus...that if you don't then you're ashamed of Jesus and He will be ashamed of you.  A half second or so to twist Scripture is a half a lifetime to fix in understanding what that passage really means. 

Do you make the most of every opportunity? 

"making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:16-17 NIV

"This is the will of God for you, your sanctification" 2 Thessalonians 4:3a.

It's not your will your life your way. 

Take a good look at your life and figure out who is in the driver's seat.  Figure out how important what is important to Jesus is to you.