BETTER Part 1 – Life

WARM-UP

So here we are, at the first Sunday of 2019. I wonder how we’ll do this year? Will we be as busy? Will we make any better use of our time? In 359 days (since it’s already January 6), when this year is over, will we be looking back with joy, or with regret? Will we be looking at the future with anticipation, or with dread?

ONE BIG IDEA

Live your life as if it is your last. Live your life with Christ in your heart.  

STUDY (Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV)

“15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

LEARN

OUR TIME ON EARTH IS LIMITED

Ephesians 5:15 – “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.”

We must be very careful how we live because our time on earth is short, it is temporary. The Psalmist wrote in (Psalm 39:4 NIV); (Psalm 90:10 NIV); (Psalm 90:12 NIV).

A few years ago People Magazine published an article entitled “Dead Ahead” telling about a new clock that keeps track of how much time you have left to live. It calculates an average life span of 75 years for men and 80 years for women. So you program your sex and age into the clock, and from then on it will tell you how much time you have left. It was sold for around P5,000 when converted to peso.

I didn’t buy one. But it is an intriguing idea. Isn’t that what the Psalmist told us to do to number our days? If I buy that clock right now, I figured out that if I would live till 80 years old, I only have about 12,549 days left to live.

But neither you nor I have a guarantee of even one day more to live. In fact, the Bible tells us in (James 4:13-14 NIV) – So our time on earth is VALUABLE because it is very LIMITED. It’s just like gold and diamonds, they are valuable because they’re limited. So, treasure your life.

MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY

Ephesians 5:16 – “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (NIV)

Paul tells us that we must make “the most of every opportunity.” And he gives a reason, “because the days are evil.” Jesus said that Satan is a robber and a thief. One of the things he tries to rob from us is our time because time is a very precious possession. Others would say we cannot even buy back time. Time is of the essence not because we have to accomplish so many things in a particular period, but because time in a day can run out and the next thing we know it’s gone forever.

Think of the time wasted in sinning. Think of the time wasted in bars or in gambling casinos or cockfighting arena. Think of the time wasted in gossiping or spreading rumors. Think of the time wasted in Facebook or Instagram. Or think about all the time wasted worrying about the consequences of the sins we have committed. Satan is a thief and a robber!

But it is not just sin that makes demands on our time. Sometimes even good things can make demands. Jesus went to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He sat down to teach, and Mary was sitting at His feet just soaking in every word. Meanwhile, Martha was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Martha gets upset because Mary is not in the kitchen, too. So she complains to Jesus in (Luke 10:40-42 NIV) .

Martha was so preoccupied with what she was doing that she didn’t realize that God was in her living room. That’s the same mistake you and I make almost every day. We get so caught up in the here and now that we fail to deal with the eternal, the things that will last forever and ever. We’re overloaded with COMMITMENTS. We’re also overloaded with POSSESSIONS. We’re overload in the AREA OF WORK. .

UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS

Ephesians 5:17 – “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (NIV)

Now what do you think God’s will is for you in this new year? Do you think He wants your mind so saturated with worries and anxieties that you can’t think about spiritual thoughts? Do you think He wants your calendar so crowded that you don’t have time for the important things? What do you think God’s will is for you this year?

Let me make a couple of suggestions for you to consider. First, establish your priorities. God should be a part of your life. When you begin to establish priorities, you have to decide just where God stands in your life. So, ask yourself, “Who or what is most important in my life?”

You also need to schedule some definite time each day to pray and to read His Word. Pray for yourself, for your family and for people around you. Pray for the church, and for the missionaries. Sometimes they feel so alone and so far away. You’ll never know how much your prayers will mean to them. But you’ll be blessed as you grow in your faith and trust in the Lord!

And then, learn how to live today. The two greatest enemies of TIME: 1) regrets for things we did in the past; 2) anxiety about what will happen to us in the future. Many of us are living either in the past or in the future.

Your life is too valuable, your calling is too great, and your God is too good to waste your life in meaningless things.  God has given you blessings, gifts and skills. You’re alive right now not for you to accumulate stuffs and waste your talents.  He gave these to you not only for your own enjoyment but for you to make a difference in the lives of other people.  Your calling is special, life is too short, don’t waste it on things that do not matter.

Live your life as if it is your last. Live your life with Christ in your heart.  Live your life with love.  Live with kindness. Live your life without hatred and bitterness. Live your life doing God’s purpose for your existence.

GROW:

Application Questions:

1.What are your regrets last 2018 with regards to your relationship with God, your family, and others? Would you say that you have been wise in making every opportunity count for God and your loved ones?

2.Are you facing a challenge of establishing a fixed time of spending moments with God in prayer and bible reading? Since the start of the year, what have you resolved to do to prioritize God this 2019? How are you responding to God today?

3.Every start of the year, we make New Year’s resolutions. If you will list all the things that you plan to do to, to make you a better person for 2019, what will it be and how do you intend to accomplish it?