TIME ASSESSMENT & ALLOCATION

I Was Just Thinking About – TIME ASSESSMENT and ALLOCATION.

How many times have you had a sense of frustration and uneasiness when you are unable to arrive at a specified goal? I suspect all of us have had such a moment. We don’t know why certain realities have crossed our paths. All we know is that they have appeared without our anticipation and absent of any personal invitation. A verse of Scripture that has been on my mind and heart the past few weeks is Colossians 4:12 where it is reported that Epaphras has embraced a burden for his brothers and sisters in the Church at Colossae. Paul notes: “He is always wrestling in prayer for you, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in the full will of God.” His twofold focus is their spiritual maturity and their knowledge and embrace of all the will of God for them. He knew that once these matters were settle in one’s life, there would be deliverance from fear, doubt and anxieties.

I read a devotional where the area of peace in one’s life was being discussed. The basic point being made was: “Peace is the ability to wait patiently in spite of panic brought on by uncertainty.” The writer goes on to say: “Portrayed here is the panic of getting you from here to there in time. Relax! God knows just the vehicle and He's got the timetable put together so that you can watch Him work.” Why do we panic? It’s because we’re limited in our knowledge of God’s precise plan. We get caught up in: “What will I do? How will I handle tomorrow? We need to remember what is available to us who are in Christ. Isaiah 26:3-4, assures us: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” In Philippians 4:6-7, we are reminded: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Those things about which we panic are unfulfilled dreams; unpleasant circumstances; and an uncertain future. A lesson often forgotten but one that is vital to us having peace rather than panic is James 4:13-15, “Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit -  yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say: If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 

This brings us back to Colossians 4:12 and the focus upon spiritual maturity as well as the knowledge of his will for all areas of one’s life. This can mean difficult moments can suddenly occur in one’s life. The moments were not anticipated or planned. They came more as a surprise (or shock). However, the peace reality and the contentment factor will see one through the greatest of challenges. Whatever awaits on the other side of the difficult and challenging moment. His grace is promised as being more than sufficient to overcome the greatest need.

Prayerfully – Consider these things with me!