Establishing Priorities

by Bishop E. Earl Jenkins via Streaming Faith

"Teach us to use wisely all the time we have." Psalm 90:12 CEV

Growing up, Dr. Tony Campolo says he spent many Saturdays at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia visiting Ed Bailey, the guy who ran it. Campolo writes: "His encyclopedic mind fascinated me. He knew something about everything...I was friends with Ed until he died. After a serious stroke I went to visit him...I told him all the places I'd been to speak and how I'd come right from the airport to see him.

"He heard me out, then said, 'You go all over the world to people who 10 years from now won't remember your name. But you haven't time for those who really care about you.'" Campolo continues, "That...hit me hard and changed my life. I decided not to let all my time be used by people for whom I make little difference, while I neglect those for whom I'm irreplaceable.
"One day a friend of mine got a call from The White House asking him to consult with the President. He said no, because it was a day he'd promised to spend with his granddaughter. The nation survived...the President didn't miss him, and his granddaughter had precious time with her Pop-Pop."

Somebody said that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing! David put it like this: "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom" (Ps 90:12 NLT).
Time is an equal-opportunity employer. We all get 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, 86,400 seconds daily, and we must account for how we use them. So ask yourself how you would spend the next 24 hours if you knew that you'd stand before God tomorrow - then get busy!

© Bishop E. Earl Jenkins all rights reserved.

Are You Moving Too Fast?

by Bishop E. Earl Jenkins via Streaming Faith

"One who moves too hurriedly misses the way." Proverbs 19:2 (NRS)

John Ortberg writes: "When I first moved to Chicago I called a friend - the wisest spiritual man I know - and asked him, 'What do I need to do to be healthy spiritually?' He said, 'You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.' There was a long pause, and I finally said 'Okay.' I wrote that one down. 'Now, what else do you have to tell me, because I don't have much time and I want to get a lot of wisdom out of this conversation.'

He replied, 'There is nothing else. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life. You can hardly do anything the way Jesus did it if you're in a hurry. Jesus was often busy, but never hurried. Hurry is an inward condition in which you're so frantic and preoccupied that you're unable to receive love from the Father, unable to be present with other people, or to give love to them.'"
Understand this: things will not just "settle down." If you wait to get around to what really matters, you'll never do what God made you to do! Your soul will wither. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Furthermore, no one else can do this for you - not your boss, your pastor, your spouse, your kids, or your best friend. You must do this for yourself.

Take a moment and ponder these two scriptures: (1) "The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble" (Pr 19:23 NIV). (2) "Desire without knowledge is not good, and the one who moves too hurriedly misses the way" (Pr 19:2 NRS).

© Bishop E. Earl Jenkins all rights reserved