ARE YOU AN AVERAGE PERSON?
WRITTEN BY JACO VAN AS
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A few weeks ago someone told me that being a Christian is hard work and that it requires a lot of effort to have a close relationship with God. Before you continue reading this article I want to ask you to stop doing what ever you were busy with and REALLY concentrate on this article. If you sitting at work, why not just close your door and take the phone off its hook, just for a few minutes. If you at home, why not switch off that TV or music playing in the background. Do I now have your full undivided attention? Good!
I want you to grab a pen and paper as I am about to give you a small task to complete. Ready? Write down the following:
My time management sheet
06:00 =
07:00 =
08:00 =
09:00 – 17:00 =
17:00 =
18:00 =
19:00 =
20:00 =
21:00 =
22:00 =
23:00 =
ARE YOU REALLY WRITING THIS DOWN!
Now please write down next to each time slot exactly what you would do on a normal working day. BE HONEST! If you not honest, just remember that you only lying to yourself! Without knowing what each of you would write, I can tell that most of you would probably have a routine similar to this one:
Wake up, have coffee, get ready for work, take children to school, sit in traffic, arrive at work and have more coffee while talking to fellow employee’s, start your working day, read e-mails, send e-mails, visit Facebook and chat a bit with your friends, have some more coffee and chat with fellow employee’s, work some more, chat some more on Facebook, have lunch and chat some more with fellow employee’s, have a fight or two with your boss or employee’s, work some more, chat some more, have more coffee, sort out some personal stuff, pay your bills, visit a few websites, work some more and eventually pack your bags, get back into the traffic and arrive home. At home you would now talk with your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/friend about your day, switch on the TV, watch Binnelanders/7de Laan/Isidingo, cook or get take- aways, chat some more, watch more TV, make a few phone calls to some friends/family, clean up after dinner, watch more TV, fall asleep.
Wow, what a mouth full! I am sure your day is not necessarily the same but I cannot be too far out, can I? Now lets review your planner! Within those time slots, did you include Bible Study anywhere? If you did, praise the Lord! If you did not, I guess you would say you did not have enough time in your day to slot it in! Now lets take this a step further! Please work out how many hours a day you spend on the following:
– Driving
– Working
– Time on the phone
– Time in front of the TV
– Time on the internet
– Time with friends/family
– Partying
– Bible Study
Now break this down and work out how much, in percentage, of your day is spend on Bible Study. Did you know that a recent study showed that the average person spends about 1% of his day reading the Bible and praying. I am sure that you are not an average person, well I hope so! The point I am making is that we can always make time for friends, the TV, movies, a party, the internet or what ever it is the average person do in a normal day. The average person can always make sure that they don’t miss their favourite TV program or party but when it comes down to spending time with God, then we either don’t have the time or we are to tired OR we say that being a Christian is a lot of work!
MAKE TIME!
Why not change your schedule and start your day with reading the Bible and saying a little prayer, why not use the time in traffic to talk to Jesus, why not use your family time more efficiently and spend time with the Lord as a family, why not slow down on all those earthly things which satan just love to use against us to remove us from God and use the spare time to attend Christian events so that we can enrich our spirit?
My friends, saying that being a Christian takes a lot of effort and work or that we do not have the time to do Bible Study is an excuse not to be with God and it is satan’s biggest weapon! Time is satan’s biggest weapon! How come you have time to do everything you want but when it comes to God then you are to tired or you to busy? What puzzles me the most is when people’s lives don’t turn out the way they want it to or if tragedy of any kind strikes then they want to question God and blame Him for not being there when they needed Him the most. My friends, God is not one of those TV commercial products you buy, use it until you have no more need for it and then push it into a cupboard! And then one day when you realize you should not have stopped using it, then you take it out again.
How can one expect Jesus to be there for us all the time, protect us and give us what we want if we use Him like a toy from a shop! Jesus is no toy my friends, He is the son of God, He is the only way to eternal life! If we live with Him in our heart and walk with Him on a daily basis, study the Bible, pray, talk to Him and really have a close relationship with Him EVERY DAY, then He will ALWAYS protect you, provide you with the answers you are looking for, open doors nobody can and give you the strength when you go through difficult times. In short, He will set you FREE!
Now answer this question and PLEASE be honest with yourself!
ARE YOU THE AVERAGE PERSON?
If you are not, then praise the Lord, thank you Jesus! If you are average then maybe it is time for change! Jesus is knocking on your door today, He is ready to forgive you, ready to accept you, ready to enter your life and ready to set you FREE! Are you going to accept Him in your life today, make time for Him and have a close relationship Him at all times? See, I am waiting at the door and giving the sign; if my voice comes to any man’s ears and he makes the door open, I will come in to him, and will take food with him and he with me. To him who overcomes I will give a place with me on my high seat, even as I overcame, and am seated with my Father on his high seat. He who has ears, let him give ear to what the Spirit says to the churches. Rev 3:20-22.
I am inviting you today to open that door, to let Jesus come into your life for good and to allow yourself to be set FREE! Even though I am giving you this invite, it is not me in spirit but it is because of the Spirit within me that I want you to make sure that you are not living an “average” life. Have no love for the world or for the things which are in the world. If any man has love for the world,
the love of the Father is not in him. Because everything in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world. And the world and its
desires is coming to an end: but he who does God’s pleasure is living for ever. 1 John 2:15-17.
Jesus came to my rescue and He can do the same for you! Let Jesus come to your rescue today!