Jim George's Blog, page 6
November 25, 2014
From Jim’s Heart–Using Time Well
The sooner we realize that life is but a vapor (James 4:14), the more likely we are to make sure we are using our time well.
That doesn't mean you can’t take time to have fun and relax. Rather, it means making sure you have your priorities in order. At the top of the list is your spiritual health. That’s because it affects everything else you do. When things are right between you and God and you’re spending time in His Word, that will help you align the rest of your priorities properly. That means caring for your family, managing your finances wisely, maintaining good physical health, giving your best on the job, and serving others in your church. When you've taken care of these priorities, you can be confident you are using your time well.
Father, do my priorities bring glory to You? Do they help me make the most of my short time on this earth–and of each day? Help me evaluate my priorities and quickly make any necessary adjustments. Amen.
That doesn't mean you can’t take time to have fun and relax. Rather, it means making sure you have your priorities in order. At the top of the list is your spiritual health. That’s because it affects everything else you do. When things are right between you and God and you’re spending time in His Word, that will help you align the rest of your priorities properly. That means caring for your family, managing your finances wisely, maintaining good physical health, giving your best on the job, and serving others in your church. When you've taken care of these priorities, you can be confident you are using your time well.
Father, do my priorities bring glory to You? Do they help me make the most of my short time on this earth–and of each day? Help me evaluate my priorities and quickly make any necessary adjustments. Amen.
November 20, 2014
Spiritual Nutrition
If you’ve put off your quiet time with God lately, think of regular time in God’s Word like you do nutrition: It’s absolutely necessary to maintain a healthy life. It’s so easy to start your day planning to have a devotional time—a little later. Yet a little later never happens! Suddenly you’re off and running, because you failed to set aside the time for the most important relationship in your life.
Can you relate? That’s why you have to have regular scheduled times with God whether you feel like it or not. You might feel like you don’t have the time to spare. And if you feel like that, you need it more than ever. Jesus says that as you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you (James 4:8). What a great promise! Do what you need to do to make it happen, to get the spiritual nutrition you need.
God, I know my time with You is essential to my spiritual, emotional, and physical wellness. Jesus, You are the bread of life. Help me live out the psalmist’s cry: “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek you; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You” (Psalm 63:1). Amen.
Can you relate? That’s why you have to have regular scheduled times with God whether you feel like it or not. You might feel like you don’t have the time to spare. And if you feel like that, you need it more than ever. Jesus says that as you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you (James 4:8). What a great promise! Do what you need to do to make it happen, to get the spiritual nutrition you need.
God, I know my time with You is essential to my spiritual, emotional, and physical wellness. Jesus, You are the bread of life. Help me live out the psalmist’s cry: “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek you; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You” (Psalm 63:1). Amen.
November 18, 2014
From Jim’s Heart–The Key to Focus
Have you ever felt like your life is scattered, as if you’re going in ten different directions at once? Do you ever wish your life was more focused?
If there’s one key lesson we can learn from the apostle Paul, it’s the value of discipline. All his energies were passionately channeled in one direction—toward winning a “crown that will last forever” (I Corinthians 9:25 NIV). Many people chase after earthly prizes and crowns that won’t last, but Paul pursued an eternal prize. He wanted to know Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). And he counted everything else but loss (3:3-7).
What’s motivating you? Is Christ truly first in your life? When He is, you’ll definitely be focused!
God, I want to be passionate, focused, and directed. Alert me today if I start going in several directions at once. Bring all my responsibilities together into a unified life of following You. Amen.
If there’s one key lesson we can learn from the apostle Paul, it’s the value of discipline. All his energies were passionately channeled in one direction—toward winning a “crown that will last forever” (I Corinthians 9:25 NIV). Many people chase after earthly prizes and crowns that won’t last, but Paul pursued an eternal prize. He wanted to know Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). And he counted everything else but loss (3:3-7).
What’s motivating you? Is Christ truly first in your life? When He is, you’ll definitely be focused!
God, I want to be passionate, focused, and directed. Alert me today if I start going in several directions at once. Bring all my responsibilities together into a unified life of following You. Amen.
November 13, 2014
From Jim’s Heart–Rising to the Occasion
The path of obedience is seldom easy, and it certainly wasn’t easy for the Christians in the New Testament era. When they preached the gospel in Jerusalem, the Jewish religious leaders told them to stop. How did they respond? They rose to the occasion! They courageously declared, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).
And what was the effect of their obedience? “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (verse 31). As a result, people came to Christ, and the church grew, all because they were willing to overcome challenges in their pursuit to obey God. Are you ready to rise to the occasion—to any occasion?
Father, help me recognize the steps of obedience You ask me to make today. And when my commitment is challenged, help me rise to the occasion and glorify You in all I do. Amen.
And what was the effect of their obedience? “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (verse 31). As a result, people came to Christ, and the church grew, all because they were willing to overcome challenges in their pursuit to obey God. Are you ready to rise to the occasion—to any occasion?
Father, help me recognize the steps of obedience You ask me to make today. And when my commitment is challenged, help me rise to the occasion and glorify You in all I do. Amen.
November 11, 2014
Make Your Needs Known to God
The Bible exhorts us to make our requests known to God. We are instructed “in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). We are told to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18).
So what does this mean? The word “prayer” is a general term for worshipful conversation with God, but supplication or petition (NIV) refers to a prayer with a sense of need. In other words, there’s something you can—and should—do about the pressing needs in your family, your marriage, your friendships, your schooling, your job, and your everyday life. These, my friend, are specific needs, and you are to petition God in supplication about them—to pray specifically concerning the issues in your life. For instance,
-Isaac prayed for his wife Rebekah to conceive (Genesis 25:21).
-Hannah prayed for a son (1 Samuel 1:11).
-Zacharias prayed for a child (Luke 1:13).
-Paul prayed for the salvation of his countrymen, for the Philippians, and for Timothy.
-Jesus prayed about His death (Matthew 26:36-46).
Our Savior and these heroes of faith prayed for specific needs, desires, and requests. And you and I are to do the same. Be faithful to lift up the personal needs in your life and those of your loved ones to God through specific supplications and petitions. Then watch to see how God will answer.
So what does this mean? The word “prayer” is a general term for worshipful conversation with God, but supplication or petition (NIV) refers to a prayer with a sense of need. In other words, there’s something you can—and should—do about the pressing needs in your family, your marriage, your friendships, your schooling, your job, and your everyday life. These, my friend, are specific needs, and you are to petition God in supplication about them—to pray specifically concerning the issues in your life. For instance,
-Isaac prayed for his wife Rebekah to conceive (Genesis 25:21).
-Hannah prayed for a son (1 Samuel 1:11).
-Zacharias prayed for a child (Luke 1:13).
-Paul prayed for the salvation of his countrymen, for the Philippians, and for Timothy.
-Jesus prayed about His death (Matthew 26:36-46).
Our Savior and these heroes of faith prayed for specific needs, desires, and requests. And you and I are to do the same. Be faithful to lift up the personal needs in your life and those of your loved ones to God through specific supplications and petitions. Then watch to see how God will answer.
October 23, 2014
From Jim’s Heart—Developing a Passion for the Church
For many years I lived a lukewarm form of Christianity with little or no involvement in a local church. Call it drifting, call it distraction, call it laziness, call it enamorment with the things of the world, or even sin. Whatever you call it, my heart was not fixed on or consumed with the things of the Lord. Then, by God’s grace, I became aware of the crucial place being a part of a local church should have in my life.
My return to the church began when I met a dynamic Christian man while on the job. God used that one man to ignite within me a new passion for the Lord, for His Word, and for going to church. Then when I began attending church, some godly men began to mentor me and help me grow. The results were literally life-changing, for both me and my family.
Attending church can do that for you and your family, too. If you’re not actively involved, Christ is calling you to “not neglect meeting together” (Hebrews10:25). If you’re not sure whether you’re in the right church, determine to find the best church for you and your family.
Jim GeorgeDetermine to be faithful. Determine to be active. Determine to grow. Developing a passion for the church leads to manifold blessings!
My return to the church began when I met a dynamic Christian man while on the job. God used that one man to ignite within me a new passion for the Lord, for His Word, and for going to church. Then when I began attending church, some godly men began to mentor me and help me grow. The results were literally life-changing, for both me and my family.
Attending church can do that for you and your family, too. If you’re not actively involved, Christ is calling you to “not neglect meeting together” (Hebrews10:25). If you’re not sure whether you’re in the right church, determine to find the best church for you and your family.
Jim GeorgeDetermine to be faithful. Determine to be active. Determine to grow. Developing a passion for the church leads to manifold blessings!
October 21, 2014
Is There a Proper Place to Pray?
You can pray to God at any time, day or night. God never sleeps and is always available (Psalm 121:3). His ears are always open to the righteous, and He hears their prayers (1 Peter 3:12). But do you ever wonder, “Is there a correct or proper place to pray?”
True believers with clean hearts can approach God anywhere with their prayers. This was true in both Old Testament and New Testament times. For example,
-King David prayed in a cave (Psalm 57).
-The Israelites prayed in the wilderness (1 Kings 8:33-34, 47-49).
-Elijah prayed in an upper room in a house (1 Kings 17:20).
-Daniel prayed in his personal chamber (Daniel 2:19).
-Sailors prayed in their boat (Jonah 1:13-14).
-Peter prayed on a housetop (Acts 10:9).
-Lydia and a group of women prayed by the riverside (Acts 16:13).
-Paul and Silas prayed in stocks in a prison (Acts 16:25).
-Paul and the disciples at Tyre prayed on the beach (Acts 21:5).
God’s people are to pray everywhere (1 Timothy 2:8). And that includes you! You can pray from any place, at any time.
True believers with clean hearts can approach God anywhere with their prayers. This was true in both Old Testament and New Testament times. For example,
-King David prayed in a cave (Psalm 57).
-The Israelites prayed in the wilderness (1 Kings 8:33-34, 47-49).
-Elijah prayed in an upper room in a house (1 Kings 17:20).
-Daniel prayed in his personal chamber (Daniel 2:19).
-Sailors prayed in their boat (Jonah 1:13-14).
-Peter prayed on a housetop (Acts 10:9).
-Lydia and a group of women prayed by the riverside (Acts 16:13).
-Paul and Silas prayed in stocks in a prison (Acts 16:25).
-Paul and the disciples at Tyre prayed on the beach (Acts 21:5).
God’s people are to pray everywhere (1 Timothy 2:8). And that includes you! You can pray from any place, at any time.
October 16, 2014
From Jim’s Heart—Becoming God’s Man
Do you share in God’s desire for your spiritual growth? God won’t force growth upon you. No, you must desire it enough to do something about it. As you look at your own heart, what is the burning desire of your soul? Do you truly want to be God’s man who makes a difference, who has a positive, dynamic impact on those around him? I hope you’re saying, “Yes! I want to grow spiritually. I want my life to have a positive impact on others. I want to be God’s man.”
So where and how do you begin? Here are some steps you can take:
1. Desire to follow Jesus. A true follower doesn’t merely follow Christ only when it’s convenient. You are called to full-time faithfulness without hesitation or reservation.
2. Grapple with sin. Each day you will struggle against the temptation to fall into sin and experience a constant battle with the flesh and its desires and passions. To ensure that your growth remains steady and uninterrupted, confess any and all sins to Him right away.
3. Refuse to be spiritually lazy. Life is full of choices regarding what you will or won’t do. You must make serious choices when it comes to the spiritual realm. Will you read your Bible and pray today? Your ongoing choices will determine whether you grow spiritually strong or become spiritually lazy.
4. Find a role model. It’s often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, look around for a “picture” of a man who’s making a difference, a mature-in-the-Lord man who can mentor you and provide you with counsel, guidance, and encouragement on a regular basis.
5. Realize that spiritual growth is ongoing. Spiritual growth must be pursued daily. You cannot rest or count on yesterday’s growth. Without regular spiritual nourishment, you’ll wake up one day and find yourself defeated in your Christian walk.
To become God’s man, get the help you need. Find the resources that will educate and stimulate ongoing growth. Dedicate yourself to growing spiritually every single day for the rest of your life. Then you will become a man who makes a difference.
So where and how do you begin? Here are some steps you can take:
1. Desire to follow Jesus. A true follower doesn’t merely follow Christ only when it’s convenient. You are called to full-time faithfulness without hesitation or reservation.
2. Grapple with sin. Each day you will struggle against the temptation to fall into sin and experience a constant battle with the flesh and its desires and passions. To ensure that your growth remains steady and uninterrupted, confess any and all sins to Him right away.
3. Refuse to be spiritually lazy. Life is full of choices regarding what you will or won’t do. You must make serious choices when it comes to the spiritual realm. Will you read your Bible and pray today? Your ongoing choices will determine whether you grow spiritually strong or become spiritually lazy.
4. Find a role model. It’s often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, look around for a “picture” of a man who’s making a difference, a mature-in-the-Lord man who can mentor you and provide you with counsel, guidance, and encouragement on a regular basis.
5. Realize that spiritual growth is ongoing. Spiritual growth must be pursued daily. You cannot rest or count on yesterday’s growth. Without regular spiritual nourishment, you’ll wake up one day and find yourself defeated in your Christian walk.
To become God’s man, get the help you need. Find the resources that will educate and stimulate ongoing growth. Dedicate yourself to growing spiritually every single day for the rest of your life. Then you will become a man who makes a difference.
October 14, 2014
More Like Him
Have you ever noticed that the more you are with someone, the more you become like that person? If you’ve been married a while, you’ll notice you and your spouse use some of the same figures of speech. You share many of the same opinions and perspectives on life. You’ll even see this principle at work in your children. And if you’re single, you experience the same thing with your close friends and family.
And it works the same way when it comes to God! The more time you spend reading the Bible, the more you resemble Him. You begin to think as God thinks and do what He would do. You desire what He desires. As you spend time with Him, your life takes in and reflects more and more of His love and glory. Commune with Him each day and spend time in His Word. You’ll reap tremendous rewards!
Lord, I know You are with me always, but the special times we spend together are so life-giving and life-changing! Thank You for Your Word and the light it gives on my journey. Amen.
And it works the same way when it comes to God! The more time you spend reading the Bible, the more you resemble Him. You begin to think as God thinks and do what He would do. You desire what He desires. As you spend time with Him, your life takes in and reflects more and more of His love and glory. Commune with Him each day and spend time in His Word. You’ll reap tremendous rewards!
Lord, I know You are with me always, but the special times we spend together are so life-giving and life-changing! Thank You for Your Word and the light it gives on my journey. Amen.
October 9, 2014
From Jim’s Heart—Imitating God
Are you a spiritually sensitive man? By way of definition, this means walking through life with a God-consciousness. It means knowing how God would act, talk, and respond to life’s situations.
How can you develop this kind of sensitivity? A key way is to observe God in action in the Bible. For example, as you see how He responded graciously to His fallen creation and sacrificed His only Son for us, you begin to understand how you should be more loving, giving, and selfless. As you see His other traits—His patience, His wisdom, His goodness—you’ll discover character qualities you’ll want to imitate in your own life.
As you read your Bible, observe God carefully. Learn from His example. And you’ll grow in spiritual sensitivity.
God, how can I imitate You at work today? At home? In the community? Help me to remember how my simple words and actions can reflect Your saving work in the world. Amen.
How can you develop this kind of sensitivity? A key way is to observe God in action in the Bible. For example, as you see how He responded graciously to His fallen creation and sacrificed His only Son for us, you begin to understand how you should be more loving, giving, and selfless. As you see His other traits—His patience, His wisdom, His goodness—you’ll discover character qualities you’ll want to imitate in your own life.
As you read your Bible, observe God carefully. Learn from His example. And you’ll grow in spiritual sensitivity.
God, how can I imitate You at work today? At home? In the community? Help me to remember how my simple words and actions can reflect Your saving work in the world. Amen.
