Just imagine for a minute:
An enormous fire is accumulating in your house, and you have less than 2 minutes to get everyone and everything you can out of the house before the flames eat up anything in their path.
With less than 30 seconds left, you’ve gotten the entire family out the window and onto the street, safe from the fire. The family dog, cat, turtle, your work computer, your kid’s favorite blanket......but wait......what else are you missing?
You've gotta get your phone, your wallet, your car keys, your wives phone, your kid’s iPad, the other family cat you forgot about under the couch, the blueprints you’ve been working on for your job back on your desk......and you completely forget to get yourself out of the house before the fire catches up to you......
…...this is how I feel every single day at college: except the fire is within me and all around me.
The fire…...is time…...and we seem to have little to no control of the fire as we move onward with it.
Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
While I know I've spoken about my poor sleeping habits and how I tend to additionally leave God in the dust when I take off after stuff, this time, I've got some more explaining to do.
If you're here for the short 1-3 minute devo, take this:
*I haven't been making time for God. Make time for God. Let Him fix the rest while you're making time for Him.*
If you've got a few more minutes, stick around and soak in the rest of what I have to share.
.
.
.
Alrighty, so this devo will most likely be very informal, as many of them are.
If you are someone who does or doesn't read my devotionals often, just know that I was supposed to (by my own personal schedule) post this one (devo #47) on October 13th.
Not October 22nd.
However, it just so happens to be that the message revolves around time and how we are all using it wrong.
Well......not all of us as many other people in this world seem to have their lives put together much better than the rest of us do.
As for me, I've been busy spending my time on assignments, projects, papers, studying, video-editing, talking, more talking......you get the gist of it.
Where I have not been spending but a fraction of my time has been in God's word.
To be blatantly honest, I pretty much put God on "bye-week", except for 2 consecutive weeks as opposed to 1 bye week, after my last devotional.
I didn't think to myself, "God, I'll get back to you later," but more of a, "Hey God, you know I'm busy, so please help with what you can while I take care of everything else myself," kind of a mentality.
My routine breakfasts, reading through a chapter of the Bible (it's been Hebrews because Hebrews and coffee go together *pun intended*), went on pause until the other day when I finally got a "break" from the rest of the college world.
Oh yes, I'm technically on fall break, meaning I can choose to enjoy my fall break and fail my classes or work hard during fall break and cross my fingers and pray that I pass them all.
While this sounds dramatic, because it is, this is my reality and there really isn't (or didn't seem like it until now) any way to make things better except to quit and accept defeat.
If I can barely find time for homework and studying, how will I ever find time for God?
Psalm 127:1-2
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat, for he grants sleep to those he loves.
I was reminded the other day about the verse at the top of these blobs of words (Romans 8:28) that God works for those that work for Him. It's not necessarily a trade-off but instead, more of a promise.
I always assumed it was I do stuff for God and He does stuff for me.
But what about the times when I'm sleeping? I'm not dreaming for God, that's for sure.
God is working for us and within us while we sleep! He is a 24/7 God, not a 18/7 God.
The other night, I went to bed after watching some action-packed film, and later had dreams about robbing a Toys R Us the night before Black Friday.
No, I don't think this was a prophecy because I don't need to rob a store that no longer exists, and I have zero intentions of robbing.
Getting back on track to how I don't do things for God in my sleep......He does.
God is working for us and within us while we sleep! He is a 24/7 God, not a 18/7 God.
He is working when our eyes are opened and when our eyes are closed. He doesn’t blink to miss a single moment.
We, however, are not 24/7 people. We are most likely 18/7 people, or 16/7 people. We cannot stay up for the full 24 hours of the 7 days of the week. While scientifically, you can stay up for that long, it is not recommended in any manner whatsoever.
It’s also not suggested that you get up super early or go to bed super late, either, but here again, we’ve all done it and are probably going to continue to do this until God's done with us.
Which is another thing I'd like to add onto to: God being done with us.
-
I had a friend tell me that God was done with them, and that He would've fixed the things in their life if God really wasn't finished with them.
I'm here to say that I feel you, I understand not what you feel personally, but the same darkness that you see, and do not think for a second that God is done with you.
Know that God is working where you cannot see Him. Know that God gave you the people around you to run to when all else is going to crap and muck. And know that you are not alone, nor are you ever alone.
-
Looking back at the scripture above, from Psalm 127: 1-2 comes the words of Solomon. He's supposed to build a great house, protect a city, and leave a legacy for the people after him.
While He's ready to do all of this by himself, David warns him how stupid this is and advises Solomon to talk with God about his workload.
That's when Solomon speaks about the Lord building the house and the Lord protecting the city, and without God doing so, the person remains in vain of God.
God doesn't want us to do things by ourselves. He wouldn't throw us into the world thinking, "They've got it all under control, they'll be fine."
No, He gave us (well...most of us) brains, He gave us people to guide us who have already fought the battles we're facing, people to walk with us who are currently undergoing the same battles, and the God who watches all of these battles as He's working within us and around us to make things better.
Side note: We all have issues/struggles. You're not "special" or "different" because you have issues or struggles. You're special and different because you're a child of God and He has loved you, loves you, and will continue to love you by giving to you when you need Him most.....even when you don't ask for Him.
BUT WE HAVE TO GIVE TO GOD TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT HE'S GIVING TO US.
It's really just that simple. God doesn't need us to do anything for Him. He literally has everything and anything He could ever ask for.......except our thankfulness, our love for Him, and our reassurance that He is alive within us and we're with Him till Kingdom come and His will be done.
Those are things He gives us free will for. He's not going to force us to hang with Him like many of our parents did for us growing up as we woke up on Sunday morning for Sunday School and church after staying up past midnight the night before.
God wants us to find Him, because He's always watching us. 24/7 God.
Here's the basic equation:
We invest our time into God → He invests His love through blessings into us → We can later give back to God by giving to others that same sort of love through blessings.
or in an academic setting for myself:
I invest my time into God → He invests His love through blessings into me → I can later give back to God by doing my very best to succeed and be an example for Him, while also loving on others, as usual.
But we can’t run on an empty tank, and we need God to keep us full, always.
We can do that by reminding ourselves that God is working for us, even when we could give a rat's arse about trying to find time to read our Bibles or sit down and pray for a few minutes/seconds about something you told someone you'd pray for but let "slip" in the back of your mind along with all the other times we forgot to do something for God.
I'm guilty. That's why I'm writing to everyone else that gets all the way down here to read this.
God is alive within us. 24/7. I guess that's the take-away from all of this, really.
He is working when we aren't paying attention to the little things God is doing in the background of our lives. He does more for the world in less than a second that we'll ever do in a lifetime.
If that doesn't put a fire under your butt to go and do things, then I have no clue what will besides fire itself!
Romans 8:31
So what should we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
I'll tell you what. God is stronger than you are. Period. If you're fighting yourself, if you're fighting the thought of self-worth, self-identity, the fact that the couple on Instagram or Facebook looks like they're living better than you are, your grades are where they need to be (me too), you're upset with God, know that He's working to make it better.
Trust in Him because He is the same yesterday as He is today and as He will be tomorrow.
Remember this week and into the rest of this year until you find yourself enjoying time with family or time away from people (I love both of those):
1. Give to God so He'll give to you so you can give to others.
2. Don't run your tank to zero before reaching out to God and reaching out to others He has given you.
3. God is a 24/7 God. We are not 24/7 people. Be thankful for that.
4. Choose to make God the fire under your butt, not time. If you make God part of your 18/7 lifestyle, He'll pay you back with interest.
With all of this mouthful of blah and bleh, I hope you found something useful in this time.
*Live, not in fear but in confidence, as if today might be your last, but with responsibility and assurance that God is with you through those around you, whether you've met those who love you yet or not.
**Love as if the person you're loving on isn't going to be around the next time you see them. Be present with them, forgetting about all that you have just for a moment, because you know what it feels like to be loved.
***And be loved because God has much more in store for you than you may think He does.
Don't ever forget that you're not alone because I can guarantee you that with the 7.53 billion people in this world, you are not the only one with the struggles you have.
Walk with those who struggle with what you struggle with, build one another up, and don't fall until it's in the arms of Christ when He calls you home.
He's not finished with you, yet.
https://youtu.be/lEFNQE76Us4
(read the comments of the video in the link above...you just might find others who've felt the same things you're feeling, have felt)
- Britt :)
Comments