The Word for Today
With Bob Gass

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Establishing Priorities Make every minute count. - Ephesians 5:16 CEV

Pastor Adrian Rogers says: "The misuse of anything as precious as time should be a crime. If somebody steals your car... you can acquire another. If they snatch your wallet... a few phone calls would salvage the majority of your concerns. But who can you call when you lose your time?" Solomon reminds us we "must give an account to God for everything [we] do" (Ecc 11:9 NLT), because for most of us, "one of these days" generally means "none of these days."

How you spend your days is how you spend your life, so Paul writes: "Make every minute count." To do that successfully you must: (a) learn to say no: stress is what happens when your gut says no but your mouth says yes! Jesus said, "I have finished the work... You have given Me to do" (Jn 17:4 NKJV), because there's always time to do what God wants done. Notice, Paul said, "One thing I do" (Php 3:13), not "50 different things I'm caught up with!" Don't let the good steal the best; back off on some activities so you can embrace others; (b) walk in the power of the Spirit: Jesus said, "You cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me" (Jn 15:4 NLT), because by walking in the flesh you burn the wick and not the oil. Paul says when you're "guided by the Spirit, you won't obey... selfish desires" (Gal 5:16 CEV); (c) avoid procrastination: we joke about it, but there's nothing funny about delayed obedience. James says, "If you don't do what you know is right, you have sinned" (Jas 4:17 CEV). A real mark of maturity is doing what you don't feel like doing, when you don't feel like doing it!

SoulFood Bible Readings: Ex 22-24, Luke 13:18-35, Ps 136:1-12, Pr 6:30-31

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This message from The Word for Today came from Rhema Broadcasting Group Incorporated in association with The Vine, New Zealand. "The Word for Today"® is copyright © Bob Gass Ministries.

Used under 'limited copy' permission by:

The Word for Today
With Bob Gass

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The Blame Game 'The woman you put...with me...gave me...the fruit, and I ate it.' - Genesis 3:12-13 CEV

A man smokes three packs of cigarettes a day for 40 years, dies of lung cancer, and his family sues the tobacco company. A woman crashes while driving drunk, then blames the bartender. Your children are out of control so you blame violence on TV, lack of discipline in school or the influence of their friends. Excuses - we've got hundreds of them! Our parents failed us...our friends let us down... somebody gave us bad advice... our mate doesn't understand us. The blame game isn't new; we've been playing it since the dawn of creation. In Genesis the first couple offered God every excuse in the book to avoid responsibility for their actions. Adam actually blamed God by saying, "It was the woman you put... with me." And Eve was no better, she said, "The snake tricked me."

Solomon says, "The wise are glad to be instructed...fools fall flat on their faces" (Pr 10:8 NLT), because the ability to accept responsibility is the measure of your character and maturity. But more importantly, God can't forgive and restore you till you acknowledge and turn away from your sin. Nowhere in Scripture does He ever excuse your sin because of somebody else's behaviour. In fact, when you make a habit of blaming the other person you'll never reach the place of honest repentance. The Bible says we'll all "appear before Christ and take what's coming to us as a result of our actions" (2 Co 5:10 TM). Acknowledging your sins and shortcomings here and now frees you to receive God's forgiveness and move on to maturity.

SoulFood Bible Readings: Ex 33-35, Luke 15:1-10, Ps 112, Pr 7:6-9

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Tell your friends about The Word For Today e-mail service. If you've been encouraged by The Word for Today, then your friends will be too. NZ - Click here, UK - Click here.

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This message from The Word for Today came from Rhema Broadcasting Group Incorporated in association with The Vine, New Zealand. "The Word for Today"® is copyright © Bob Gass Ministries.

Used under 'limited copy' permission by: