First - The Time of Your Life

(John 10:10) “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Revelation 2:2-4) I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” (Psalm 90:12) “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Title of message: (Ephesians 5:15-17) “Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity,because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.” (Luke 21:34)  “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.” 5 Principals of Time:  1.    Our most valuable asset is time. 2.    We cannot manage time.  3.    We cannot do everything. 4.    There is cumulative value to investing small amounts of time in certain activities over a long period.  5.    Decide what is important and then manage that decision daily. The distance between the truth you know and the truth you live equals the pain you experience.   (John 10:10)  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Make time for what matters: 1.    Make time for renewal.  (2 Corinthians 4:16) “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (Psalm 23:2-3) “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” (Exodus 20:8) “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy…” (Mark 2:27) Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Proverbs 10:27 LB) “Reverence for God adds hours to each day…”   2.    Make time for reward. (Ecclesiastes 1:14) “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (1 Timothy 6:18-19) “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 3.    Make time for relationships.   (Hebrews 10:25) “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”   I will put first things first and give focus and energy to the things that are eternal.