Questions for 11/2/2014
From Overscheduled to God-centered
In the Old Testament, the way to say that you are putting God as your priority is to say that you are “seeking God”. What do these passages say about seeking God?
- Psalm 63:1
- 119:10
- Proverbs 28:5
What are some of the things in our own lives that become priority over God? What are the top three to five things that one should put in the jar first, before everything else?
Why is it so difficult to schedule everything in our lives? What is the solution?
The goal of the time we have in this life is not necessarily to cross everything off our of Todo list, but to use the time God has given us to become the person He wants us to become.
What is surprising is how God’s timing is so different than ours.
Let’s take a look at the life of Moses.
What was the major accomplishment of Moses’ life?
And yet, if you look at Moses’ life, you will be surprised.
The early life of Moses is described in Exodus 2. He is adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and educated in Egyptian wisdom. How old is Moses when he slays the Egyptian and flees to Midian? Look at Acts 7:23-29. How long did Moses live with the Israelites before God called him to free the Egyptians? Look at Acts 7:30. How old was Moses when he died? Look at Deuteronomy 34:7
If Stephen’s account is accurate, Moses was living in Egypt for 40 years, lives watching sheep during the prime of his life from age 40 to 80, rescues the Israelites at age 80 and then lives the rest of his life wandering aimlessly in the sands of the middle east. And yet, while this sounds like a complete waste of time, Moses is the most significant person in the entire Old Testament. God called him to do just a few important things. He had just a few stones in his jar:
- Be faithful to God and rescue the Israelites
- Lead them to the promised land
How old was Jesus when He started His public ministry? See Luke 3:23
How long did His public ministry last? The Bible doesn’t exactly specify, but those who have looked at the dates of Jesus’ ministry compared to other historical figures have dated His public ministry to be about 3 to 3½ years.
What was the main stone in Jesus’ jar?
When you get to the end of your life and you look back at it, what do you hope to have accomplished? Are those things a priority in your life?
Do you spend a few minutes at the beginning of each day thanking God for the day and asking for His guidance? Why or why not? Should you? Will you?