86,400 Seconds

   What if you got a call from the president of your bank, and he told you that someone who loved you very much would be depositing 86,400 pennies into your bank account each every day. The only condition is that you would need to spend all of the money. But, unlike your cell phone carrier, you won’t be able to “Roll Over” your pennies to the next day. The pennies you don’t use will simply disappear.

    Now, if you were to take out your calculator and do the math, you’d find out that it amounts to a lot of money each year.  In case you don’t have a calculator or don’t know how to turn one on, 86,400 pennies per day for 365 days, equals $315,360 per year.

   Now think about this, someone who loves you very much (GOD) deposits 86,400 seconds into your bank of time each and every day. And like those pennies, they cannot be carried over from one day to the next. There is no such thing as a 25, 28, or 36 hour day. You are given 24 hours each day to use as you choose. For you math statisticians, that’s 31,536,000 seconds per year (525,600 minutes, 8,760 hours, 365 days, 12 months, 1 year.)  Are you being a good steward of your time?

The Bible tells us to “redeem the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). That means to make a conscious, constant and consistent wise use of each and every opportunity (second) God deposits into your bank of time.

 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)

~ Matt

Take Action!

Matthew 10:19b-20 Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Success is defined in many ways. But regardless of how we define it, we want some type of memento, trophy, or something to show for that success. In business, it’s framing that first dollar of profit. When fishing, it’s the picture of that trophy catch displayed on the wall. For us hunters, It’s that trophy buck hanging on the wall.  Spiritually, it’s the memory of that first person we are able to lead to Christ.

We can dream about success all day long, but we’ve got to take action in order to achieve it. The entrepreneur can have the most genius business plan in the world. But if no action is taken to work that plan, it’ll never be a success.  The fisherman can have the best boat, the most up-to-date tracking devices, and the most tricked out lures and baits. But if he never casts his line, he’ll never make that trophy catch.  The deer hunter can buy the most expensive rifle and top notch scope, he can reload his own ammo, and shoot everyday at the range bragging about his quarter sized grouping.  But if he never goes into the hills, and never shoots, waiting for the perfect shot, his work, time and energy is for nothing.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. We have the greatest Spokesperson in the world on our side, ready to speak through us to people who need to know Jesus Christ. But if we never open our mouths to tell our story, we won’t be able to experience the ultimate joy of seeing them come to Jesus.

When the opportunity presents itself to share your story with someone, you don’t have to worry about saying the perfect words. You also don’t have to quote a Scripture word for word chapter by chapter.  You don’t need to deliver a mini-sermon on the spot. You only need to trust that when you boldly take action to speak, God will be true to His promise and give you the right words to say. 

It's Time To TAKE ACTION!

~ Matt

Come To Me!

   I read a story the other day about a dog named Tattoo.  Tattoo was an eight-month-old basset hound who went for an unexpected run one day. His owner accidentally shut his leash in the car door and took off for a drive, Tattoo had no choice but to try and keep up. Fortunately, a motorcycle officer saw the car and the “exercising” dog.  But before Tattoo's owner finally stopped and the dog was rescued, the vehicle had reached speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. Now, even though Tattoo was dragged some of the way, he was not injured. Imagine poor Tattoo with his little basset hound legs, trying to keep up.

   Now, have you ever felt that way—as though you were being dragged through life? Like Tattoo, you are trying to keep up with the speed of life and even getting drug around at times.  You may even feel more like the dog from the movie vacation that didn’t get noticed until it was to late.  Sadly, there is so much pressure on us to do so many things, with so little time, and with little to no rest in between.

   If that is you, Jesus address your situation in Matthew.  This is what Jesus says to anyone who is stressed out, anyone who is under pressure, anyone trying to keep up with the car, anyone who is carrying a burden of any kind:

Matthew 11:28–30 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

   These are words for a weary, tired, and over pressured person. This is not just talking about someone at the point of utter exhaustion, but also the one loaded down with weight and pressure.


Now, is that a description of you today? Maybe you are struggling with the burden of physical pain, or the burden of problems in your family, or the burden of grief, finances, worry, employment, etc. 
Jesus says to you today, "Come to Me."

~ Matt