How to Waste Time TODAYS SCRIPTURE James 4:13-17 Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lords will, we will live and do this or that. As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesnt do it, sins. TODAY’S WORD Have you noticed how many day-planners are available these days? And then there are the time-management self-help books: how to increase your efficiency, how to make every moment count, how to invest your time wisely and productively. While all those voices and handy products scream for your attention, Id like to play devils advocate and tell you how to waste your time. Five proven ideas come immediately to mind: First, worry a lot. Start worrying early in the morning and intensify your anxiety as the day passes. Worry about your own failures and mistakes---about what you should or could have done but didnt. To add variety, worry about things you should not have done but did. Hanging around negative people is another secret you wont want to forget. Remember: Potential ulcers need fresh acid. Second, make hard-and-fast predictions. Of course, youll need to ignore that little throwaway line in the fourth chapter of James: you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. But forget that comment and set your expectations in motion. Be as specific as you can. For example, one month before his July 1975 disappearance, Jimmy Hoffa announced: I dont need bodyguards. Third, fix your attention on getting rich. Youll get a lot of innovative ideas from the secular bookshelves (I counted fourteen books on the subject last time I was in a bookstore), plus youll fit right in with most of the hype thats pouring out of entrepreneurial seminars and high-pressure sales meetings. Fourth, compare yourself with others. Not only will you ricochet between the extremes of arrogance and discouragement, you will also spend the time not knowing who you are. Fifth, lengthen your list of enemies. If theres one thing above all others that will keep your wheels spinning, its perfecting your skill at the Blame Game. With a full arsenal of suspicion, paranoia, and resentment, you can waste endless evenings stewing over those folks who have made your life miserable. Put these five surefire suggestions in motion, and you can forget about all the hassles connected with being happy, efficient, productive, and contented. Within a couple of months, those things wont even be on your agenda. All this sounds like foolish exaggeration, doesnt it? But just stop and think: How much time are you already wasting on some of these things? Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. Inspiration Creek Prayer Ministry Can you use some prayer today? Its been a tough week, issues at work or with the family. You may be struggling in your marriage or need words of encouragement and comfort. COFAs Inspiration Creek prayer ministry is ready to pray for any needs you have 24/7. Pastor Don is head of COFAs prayer Ministry and loves getting men and women to pray for you. He is always looking for people to join the prayer team ministry. Contact Pastor Don at [email protected] if youre interested. If you do have any prayer requests send them to Pastor Don at [email protected] Guidelines for all prayer requests, last names must be withheld due to privacy issues, no gossip, or slandering of people you want prayer for. If you have an immediate prayer need you can call Pastor Don at 812.883.1724 or Mike 303.456.0555.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 14:26:30 +0000
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