Time In A Bottle - 3

Part 3, from yesterday’s post

Jesus brought me to the place where I had to realize that if I wanted him to be the Lord of my life, I had to make the time to be with him. He also brought me to the place where I had to see that his relationship with me was far more important than my relationship with my family, to anyone or anything else. Jesus showed me that he is the reality of my life. Now I had to make a choice. Do I want Jesus more than anything else?

I started to pray and ask Jesus to show me how to change, and to ask how I could make time in my day for him. He’s always faithful. Eventually, I started praying more, which lead to more praise, which lead to more worship. Now, I hunger for his presence.

Have my days, and time schedules changed? Maybe a little, but I seem to have time now to put the Lord into my days. Is it always easy, no, but it’s always worth the sacrifice. Jesus’ sweet presence is far more important to me now than the busyness of my day. I go to bed now with a new sense of accomplishment. Because, all of the things that matter now are being done. I’m actually more energized than I used to be and I go to bed with less exhaustion.

Jim Croce wrote the song, “Time In A Bottle” which seems appropriate:

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day
Till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I’d spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with you.

I believe that he wrote this song for his wife. Even though the words were written for someone else I like to sing the song as if it were written to Jesus. A song of an unconditional love that will last all eternity. Wow!

Time In A Bottle 1

If I could put time in a bottle, I would be a millionaire. Time is a precious commodity that seems to slip thru our fingers faster than water. Most people’s day look something like this:

6:30: shower, breakfast, prepare for work
8:00-5:00:get the kids off to school, go to work
6:00: dinner and dishes
7:00-10:00: night meetings and children’s activities
10:00 and on: bedtime

Plus preparing meals, doing laundry, helping the kids with homework, yard work, cleaning house and meeting with friends, etc........All of the added extras get done whenever and wherever you can squeeze it in. You go to bed exhausted, and think, “I’m done. Now I can go to sleep.”

Preparing to turn the light out, something starts nagging at you. It’s important, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. You yawn, roll over and think, “oh, well, it can wait until tomorrow.” Tomorrow is another day to be conquered! Sleep comes quickly.

Someone has been waiting in your room, very quietly and patiently for you to notice him. After you are asleep, he walks over to your bed and begins whispering in your ear. He shares with you all of things that he wanted to share with you through the day. He stands up, looks at you, then he walks away hoping that tomorrow......

How many times do we forget to spend time with Jesus? He is looking for us to notice him and for us to want to take the time to be with him.

Part 2, Tomorrow

Treasures Still Hidden in the Upper Room - 1

Treasures Still Hidden in the Upper Room

When I think about Jesus, the twelve disciples and the upper room I think of the last supper. Then I started searching the passage in John 13: 4-17 and realized that there was so much more for us to learn from it.

John’s version of scripture is the only place where it refers to Jesus washing his disciple’s feet. It states, “...so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” In order to grasp the complete impact of what Jesus did, we need to put some historical context in place. In Jesus’ culture and time, many homes would welcome a visitor by washing their feet. The person who did it was usually the lowest servant or slave in the household. Jews felt themselves above washing anyone’s feet, including Jewish slaves It was considered so humiliating a task that Gentile slaves were forced to do it. If this were the case, then why would Jesus, not only a Jew but the Son of God, wash the disciples feet?

Jesus was teaching his disciples, through example, that a servant’s heart was a massive foundation stone in all that he taught. Let’s go back to John 13. Jesus gets into a debate with Peter concerning washing his feet and it states, “....’No’, Peter said, “ you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.....” Why was Jesus so adamant about this? Let’s continue, “...When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his cloths and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked them. “You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

Jesus humbled himself before man so that we could see that we need to humble our selves before God. How do we bring this about? I believe it begins with the heart of worship. Worship is to honor our God. True worship brings in the presence of God and makes us realize it’s all about him and not about us. Which leads us to the next step, repentance. When we enter God’s presence, it produces a hunger for more of him. We need to get rid of anything that will hinder us , so we need to ask God to change the places within our heart’s that are blackened by sin.

Part 2, Tomorrow