Outnumbered By Options

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Outnumbered By Options</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id75.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Renewing Your Personal Focus"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Living Simply"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Ministry Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>“Outnumbered by Options,” Berean Bible Church, September 3, 2000</B></div> <bR> <div> <I>     </I>J. Grant Howard, writes in <U>Balancing Life’s Demands</U>, “All day long families make decisions: picking and choosing, selecting and rejecting, preferring certain things, passing up others. Why? Because every day, they are surrounded by a vast array of alternatives. If life can be viewed as a battle, then here is the latest most appropriate communique: We are completely surrounded and totally outnumbered. That is a realistic progress report from the weary foot soldiers on the front lines of life. Surrounded? Outnumbered? By what? Options! In the battle of life, we are up against options. Everywhere we turn there are choices to be made. Obligations that pressure us. Opportunities that entice us. We are bombarded with places to go, overrun with people to meet, pinned down with things to buy, fatigued with mail to read. We are being inundated on all sides by powerful forces that clamor for our time, talents, money, influence, wisdom. There is also a psychological aspect to this campaign: We are infiltrated by feelings of guilt because we cannot possibly respond to all the options” (13-14). And life only gets busier from September to Christmas! We desperately need wisdom from God’s word so we can use our time in a way that reflects that our focus is the kingdom of God (Matthew 6.33, “seek first the kingdom of God”). Here are three general principles from God’s word, based on three key words:</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Priorities: Do what is important because life is brief.</B></div> <div>      In Psalm 90.1-12, Moses tells us to get serious because life is short. He shows the contrast between our everlasting God and sinful, transitory (here today, gone tomorrow) humanity. Take your few days seriously. And pray for wisdom about priorities (vs. 12). Ephesians 5:15-16 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >16</FONT> making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”  God wants us to be doing important things (from his perspective), which means we must discern wisdom from him. That may mean spending more time at home rather than working so hard just to “get ahead” (families are more important than its possessions). It may mean taking time to connect with people so you can share with them what Christ has done for you. Or spending time with our elderly saints to encourage them and learn from them. It means taking time to serve Christ in the local church.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Margin: Don’t try to do it all – you weren’t meant to.</B></div> <div>      Acts 6.1-7: The apostles couldn’t do it all. They had their role of focusing on the Word and prayer, so they got help and shared the work of caring for the needs of the widows. In Exodus 18.17-23, we read how Moses was handling everybody’s problems and judicial cases; Jethro, his father-in-law told him to train others to help him so he wouldn’t have to do it all.</div> <div> There are so many good options in life, and many times we have a sense of being needed by someone else. But having margin means having limits, boundaries, a buffer zone; it is free, flexible time built into your schedule. It’s OK to say no to things, to leave some things undone. </div> <div> It is really a spiritual gift issue. What has good gifted you to do? Find your best role and stick with it. William Gladstone said, “He is a wise man who wastes no energy on pursuits for which he is not fitted; and he is wiser still who from among the things he can do well, chooses and resolutely follows the best.” (Maxwell, 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leaders Day, p. 281).</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. Discipline: Discipline yourself to follow through on doing what is important.</B></div> <div>      In Proverbs 24.30-34, we read of a farmer who would rather sleep than work. A farmer is supposed to discipline himself to farm, because his livelihood comes from the work, not from sleep and laziness. He might know in his head that is more important to farm than to sleep, but he needs discipline to actually DO what is important, not what he feels like doing. <I>Live</I> by God’s priorities for your life, don’t just <I>talk</I> about them! No matter what is on your priorities list, you generally do what is really most important (for example, reading the Bible may be on your priority list, but if you never do it, it’s not really a priority).</div> <bR> <div> We have looked at three principles to help us apply God’s rule to how we use our time:</div> <div> I. Priorities: Do what is important because life is brief.</div> <div> II. Margin: Don’t try to do it all – you weren’t meant to.</div> <div> III. Discipline: Discipline yourself to follow through on doing what is important.</div> <div> Slow down, take time, use time wisely, starting now.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>