Thursday, February 23, 2012

I Have an App!

Ever had God provide you with something that you weren't even aware you needed? That's what happened to me last July when this spunky, young chic walked into my office. I knew God had an awesome plan for her life, but I had no idea that I might be a beneficiary of the journey. After a couple of heart-to-heart talks and a lot of prayer, she became my ministry intern. We are doing life and ministry together. Now, after six months of training and a solidified ministry calling, we have moved her into an apprentice role. I call her my "app", for short. And she is just like a really cool app -- helpful, innovative, productive, and snazzy. She is a beautiful child of God, a loving wife, a caring minister, great writer and speaker, and a faithful friend. Now show some comment love to my app, Sharita Knobloch...  I am certain that you will be blessed by reading her post today. This is a continuation of my love list, because I truly love this girl. She is such a blessing! ( And pray for me and my husband, Chris, as we prepare to be presenters for a marriage conference this weekend!)

Living for ONE, 
Kelli


I check my watch. “Ok… It’s 8:13am,” I say to myself.  “If I take a 6-minute shower, speed groom, and avoid all red lights, I will make it in time. Annndddd… GO!!”


I am gonna go out on a limb here and guess that some variation of this scenario happens to most of us on a daily basis. Personally, I’m terrible at math, but when it comes to calculating the exact minutes I have to get from Point A to Point B, I’m a whiz. For most of us, life is a race. With family, jobs, and Jesus… WHEN are we supposed to get this ALL done? GAH!

The answer comes in one simple word: Priorities. To some folks, “priority” might seem like a dirty word. We have told (ok, lectured) about it all our lives: “Get your priorities in line, prioritizing is a must, blah, blah, blah…”

Well guess what? It’s true. Priorities are… well… a priority.

Every single on of us on this earth is given 7 Days Time each week. That’s 168 hours. It doesn’t matter what job you have, how many kids you are wrangling, what your salary looks like. We all have the same amount of time. The question is: How are you using it?

Don’t get me wrong. I like to be busy. I produce higher quality work more efficiently when I am busy. It keeps my mind occupied and sharp (most of the time.) But amongst our busyness, we ultimately have to decide if we are going to use that 7 Days Time to Live for One.

I don’t want to sound morbid or cliché, but life really is short, especially when we are living the light of eternity. It says in James 4:14-15 “…What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes…you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”

That’s intense stuff, folks. God is calling us out.  We have to make a daily choice and decide for whom we are going to live our lives. Are we going to live for ourselves? Our spouse? Our boss? Our children? Our hobbies? Or for THE ONE?

Some of you might be shaking your head, thinking, “I don’t have time for extra Jesus stuff.  I’ve got too much going on in my life.” And I might partially agree with this statement. Depending on what season you are in life, you we possibly have a lot going on. But God knows that and He isn’t gong to ask more from you than you can give. I used to be the person with “no time.” But I’ve learned that for each moment I live for Christ, He gives it right back to me ten-fold.  It blows my mind.  

Don’t believe me? Try it. I dare you. It will rock your socks off.

God asks for our first fruits of time. He should be our priority. We can do this in so many ways. We can add a few extra moments to our quiet time with Him. We can spend time with our families/neighbors/strangers, loving on them in the name of Jesus, sharing our testimony of how we are Living for One. We have limited time. Let’s spend it wisely and live for Him. 

Much against popular belief, we don’t have to live our lives as a game of “Beat the Clock.” We don’t have to become time-mathematicians to get our To-Do lists done.  We have a choice. Will be consumed with the demands of this world, running at a pace that wears out our hearts? Or do we run this life race with enthusiasm, not just with the goal of finishing well but living well?

Make your choice today, knowing that God is our All in All.  Then the next time someone asks how you do it “all,” you can simply reply with a knowing smile: “I am Living for ONE in my 7 Days Time.”

Running on Jesus Time,
SGK

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” –Acts 20:24


A personal pep-talker and Jesus lover at heart, Sharita Knobloch is a chocolate-indulging, pseudo-running, creatively-sarcastic army wife and writer. She is SERVE Ministry Apprentice at Christ Community Church and enjoys every second of it. Sharita blogs daily and hosts a personal ministry called 7Days Time which encourages others to use their time on earth living for God. Whenever she gets the chance, she enjoys hanging out with her beloved drill sergeant husband and their hilarious puppy, Sweet Justus.




Connect with Sharita online on Facebook, Twitter or her blog.

3 comments:

Kelli Williams Wommack said...

I love this. Such a well-written post. Thanks for sharing yourself with Living for ONE readers today. I know they are blessed!

Laura Rath said...

What a difference it makes in my life when I make Him my priority instead of giving Him my leftovers!

Blessings,
Laura

Mamma Lex said...

I struggle sometimes giving him my first of the day but when I do, I am blest!!