07-25-2007, 03:12 PM
Manna Issue 21
Luke 14:31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?"
Hosea 10:12 "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you."
James 4:17 "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
Today's food sermon will be, for me, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The Lord kept on impressing to me the need to speak about time, and as this is a dieter sermon, it would be about the time that you put into your effort of dieting, or the time you use to say I am too busy. I have struggled with this one for five days now, and this must be the lesson for me: I am running out of time to broach this subject if I do not start now! My entire time is devoted to the Lord. I arise hours before the world does so that I don't run out of time to be with the Lord. I always have for almost 40 years now so please answer this question. Do you have too much time on your hands or too little time on your hands? We all know that God gives to each 24 hours a day, so that is really not the issue. The issue is how we invest that 24 hours each day. What gets the biggest dent in the budget of time we are allotted, and what comes through at the bottom of the list? I don't work, but I devote so much time to voluntary ministry that many people have criticized me for wasting my life rather than giving my life to the working world and gathering income. All I can answer is that they are not then one of the people that I have helped through the years.
It appears I have too much time on my hands because if I didn't have too much time on my hands, for one thing, I would not be writing a food sermon newsletter weekly to encourage other Christian dieters. But you see, it is all dependant on how we desire to invest our time, not on how much time we have. The world has changed. Daniel had prophesized in the end times that many would run to and fro. I began to see this with low airfare rates and with women flocking into the work world. I am sure there are many, many more factors why we are too busy, but these are what sticks out in my mind. So you may wonder where I am going with today's food sermon by now? Well, I was thinking about my tenure on eDiets and how a great deal of people there did not have the time to invest in their dieting effort, and justified their busy day when I suggested they spend more time in their effort and with the Lord. I do not fault them ever; these people had hectic schedules. But can't we sacrifice something to spend 10-15 minutes exercising each day? Or 10-15 minutes researching the calories we consumed and the fat content by journaling? Or 10-15 minutes a day reading the many diet tips that are available to us? How about 10-15 minutes each day finding all the many subjects in the Bible on food alone? I found the time to do this. I discovered that dieting was not just physical, but also spiritual and psychological, and I needed research and effort in all areas. I made the time to do this. I discovered that I was worth it, and it is my prayer that you will discover that you are worth some extra measure yourself in your diet quest or path to health again. You are worth it and you can leave go of some of the unrewarding and non paying efforts that you face each day, and exchange it for a little more of personal time on your spiritual and physical health quest.
Here is how you will start. You will see what I mean from this illustration. Yes, this has been passed around the Internet so many times that the source is now unknown, but we utilize it to make a point. The Big Rocks Of Life: "A while back I was reading about an expert on subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it either. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!" "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."
What are the big rocks in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Serving the Lord full-time. Or losing weight and regaining health so that you can accomplisjh all of the above without remourse. Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. Dear dieters, if you put nothing into an effort, you will assuredly get nothing back in return. This is called the Law of Reciprocity. Proverbs tell us, "Cast your bread upon the waters and in many days it will return to you. More than 2,000 years ago Solomon was saying what we say now, "You will get what you deserve in return." As dieters, if we put no effort into our weight loss, we can assuredly expect no return on our investment.
Ralph Martson poses it to us this way. "Stop for a moment and consider the priorities you've set for your life. Then ask yourself -- what are you doing about them? In your heart and in your mind you carry around certain priorities, things that are truly important to you. Are these all-important things also being reflected in your time and in your actions? When the reality of your life is in conflict with your most deeply held values and priorities, then nothing is going to work very well. How can you expect to be successful at achieving those things you don't truly even want to achieve? Put more of your time, more of your thoughts, and more of your efforts where your heart is. The achievements which truly matter are the achievements that have real meaning and substance for you. If you blindly follow the world's shallow, superficial definition of success you'll find yourself becoming shallow and superficial as well. Is that what you really want? Honor and respect that very real feeling you have that life can be so much more than merely getting by. Commit the time, the attention, the substance of your life to your most sacred beliefs and your most compelling vision of what life can be. Live the best of your priorities in each moment, and the success you achieve will be sweet indeed."
Is it a priority to lose weight or isn't it? Please answer this one also. Did you know that the best preparation for good work tomorrow is good work today? This is indeed something important that you need to begin with your planning---How will I put more effort into my diet? How many of you began your food emotional journal since last week? I want to do more than preach just to you all. I want to walk the walk, rather than talk the talk. How about you? Do you want to please God and spend more time in your effort to repair His temple where He dwells--your body? Do you know what good you must do, and yet you do not do it? Are you willing to commit a few minutes more than you have, or a few minutes if you have not put much time, effort, and research into your quest to lose weight? What are you waiting for? Might not this be a tap on your shoulder? Might not this be God saying, "I have heard your prayers, child and I am preparing the answer WHEN I see you prepared and expectant and willing to receive?"
Yes, to sum it up, time management is a big issue in these days. I just received in the mail a survey from Lutheran Brotherhood just for women, and by filling it out they would contact you and help you budget your time. A surprising marketing tool from someone that sells life insurance based upon the prospect of our death where we will have permanently ran out of time. In fact, just like dieting is an industry that is booming, so is that of those that explain to you, at a cost, how to cram more hours in your day. I see this trend on the Internet often now and businesses sprouting up just on this subject of interest in our fast paced society. However they don't tell you and cannot tell you that it is your responsibility to set priorities. They can suggest but cannot persuade. You alone can do that, and you are a Christian which sets you apart from worldly pursuits and moves you toward more spiritual activites. Make a priority to find time daily to put forth effort in your diet plan. I know that every single person reading Manna is doing that already. You have devoted 10 minutes right now into being motivated or instructed in dieting or exercising God's way. You are doing something positive. You are starting your weekday off with a fresh start with each issue you read. You are interested in dieting, or you would'nt be reading. And I would urge you to follow through the other 6 days in the week by setting aside a few minutes each day for continued diet research or activity. When you stay interested in the subject your diet will be successful because you are investing time. You are seeking the Lord until He comes and showers the righteousness of answered prayer upon you. You are sitting down as the king does in today's Gospel account and planning and seeing if you are able to follow through.
No time invested in a worthy pursuit will ever be wasted time. As we tithe our income to the Lord, so ought we to tithe our time with the firstfruits of the day and not the leftovers. Do something nice for yourself. Budget a small amount of time and effort in your daily diet plan to keep yourself interested in gaining or retaining your health. Surely we will be able to find those extra few minutes each day if we make that pursuit a priority. It worked for me. When I lost weight I was able to retain my focus daily throughout the year long process it took to lose 85 pounds, and it enabled me to find an interest that is quite able to encourage and spur others on to victory. What more could I want for an investment of my time but a return that has been satisfying. I am praying that you all find that spot of time for yourself and the Lord this week. God bless you all.
Heavenly Father, some days time does get away from me. Some days I could use an extra hour. But this is not a reality prayer, so I pray that You guide and help me into wise time management and especially with my diet effort. I want my prayers answered and it is worth it to spend time in my pursuit each day. Thank You, Lord for the time that I will find by Your grace. Amen
Luke 14:31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?"
Hosea 10:12 "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you."
James 4:17 "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
Today's food sermon will be, for me, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The Lord kept on impressing to me the need to speak about time, and as this is a dieter sermon, it would be about the time that you put into your effort of dieting, or the time you use to say I am too busy. I have struggled with this one for five days now, and this must be the lesson for me: I am running out of time to broach this subject if I do not start now! My entire time is devoted to the Lord. I arise hours before the world does so that I don't run out of time to be with the Lord. I always have for almost 40 years now so please answer this question. Do you have too much time on your hands or too little time on your hands? We all know that God gives to each 24 hours a day, so that is really not the issue. The issue is how we invest that 24 hours each day. What gets the biggest dent in the budget of time we are allotted, and what comes through at the bottom of the list? I don't work, but I devote so much time to voluntary ministry that many people have criticized me for wasting my life rather than giving my life to the working world and gathering income. All I can answer is that they are not then one of the people that I have helped through the years.
It appears I have too much time on my hands because if I didn't have too much time on my hands, for one thing, I would not be writing a food sermon newsletter weekly to encourage other Christian dieters. But you see, it is all dependant on how we desire to invest our time, not on how much time we have. The world has changed. Daniel had prophesized in the end times that many would run to and fro. I began to see this with low airfare rates and with women flocking into the work world. I am sure there are many, many more factors why we are too busy, but these are what sticks out in my mind. So you may wonder where I am going with today's food sermon by now? Well, I was thinking about my tenure on eDiets and how a great deal of people there did not have the time to invest in their dieting effort, and justified their busy day when I suggested they spend more time in their effort and with the Lord. I do not fault them ever; these people had hectic schedules. But can't we sacrifice something to spend 10-15 minutes exercising each day? Or 10-15 minutes researching the calories we consumed and the fat content by journaling? Or 10-15 minutes a day reading the many diet tips that are available to us? How about 10-15 minutes each day finding all the many subjects in the Bible on food alone? I found the time to do this. I discovered that dieting was not just physical, but also spiritual and psychological, and I needed research and effort in all areas. I made the time to do this. I discovered that I was worth it, and it is my prayer that you will discover that you are worth some extra measure yourself in your diet quest or path to health again. You are worth it and you can leave go of some of the unrewarding and non paying efforts that you face each day, and exchange it for a little more of personal time on your spiritual and physical health quest.
Here is how you will start. You will see what I mean from this illustration. Yes, this has been passed around the Internet so many times that the source is now unknown, but we utilize it to make a point. The Big Rocks Of Life: "A while back I was reading about an expert on subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it either. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!" "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."
What are the big rocks in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Serving the Lord full-time. Or losing weight and regaining health so that you can accomplisjh all of the above without remourse. Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. Dear dieters, if you put nothing into an effort, you will assuredly get nothing back in return. This is called the Law of Reciprocity. Proverbs tell us, "Cast your bread upon the waters and in many days it will return to you. More than 2,000 years ago Solomon was saying what we say now, "You will get what you deserve in return." As dieters, if we put no effort into our weight loss, we can assuredly expect no return on our investment.
Ralph Martson poses it to us this way. "Stop for a moment and consider the priorities you've set for your life. Then ask yourself -- what are you doing about them? In your heart and in your mind you carry around certain priorities, things that are truly important to you. Are these all-important things also being reflected in your time and in your actions? When the reality of your life is in conflict with your most deeply held values and priorities, then nothing is going to work very well. How can you expect to be successful at achieving those things you don't truly even want to achieve? Put more of your time, more of your thoughts, and more of your efforts where your heart is. The achievements which truly matter are the achievements that have real meaning and substance for you. If you blindly follow the world's shallow, superficial definition of success you'll find yourself becoming shallow and superficial as well. Is that what you really want? Honor and respect that very real feeling you have that life can be so much more than merely getting by. Commit the time, the attention, the substance of your life to your most sacred beliefs and your most compelling vision of what life can be. Live the best of your priorities in each moment, and the success you achieve will be sweet indeed."
Is it a priority to lose weight or isn't it? Please answer this one also. Did you know that the best preparation for good work tomorrow is good work today? This is indeed something important that you need to begin with your planning---How will I put more effort into my diet? How many of you began your food emotional journal since last week? I want to do more than preach just to you all. I want to walk the walk, rather than talk the talk. How about you? Do you want to please God and spend more time in your effort to repair His temple where He dwells--your body? Do you know what good you must do, and yet you do not do it? Are you willing to commit a few minutes more than you have, or a few minutes if you have not put much time, effort, and research into your quest to lose weight? What are you waiting for? Might not this be a tap on your shoulder? Might not this be God saying, "I have heard your prayers, child and I am preparing the answer WHEN I see you prepared and expectant and willing to receive?"
Yes, to sum it up, time management is a big issue in these days. I just received in the mail a survey from Lutheran Brotherhood just for women, and by filling it out they would contact you and help you budget your time. A surprising marketing tool from someone that sells life insurance based upon the prospect of our death where we will have permanently ran out of time. In fact, just like dieting is an industry that is booming, so is that of those that explain to you, at a cost, how to cram more hours in your day. I see this trend on the Internet often now and businesses sprouting up just on this subject of interest in our fast paced society. However they don't tell you and cannot tell you that it is your responsibility to set priorities. They can suggest but cannot persuade. You alone can do that, and you are a Christian which sets you apart from worldly pursuits and moves you toward more spiritual activites. Make a priority to find time daily to put forth effort in your diet plan. I know that every single person reading Manna is doing that already. You have devoted 10 minutes right now into being motivated or instructed in dieting or exercising God's way. You are doing something positive. You are starting your weekday off with a fresh start with each issue you read. You are interested in dieting, or you would'nt be reading. And I would urge you to follow through the other 6 days in the week by setting aside a few minutes each day for continued diet research or activity. When you stay interested in the subject your diet will be successful because you are investing time. You are seeking the Lord until He comes and showers the righteousness of answered prayer upon you. You are sitting down as the king does in today's Gospel account and planning and seeing if you are able to follow through.
No time invested in a worthy pursuit will ever be wasted time. As we tithe our income to the Lord, so ought we to tithe our time with the firstfruits of the day and not the leftovers. Do something nice for yourself. Budget a small amount of time and effort in your daily diet plan to keep yourself interested in gaining or retaining your health. Surely we will be able to find those extra few minutes each day if we make that pursuit a priority. It worked for me. When I lost weight I was able to retain my focus daily throughout the year long process it took to lose 85 pounds, and it enabled me to find an interest that is quite able to encourage and spur others on to victory. What more could I want for an investment of my time but a return that has been satisfying. I am praying that you all find that spot of time for yourself and the Lord this week. God bless you all.
Heavenly Father, some days time does get away from me. Some days I could use an extra hour. But this is not a reality prayer, so I pray that You guide and help me into wise time management and especially with my diet effort. I want my prayers answered and it is worth it to spend time in my pursuit each day. Thank You, Lord for the time that I will find by Your grace. Amen