Also, when people don’t believe there are consequences for their choices, they will do what seems good to them without regard to those their choices will affect, like the generations that will follow.  I often wonder with where things are going in our country what kind of life my children will inherit from this selfish generation of leadership in our land.  The leaders simply reflect those that elected them.  So what does that say about us?

One day, we will all stand before a judgment seat.  A place where the only opinion that matters is that of Jesus Christ.  A place where God has rendered all judgment to Him alone.  How should we live in the light of that knowledge?  What should we value now that will affect us then when we stand or fall before Him?

Think about it.

“Do you think Jesus would have carried a pocket calendar?  Would He have consulted it before making commitments?  Would He have bypassed the leper because His calendar said He was late for the Nazareth spring Banquet?

Do you think Jesus would have worn a wristwatch?  What would have been His reaction if the temple service extended past noon and alarms went off in the crowd?  Would He have driven out the clock watchers along with the money changers?  What would He have thought of the parishioner I knew who weekly timed the pastor’s sermons with a stopwatch and reported the statistics on the way out of church?

Do you think Jesus would have carried a beeper?  Would Martha and Mary have paged Him to come raise Lazarus from the dead?  Can you imagine Him being paged out of the Last Supper?

The clock and the Christ are not close friends.  Imagine what God thinks of us now that we are so locked into schedules that we have locked ourselves out of the Sermon on the Mount — it is hardly possible to walk the second mile today without offending one’s pocket calendar.  We jump at the alarm of Seiko but sleep through the call of the Almighty.”

An excerpt from Margin, by Richard A. Swenson, M.D., Copyright © 2009 NavPress

“Let us not forget that the ‘kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power’ (1 Corinthians 4:20).  Words, by themselves, are an illusion.  They are merely the labels we use to define reality; they are not the reality they represent.  Remember, the major difference between the kingdom of God and traditional religion is that the kingdom possesses in substance what religion has only in words.

Our goal is to seek and find the holiness that leads us into the true presence of God.  Let us also bear in mind that the Lord dwells in the secret place.  No book, no teacher, no individual can discover for us what God’s love demands we find for ourselves.  If we know that we should seek God, we are debtors to our knowledge until we find Him.

Finally, simply, do what you know to do.  If you stumble, get up.  If you sin, repent.  Whatever you do, in spite of your feelings, do not lose your vision of Christlikeness.  Your vision is your surest hope.  Guard it.  If you are faithful to your goal of Christlikeness, God will give you the grace to live in His presence.  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed, you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4).”

The software can save HOURS of normal Scripture research work when you know how to use all its bells and whistles.  I am quite sure he did not teach us ALL there is to know about this incredible software, but if you need good software, it is awesome.  Also, there is a $20 version sold by Thomas Nelson Publishers that has over 100 books ($1500 value) and is a great way to experience the software for a small investment.

Regardless, you will want to get trained.  Morris Proctor has all kinds of ways to get trained.  If you cannot attend a live seminar, you can buy the seminar in video format and study at home, office or environment of your choosing.

On top of all that, no one is paying me to say this!  Both the software and the seminar are that good.

Recently, I took 5 days off for the Easter holiday.  I haven’t done that in years.  I did not have much on my plate except updating this website which, for me, is fun.  As I was spending time with the Lord in worship and prayer one morning, I had a flood of fresh ideas and energy to carry out the desire entering my heart.  I began to ponder why I have all this renewed energy.

Story of 2 Lumberjacks

Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he was hired.  The pay was really good and so were the work conditions.  For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.  His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.  “Congratulations,” the boss said.  “Keep working that way!”

Very motivated by his boss’ words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he gave even more effort, but he only could bring 10 trees.

Day after day he was bringing in less and less trees.  “I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought.  He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. “When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.  “Sharpen my axe? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been too busy with cutting trees…”

I have lived so much of my life like that.  The reality is none of us can go full energy non-stop.  We NEED rest and renewal.  This is not optional for human beings.

If you are burning your candle at both ends, why  don’t you take some time to blow out the burning ends…  That is, take some time to cease what you are doing and simply rest.  After a little rest, consider your life and ask God how you can improve what you are doing, whether it’s in your marriage, family, business, ministry, etc.

Though I did not receive it the same several days off, I did run into an article on managing volunteers, which Gateway House of Prayer is made up of 178 of them that really gave me many good ideas and I think effectively helped “sharpen my saw.”

God gave us sabbaths because we need them.  Take a sabbath this week and rest.  Blessings! – Jimmy Nimon