“Be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Ephesians 5:15-16 (NLT)
Time is your most precious commodity. You only have a limited amount of it!
It’s estimated that people will live an average of 72 years, or 26,000 days. You may think you’ve got plenty of days left, but, if you’re over 27, you’ve already passed 10,000 days. You’re not getting any of those days back, and that’s what makes time your most precious resource.
You can always get more money. You can always get more energy. But you cannot create more time.
You have a certain number of days in your life, and that’s it. When you spend them, they’re gone. So life management is really time management. If you learn to manage your time, then you learn to manage your life.
“Be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16 NLT).
The opposite of careful is careless. The Bible tells you not to be careless with your life. Be careful. That means you should be intentional and deliberate with your time. I like to call it being purpose driven!
Do you know what it looks like to be careless with your time? On average, people spend three hours and 15 minutes on their phone a day. And Americans spend more than five hours a day on their phones and check them an average of 58 times a day! That’s 35 hours a week that we’ve devoted to staring at a tiny screen—and that doesn’t include time spent on the computer or watching TV. Of course, not all of that time is fruitless. But being careful with your time means being aware of how you spend it and of whether you are spending it on things that really matter.
“Someone may say, ‘I’m allowed to do anything,’ but not everything is helpful. I’m allowed to do anything, but not everything encourages growth” (1 Corinthians 10:23 GW).
It’s not a sin for you to spend five hours watching cute cat videos on YouTube. But it might not be the best use of your time. Some things aren’t necessarily wrong. They’re just not necessary. It may not be wrong, but is it worth giving your life for?
Be careful with your days. You only have so many.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FOOD PANTRY: The pantry is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00am - 1:00pm and Wednesday from 5:00pm - 7:00pm. Volunteers and donations are needed. Please let Pastor know if you can help.
CHAIR YOGA: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:30am. Contact Anita Woods for more information.
COFFEE SHOP: Uncommon Grounds is open every Monday - Saturday from 7:00am - 2:00pm and Sunday from 8:00am - noon. Invite a friend and use this great outreach to introduce the church to your friends.
KELLY'S CLOSET: Kelly needs volunteers to help serve women in need of clothing and support. Please see Kelly for more information on how you can get involved or donate.
SECRETARY NEEDED: We are looking for a part-time secretary to help at the church. If you know of anyone, please have them contact Pastor Mike or Terri Ray.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEALS: We've decided to hold on Wednesday Night Meals until after the first of the year.
TRUNK OR TREAT: October 31 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. We are looking for volunteers to decorate vehicles, and help with food, setup, and cleanup. If you can help in any capacity please click the link and sign up, or connect with Elizabeth Hunter or Pastor Maddie. We also need candy donations, which can be dropped off in the church foyer.
FOOD TRUCK FOR THE HOLIDAYS: We are making plans to bring a tractor trailer of food to the community in November to help those who are in need of food for the holidays. This was such a blessing to many families last year, and we want to do it again. The dates for distribution are Saturday November 7 from 9:00am-noon and Sunday November 8 from 4:00pm-6:00pm. Please see Pastor Mike if you can help.
COMMUNITY YOUTH BASKETBALL OPEN GYM: The gym will be open every Saturday through October from 9:00am - noon for junior and senior high school age students.
