This past week I’ve been preparing for the studying of the National Bible Bee summer study. I’ve been memorizing, praying, and working hard on history homework to finish up the school year. As I sat down to write this blog post, God quietly whispered the word patience to me.
I can’t wait for this new season of my life to begin, but instead of wasting this time before its arrival, I’m living each day productively by working hard in this season I am in. I’m choosing to use this once in a lifetime waiting season both wisely and purposefully. And that’s how God has called us to live our Christian life- wisely and purposefully. God gave us a mission here on this earth as we anxiously anticipate His arrival. He has high expectations for His children, and desires that we use the time we’re given to invest into eternity by truly knowing Him. When we value God above all else, and start living this life with a heavenly purpose to honor the King, everything changes. When we decide to radically pursue Christ and kick back the weights and doubts of society, we truly start to shine. The moment we say NO to normality, complacency and fleshly sin to say YES to living for the One who gave it all for you, your life will be transformed. Committing fully is guaranteed to change your life. But if we want to shine like stars for Jesus, we have to be willing to be set apart from the darkness around us. In last week’s email, I asked a few of you to share any questions you had on fully committing to Christ or on a true relationship with Him. This week, I’ll be answering one of those questions by sharing my personal advice. “How do you balance the desire/need to be productive with prioritizing relationships (God, family, etc)?” - Age 15 Honestly, I’m still improving in this area myself. :) Although I have been productive with my time recently, and made a point to be more intentional with the time that God has given me, I still need grace. I have to remember that God hasn’t only given me time, but He’s also given me the many blessings in my life such as family, friends, and most importantly, Himself. This past week, God really showed me the importance of slowing down, as He reminded me of the story of Mary and Martha in Luke chapter 10. I could run around all day and get everything done that I needed to while still lacking what really matters- invaluable time in His Word, and with my family. I’ve had to say no to several of my goals in a week to fit in time for what Jesus says really matters. Although culture likes to put on us the importance of busyness, Jesus says to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all else will be added (Matthew 6:33). If I'm too busy to pray, I need to change something in my schedule and reprioritize. What I would recommend is writing down a list of what you accomplish in a day, what you don’t have time for (but want to), and your biggest distractions. Sometimes the problem isn’t being productive as much as it is using your spare time in the wrong ways, or not keeping track of how you currently are using it. Jesus never said that working hard was wrong, but He did say that loving others and Him was the most important commandment of all. I like to ask God with help in prioritizing, because He can help me in ways I can’t help myself. The truth is, spending that time with Him and those we love can be so much more rewarding than any task we complete. Thanks for the question! ---- A life well lived is one at Christ’s disposal, and willing to let Him orchestrate our days. Sometimes we’re tempted to think that we’re doing what’s best by staying busy, completing the most goals, or reading more scripture than the rest of those in your Bible study group. But what if God doesn’t call us to be better than the person who knows more than us, but to reach for Him and not stop growing until we are who HE desires? What if God doesn’t call us to check off every box on our lists (not saying they aren’t helpful:) to be at peace? What if our true peace is simply found in being in Christ’s presence? In all honesty, we have no limit to how much we can do for His glory. So why don’t we give Him our best while we can? God calls us to live a holy life for His glory, resolving to lay down our will for the sake of doing His. Yes, it's hard. Willingly doing what He desires doesn’t come naturally for us, but as we patiently wait on Him and yearn to be like Him, He’ll meet us where we’re at. He’ll hear our voices as we cry out to Him and pick us up from our sin, leading us to a life for His ultimate glory and for our good. We may not be perfected in Christ yet, but we must not give up. be willing to try. That’s where patience comes in. To understand we’re not yet perfected, but to live each day we’re given purposefully and wisely to please Him. To be willing to try and to take that first step of obeying God when He says go, and choosing to trust Him with the rest. Maybe obedience seems like a small step, but in reality it's a launching pad into a deeper relationship with Christ. Even when things are uncertain and culture says to stay back, you’ll go... because living a life committed to Jesus is worth it all, and you’ll never regret it. Luke 10:41-42- “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Love you all in Jesus, Hannah Kohner
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AuthorHello, I'm Hannah and I'm so glad you're here! I'm a twenty-year-old Jesus-loving writer, National Bible Bee Alumna, and homeschool graduate. Jesus redeemed me, and now I give my life, and this blog, to serve Him. Hebrews 3:13 reminds us to encourage each other daily, lest we be hardened by sin. I hope that reading each blog entry that I post you will be encouraged and challenged to become more like Christ daily. |