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Girlfriends in God - Sept. 5, 2008


September 5, 2008
Crumbs of Time
Pam Farrel

We hope you are enjoying the Girlfriends in God daily devotions. We (Mary, Sharon, and Gwen) would like to introduce you to some of our special friends.  From time-to-time, the Friday devotions will be written by one of our friends in ministry.  We call them our "Friday Friends."  So grab your Bible and a fresh cup of coffee and drink in the words from our "Friday Friend",
Pam Farrel.

Today’s Truth
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”  Ephesians 5:15-16 (NASB)

Friend to Friend
The more you have to give, the more people will want from you: There will be new responsibilities and new relationships but no new time.  At times, you may feel badly about the slivers of time you can give friends, old and new. You might feel pressed to give a short answer to a long problem. It’s all right. Jesus knows exactly how you feel. But look at what was accomplished in a few brief moments with Jesus:

Matthew 8:5-13 “When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.”Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."

The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed … When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said, "I tell you the truth; I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Matthew 15:22-28 “A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”  He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
   
The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
    
Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
 
When you are pressed, pray your crumbs of time will be sanctified and empowered from on high—and they will make a difference.
 
I have been married to a very busy leader husband all my life. I used to complain about all the time he spent giving to others. Then one day, God reminded me of this story above and I realized that the crumbs of time I had with my husband were of such quality (because he was a quality man) that those minutes were maximized in God’s hands. That day, I made a commitment to quit complaining and began to enjoy the time I had with him—and guess what? It did feel like I had plenty of time with my beloved husband because my attitude changed and that made the time we had much more enjoyable!

Let’s Pray
Father, please multiply my time. Make every moment count for you and please let your power stretch the impact and influence of the time I give to others. Amen

Now It is Your Turn
I once heard that worry is a lot like a rocking chair, it is something to do while you are waiting but it doesn’t get you anywhere. Instead of worrying about the time you do not have, try one of these activities below instead:  

  1. Are you spending your time worrying about how much time you are giving to your children, your husband, your family or friends? Today, instead of worrying about the quantity of time, pray about how to maximize the quality of time you have to give to those people. How can you build into their lives today? Send an encouraging email to text, leave a voicemail, or drop a card in the mail to prepare their heart for when you do have time with him or her.
  2. Have you been nagging, fuming or complaining to your husband, or your children about how little time you are getting with them? Instead of complaining, try complimenting that person and see if it changes the atmosphere of the relationship so that person might then on their own create more time with you. If time with you is something to look forward to, people will eventually MAKE time to be with you. Instead of counting the minutes, count the blessings of having that person in your life. Then tell that person how much you love them—no strings attached.

More from the Girls
Sometimes it is hard to keep the need for time with your loved ones in perspective, or learn creative ways to maximize the time you have or make more time for those you love. Bill and Pam Farrel offer key relationship advice in their books, 10 Best Decisions a Couple Can Make, 10 Best Decisions a Parent Can Make, and 10 Best Decisions a Woman Can Make . More relationship tips are available at www.farrelcommunications.com

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