Preaching Daily - February 2

Today's Word for Pastors...

Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Today's Preaching Insight...

Time, Our Most Precious Resource

The country band Alabama put out a song a number of years ago which has this chorus or refrain, describing quite well a common lifestyle of our generation:

I'm in a hurry to get things done 
I rush and rush until life's no fun.
 All I really gotta do is live and die, 
 But I'm in a hurry and don't know why.  

Time is our most precious resource. It is perishable and irreplaceable.1 God in his grace has given us all the same amount — 24 hours per day. The quality, joy, and impact of our lives are directly related to how wisely we use the time we have.

This does not mean that we have to hurry or hustle through life. At this point I'm really preaching to the preacher, because I am a card-carrying member of TOCA, an acronym for Type-A, Obsessive-Compulsive Association. There are many other TOCA members in this congregation. Many are stressed-out, over-committed, and spread too thinly.

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Today's Extra...

Illustration: Abundant Life

In a classic "Peanuts" comic strip, Charlie Brown goes to Lucy for psychiatric help. He says, "What can you do when you don't fit in? What can you do when life seems to be passing you by?" Lucy leads Charlie away from her booth and says, "Follow me. I want to show you something. See the horizon over there? See how big this world is? See how much room there is for everybody? Have you ever seen any other worlds?" Charlie replies meekly, "No." She continues, "As far as you know, this is the only world there is…Right?" Even more meekly, Charlie says, "Right." Lucy presses on, "There are no other worlds for you to live in…Right?" Charlie admits, "Right." "You were born to live in this world…Right?" "Right," says Charlie. Lucy then explodes, "Well, live in it then! Five cents, please." While we may disagree with Lucy's counseling technique, we recognize she is on to something. We need to make the most of our lives and really live.

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