cannyben

“God . . . does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NCV) If you want to slow down your life, you’ve got to learn to trust God’s timing. When things aren’t happening as quickly as you hoped, it’s easy to get impatient. But do you know what impatience really is? It’s a lack of trust. When you’re impatient, it’s like you’re saying, “God, I don’t really trust you. I’m in a hurry for something, and I don’t believe you know when I need it.” You get worried, you get hurried, and you start scurrying—because you don’t trust God to do things at the right time and in the right way. So instead of trusting his timing, you struggle and strive. If you’re like most people, when you want something, you want it fast. But is fast always better? Not always. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “God . . . does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing” (NCV). God has a plan f...

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7 (NLT) Have you ever noticed that if you’re critical with others, they’re critical with you? If you’re kind to others, they’re kind to you? Or if you’re generous with others, then they’re generous with you? Whatever you give in life, you’re going to get in return. The same is true with God’s mercy. Jesus says in Matthew 5:7, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (NLT). But why does God want you to show mercy to others? Why is being merciful so important? Because God has shown you mercy. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved” (GNT). God wants you to pass on the mercy that you’ve received from him. Because God commands you to be merciful. Do you want a summary of what life’s all about? Here it is: “The ...

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15 (ESV) The Bible tells you to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15 ESV). Have you noticed that the second part of that sentence is easy, but the first part can be really tough? When somebody’s having a hard time, it’s easy to be sympathetic. It’s easy to encourage people when they’re down. But what about when someone in your circle gets a promotion? That can be hard to handle! Rather than rejoicing in someone else’s success, you may resent it. You may even wish bad things would happen to people, because somehow you think that if you can blow out their candle, yours will shine brighter. But here’s the truth: There’s plenty of God’s grace to go around. Jesus once told the story of a landowner who hired workers at the beginning of the day to work in his vineyard. And the landowner continued to hire workers throughout the morning and afternoon, so that some of them only worked an hour...

It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else. Ecclesiastes 6:9 (GNT) Instead of being regretful, you need to be grateful. Instead of complaining, you need to remember that everything is a gift from God. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4:7-8, “Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need” (The Message). Envy always asks, “Why them? Why does he have better health? Why does she have a job and a husband, and I have neither?” Gratitude says, “Why me? Why do I get to drink clean water when so much of the world doesn’t? Why am I not under persecution? Why am I not thrown into prison for my faith?” Envy is based on the myth that you must have more in order to be happier. But it’s just not true. Happiness is a choice. If you’re not happy now, you’re not going to be happy with more. I could give many testimonies of people who have a lot more...

Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us . . . His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us.” Ephesians 1:4-5 (TLB) To get ready to be used by God, the first thing you need to do is understand the purpose of your life. The Bible makes God’s purpose for you very clear: “Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us . . . His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us” (Ephesians 1:4-5 TLB). God made you to be part of his family. He made you so he could have a relationship with you—to love you and to be loved in return. But there’s only one way to become part of God’s family: through faith in Jesus Christ. Not only does God want you to be part of his family but he also wants you to spend eternity with him. Ephesians 1:10 says, “This was his ...

To all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them. John 1:12 (TLB) How do you use your life here to prepare for eternity? First, you get to know Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “To all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them” (John 1:12 TLB). Notice that not everybody is a child of God—just those who receive him into their lives. God wants you to establish a relationship with him by trusting in him. You grow a relationship with God the same way you grow any relationship—through time and conversation. That’s the same way you develop a relationship with God. You make time in your schedule for him. You get alone with God and worship him and learn from him. You spend regular, significant time with him. The second thing you can do to have a relationship is to talk. In a relationship with God, this means prayer. You will never regret investing your...

“Use your time in the best way you can.” Colossians 4:5 (ICB) If you want to get ready to be used by God, there are a few steps you need to take. First, you need to get to know Jesus Christ. Then, you need to start using your time in view of eternity. Colossians 4:5 says, “Use your time in the best way you can” (ICB). Time is your most precious resource. It’s far more important than money. You can get more money, but you can’t get more time. In this life, you only have a certain amount of time allotted to you. You can’t make time, you can’t borrow time, you can’t save time, and you can’t extend time. You can only use it. We all have the same amount of time every week: 168 hours. If you don’t learn to manage your time well, you cannot manage anything else in your life—because your time is your life. How you use your time is one of the ways God tests you on Earth as you prepare for eternity. He’s watching to see how you manage your time now to determine what he’s going to have you do in ...

Use every part of your body to give glory back to God.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 (TLB) When you’re getting ready to be used by God, he doesn’t just want to see that you’re spending your time on the most important things. He also wants you to use your talents in view of eternity. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:20, “Use every part of your body to give glory back to God” (TLB). There’s a big misconception about heaven that even many Christians have. Some people think that when you get to heaven, all you’re going to do is kick back and eat ice cream, wear a white robe, play a harp, and float on clouds. But none of those things are in the Bible! So what are you going to do for all those trillions of years when you get to heaven? God has plans for you to serve in heaven. You’ll have specific things to do in heaven—enjoyable things that allow you to serve God. Right now, he’s giving you time on Earth to practice serving. And he’s watching to see whether you take advantage of that opportunity. So...

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11 (NIV) If you’re serious about slowing down, don’t start with your schedule. Start with your heart. Paul says in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (NIV). Notice that Paul says he has “learned” contentment. We are not by nature a contented persons. It is our nature to be discontent—to want things to be different, to want them to be better. But if you’re going to slow down your life, you have to learn contentment. And you can only do that over time. Paul explains what it looks like to be content. He says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:6-8 NIV). Paul is emphasizing that life isn’t about things. A person who is content can acknowledge, “I didn’t have anything before I was born; I’m not going to have anything after...

“I have learned that everything has limits.” Psalm 119:96 (GNT) If you want to build margin in your life so that you can do the work God meant for you to do, you have to remember that you are only human. You are not a god. You are not invincible. You have limits! Psalm 119:96 says, “I have learned that everything has limits” (GNT). God is the author of your limitations. He put them there for your good—because he loves you. So rather than fighting your limits, you need to accept your limits. Sadly, as human beings we’re not very adept at recognizing our limits. We constantly overestimate our abilities and underestimate obstacles and how much time it will take to do something. On top of that, we live in a culture that constantly tells us, “You can do it all! You can have it all! You can be whatever you want!” But it’s not true. You can be all that God wants you to be, but you cannot be whatever you want to be. There are limits in your life. In the first place, you have physical limits. Y...

“You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me.” Exodus 20:9-10 (GNT) The Bible is filled with instructions about living the kind of healthy life God made you to live. Exodus 20:9-10 says, “You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me” (GNT). Rest is so important to God that he put it in the Ten Commandments. He wants you to take a day off from your regular routine every week. That day off is called the Sabbath, which literally means a “day of rest,” and God wants you to do it every seventh day. (It doesn’t have to be a certain day, just every seventh day.) That day of rest is so important that even God rested on the seventh day when he created everything—not because he was tired but to give us an example of how we should rest. For many people, the idea of taking a whole day for rest is unusual. What does it really mean to rest for an entire day? Here are three ways to make the Sabbat...

“It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows.” Proverbs 20:25 (NIV) Sometimes life seems to surge ahead at a breakneck speed—and it can be hard to know how to slow it down. One way you can slow your life down to a more manageable level is this: Learn to pause and pray before making a decision. Proverbs 20:25 says, “It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows” (NIV). What is God saying in this verse? He’s telling you to ponder before promising. Deliberate before deciding. Muse before you choose. Reflect before you select. In other words, pause and pray before adding to your schedule. Consider your commitments prayerfully and carefully. That will slow your life down. I’ve had to learn this truth the hard way: You can’t keep adding commitments to your schedule without eliminating other things. Every time you add a new activity to your calendar, you need to take something else off. If you’re burning the candle at both ...

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.” John 15:5 (CEV) It’s better to rest in God’s goodness than to be overwhelmed with work and worry. But it’s also easier said than done. It can be hard to take the steps that lead to rest and the abundant life God has for you. Here are four daily habits that will help move you from overwhelmed to overflowing. 1. Stay connected to Jesus every day. “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me” (John 15:5 CEV). If you try to go through life on your own power, you’re going to be overwhelmed. You cannot fulfill your purpose and enjoy God’s goodness unless you’re plugged in to his power. 2. Replace your complaining with gratefulness. “Do everything without complaining and arguing” (Philippians 2:14 NLT)....

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 (NIV) God is not only able to meet all of your needs; he’s eager to meet them! But when you forget how committed God is to help you, it’s easy to stop asking for his help and to start depending on yourself. Perhaps you only ask God for the “big stuff” and not the “small stuff.” Guess what? Everything is small to God. None of your requests are big in God’s eyes. He has every hair on your head numbered, and he knows how many fell out in the sink this morning. You’re not bothering God when you give him your requests; he’s the one who set up the system of prayer in the first place. That’s why the New Testament tells you more than 20 times to ask for whatever you need in prayer. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (NIV). Sometimes, instead of asking God for something, you just worry about it. But if...

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” Romans 8:28 (NIV) Grief, loss, and pain are inevitable parts of life. But did you know that God uses these things to help you grow? He does it in three ways. First, God uses pain to get your attention. C. S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.” Pain is God’s megaphone. You rarely change when you see the light. You change when you feel the heat. Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (GNT). Second, God brings good out of bad. One of the most famous verses in the Bible is Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (NIV). When you experience a loss, it’s an opportunity to grow in character. You can’t control the pain you go through, but you can decide whether it’s going to make you bitter or better. You can decide whether it’s going to be a stepping-stone or...

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (NLT) There are two verses in the Bible that are written by the same author but seem to send opposite messages: 1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them” (NIV). That’s pretty clear! But John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world . . .” (NIV). That looks like a big contradiction right there. “The world” is used two ways in these verses. The first verse refers to the world’s value system, and the second refers to the world’s people. Followers of Jesus are to love people, no matter what choices they make. On the other hand, we are to hate the world’s value system, including things like status, selfishness, and sexual immorality. The problem is that we often get it reversed. We l...

God’s Guidance “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!” Psalm 77:19 (NLT) The Bible says God actively works through your circumstances. But you cannot judge your situation apart from God’s wisdom. In other words, you must leave it up to God to interpret your circumstances. Only he is capable of understanding all the facts, and only he sees the significance of every detail. That’s why it is so important that you test it all by his Word. If you feel overwhelmed or confused about a decision, it might be because you’re so caught up in in your own, limited way of thinking, that it blocks out God’s voice. The Bible says, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV). He is not the author of confusion. So if you’re feeling confused, guess what? It’s not God’s voice speaking in your life. There will be times you come up against enormous financial, spiritual, or physical barriers. That’s when you need to con...

When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 (TLB) When everything around you is uncertain, the key to stability is to focus on unchangeable truth. You need to focus on what never changes: God’s Word and God’s character. Here are some unchangeable truths you need to tell yourself during a time of uncertainty: God sees everything you’re going through. “The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:18 NIV). God cares about everything you’re going through. “But I will watch for the LORD; I will wait confidently for God, who will save me. My God will hear me” (Micah 7:7 GNT). God has the power to change what you’re going through. “Ask, and you will be given what you ask for. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be ope...

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10 (NLT) Everything in life changes—relationships, jobs, health, finances. But there’s one thing in the universe that will never change: God’s love. God loves you, no matter what. Your failures, your brokenness, and your sin can never diminish his love. Knowing you can count on God’s love provides a rock-solid foundation for your life. The Bible’s most famous verse, John 3:16, says, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (NIV). Consider the small word “so” that goes before “loved” in that verse. “So” suggests the extravagance of God’s love. God loves you with a generous, extravagant love that can never be taken away. It’s beyond comprehension. He loves you on your good days and your bad days. He loves you when you ...

It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it . . . As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead!” 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (The Message) Do you need more margin in your life? One way to find it is to do less and trust God more. Why will that help? Because God can do more in 20 minutes than you can do in 20 years. Think about your own life. Are there goals or dreams that you’ve been striving, seeking, working, and hurrying for year after year without achieving them? Why don’t you just back off a little bit? Relax. Trust God. Watch what he can do. If you make space in your life, you may find that he accomplishes your dreams much faster and better than you can. The only benefit of being stretched and overloaded is that it forces you to trust God. It brings you to your knees as you realize you’re up against the...