Making the Most of What You Have, Part 5

You may already give God 10% of your income, but what if you gave him 10% of her time pastor Paul Sheppard explores the question. Next in today's destined for victory message making the most of what you have. At first he and I would like to share a few words about the reality of the resurrection. You know, as part of this month celebration of Easter we've prepared a booklet which will encourage you with the hope and power. The resurrection is called he's alive and I'll give you the details of how you can get your copy in a moment, but right now Pastor Paul has joined me in the studio for a few moments, pastor, why should the fact that Jesus is alive be so important of those who claim to follow him. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the truth that distinguishes our faith from all other religions. When we think about it. If Jesus was only an outstanding leader and teacher while on earth, and many people even non-Christians realize that he was, but if that's all he was. Then he is to be named among great men. But we who are Bible believers, we who are followers of Christ. We proclaim because we believe it is absolutely true that the historical fact is not only that he lived and died but that he rose from the grave on the third day in many lives now and he still lives. So that's a different message than you'll get from any religion anywhere in the world. He's not just a great man. He is not God man. He is the Redeemer. He is the one who revelations as well as their buddies alive see when you got me preaching that buddies alive and he is coming again for his church. I'm excited because Easter is something we need to all rejoice about because it is what makes our belief system different than any other in the whole world and I praise God that that day is approaching and once again were going to rejoice in the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. What a day that will be pastor Paul, thank you again. The book that is called he's alive is our gift to you this month for your generous donation to Destin for victory call 855-339-5500 or visit pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online.

You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 waking hours and dedicated many of us where we can approximate hundred and 20 hours a week I would be encouraging you to take at least 12 hours more necessary for the purpose of worship and spiritual development. Know what I mean when I talk about that area. That's a great question is in it. What if we set aside 10% of our waking hours, roughly 12 week and offer them solely to God.

What were those hours look like what might our lives begin to look like answers come your way. Next in today's destined for victory message making the most of what you have once again is pastor Paul Sheppard don't know how long you live, how much time you have on earth. No one can predict that ahead of time.

You know that your time is shorter than it used to be you don't have as much time now, as you had yesterday. She will have as much time as last year, and your body and when you see your body changing your body is just reminding you that time of movement hello. You gotta stop and pay attention to signs on the journey of life and when you look in the member you see Summerall sign. You sleeping all talk to me you sleep all things appearing wrinkles where you used to be firm and you used to be will and now you see colors go to the store and buy colors but they just added your body reminding you time is moving all you can do everything physically cyber men in their middle-age crisis we don't handle it right when I was 25 and he got down the God knows where button is way down like easy somebody, the man he used to be that you are 25 year old don't do that don't challenge you think you can win Trakstar but don't get out that when young what you just tell them what you used to do talk about yesteryear, but now you try to do that the Bible puts it, said in Psalm 9012 hour day that we might apply our hearts to wisdom me Lord to live where I am who I am at this season of my life number. My day that might apply my heart to wisdom. In other words, Lord, teach me to live in the here and now, knowing I don't have forever on this or not, I will live forever. But on this. I have limited time when I leave here. I'll go to be with the Lord where time will not matter, but for now, time matters, and so the psalmist said teach me to my days that I might apply my heart to wisdom. Jesus said in John nine verse four.

He said we must be said, but when no one can work.

In other words God wants you to do it your time. You have to be diligent about those here and now you want to do is assess the time God has given us. We don't know what the years will be but we do know that God blesses all of us would hundred and 68 hours a week everybody gets the same amount of people in times past and said you know I never can find enough time.

I never have enough time to quit saying that, take that out of your vocabulary. You have enough time to do things God has called you to do God would not give you responsibilities and calling and not give you the time to fulfillment never again say I don't have enough time you have enough time to do the will of God. One thing I love about serving God whenever you get in sync with the will of God you can do it here and now. How much time you how many mistakes you made in your pay late. You came to faith in Christ you can do the will of God today and moving forward in Christ. You can always begin again is one thing about Grace Grace have an eraser can always erase your path to getting right, no mistake thinking I wish I knew more. When I was younger.

After some other things.

But where you are, you can say Lord, teach me to number my days from this time moving forward and teach me the works of him who sent me while it is day because night is coming when no one can work. So we all have 168 hours a week. The people are quite fruitful. The people get the will of God done all the time. They have the same amount of time in a week that you had what is that tell you that tells you that all of us can learn from the precepts and principles of Scripture how to utilize that time.

In a way that glorifies God. Now there are number of things that God wants us all to do with our time. So the question is simply how do we structure our lives in such a way to get them down to give you some of the things God wants us all to do with our time. Some of these are just broad principles that you thought about God wants us to take time to worship him and time for spiritual development of our lives. That's what everybody part of your time is used to worship God and to develop your life spiritually, were all called to work, whether it is non-monetary contribution to the welfare of our families. Everyone is called to work. Please understand that your calling, to work as not doing a paycheck, stay at home mom you got a job. Your job is to raise your children in the training and instruction make them decent citizens. The put some sense and well educated and well nurtured and love and properly balance you have a job because you don't work out there in the world that you don't have a job like you have a job you have a job you got a job you got a job you got a charger got a job to do all of us have learned that work has much more to do then with a paycheck filling the calling of God. Everybody called work and those who have to work and born a paycheck and you still got kids or spouse when you come home to go to work. You not work will not be productive for people who love God and make major contributions in this world, it will do that by accident right because you happen you train them right from wrong, what you do in your life. And so everybody's got a job call to worship were all called to work with monetary or non-monetary contribution to the welfare of our family were all called to ministry. I'll talk about that when we talk about talent will call to ministry every single believer is called a minister.

You might not be called the vocational ministry. But you are called to serve the needs of other people, and God has given you time to do it God's given us all time to sleep and rest. As part of God's plan. You made your body if you don't get proper sleep and proper rescue will jot so you can take that for granted. You gotta stop and say to supply God's plan. I need some sleep. I can't keep going when I can't burn the candle at both man and expected God. My body is not made for that when I get there I will need sleep right now I need to lay down and you have to do it. You have to realize God gives you the time to do. And you gotta take the time to rest your body if you don't rest your body. Terrible things are going to happen. In fact in the last message as I was just beginning introduces concept. I gave a formula sleep B+ hungry equals cranky equals cranky old article think you need more the Holy Spirit and the truth is you give me a good meal and go to sleep because your body is out of balance, God made it so that it needs certain fuel and it needs certain last in recovery and without that you have trouble I'll never forget when I took my sabbatical in 2006. It was because in 2005.

Toward the end of that year my body began to tell me something is really wrong going going gone serving God and doing what I do My same pace of life and for years and years and thought I was going to get back all the vacation time that I had earned always just took a little vacation time and it just kept on going, but by my vacation of 2005, I took the entire month of August off and came back to me all day after Labor Day and by the end of that workday. I felt like I had not had a vacation at all like I had been on the wrong will be right back with more of today's testing for Victor message from Pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California listen to the broadcast on demand@pastorpaul.net that's Pastor Paul.net. There you will find plenty of great resources in our online store, including books and DVD messages from pastor Paul Pastor once again with the second half of today's testing for message making the most of what you have. Couple weeks later we had elders retreat.

I told the elders, something is wrong, and explain to them how I was feeling and some of them say what we've been knowing that you needed much more time and we will wait for you to figure it out. Some of them have been encouraging me pastor take all you have to slow down what have you and they will try not to bother me, but my body started talking to me along with them could no longer ignore it and this is what we need to do is find a time for you to get lost, take as much time as you need and get lost. Don't preach a message will write a book don't do a thing but go somewhere and chill out and we set the time the first part of that year for 13 weeks. I got lost. Better not jump on planes. We flew everywhere. Took about 67 trips and just went wherever we thought we wanted to go and folk say what can you preach what you know.

What he preached.

Elbow sent me said do not preach a message. Don't you take a tax just go somewhere and chill out one of my trips I went and I were one of my pastor. Franzen flew in his plane and he was glad to be nice, it wasn't by Reaching my boy I listen to him preach, preaching vicariously through him just listening to him, but I had to rest and relax. One of the best things I ever did. Then come anywhere near the front. Can't believe you mean you didn't do a thing I didn't do a thing didn't talk about church stuff and income within miles of this church for three months solid and I found out that it was God's church because it survived alarm about the president. I let my drug of agreement. I wouldn't have a church I got back.

Well, you got a problem you need to give your church that God is in the first place and one day you will be separated from the church and they will figure out how to survive and do you like one another take you to the edge of town drop in all your face. Go back and realize your body needs rest and sleep. You also need recreation and relaxation, and God gives you time that you also need to build significant relationships to those relationship and God gives us time for that. So he gives us time to do all the things he calls us to do. Question is, are we going get it done since the time realize how much we actually have hundred 68 hours a week. That's a lot of time at the lots on weekend and week out. God gives you a flash amount of time with which to do his will in all these areas so assessment.

Secondly, I want to encourage you to dedicate at least a tie up your waking hours to worship and spiritual development. This is something I learned to do in my life and I'm so glad that I did to make sure that you prioritize the kingdom of God. You know, because Matthew 633 were for me with that as it relates to God's promise to supply our material and financial needs to seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all the things you need will be added to you. Meeting if you take care God and seek his first put spiritual things, God will make sure that your needs are met. In the context he was teaching his disciples not to worry not to fret not to wonder how they were going to make it in this world. He said you do what God has called you to do kingdom perspective and job in will meet your needs.

In other words, if you take that God will take care of your and all the things I just mentioned are part of God's plan for your life. And so the most important of which is to worship God and to spiritually develop your life. I want to encourage you to time to get Lisa to your waking hours and dedicated for many of us were awake approximately hundred and 20 hours a week. Of those 168 minibus about 120 or so our waking hours and so in that case I would be encouraging you to take at least 12 hours more if necessary for the purpose of worship and spiritual development. Know what I mean when I talk about that area. I'm talking about worshiping God through prayer and regular reading of his word.

Read his word and get into it and talk to God on a regular basis.

He is given you time so that you can commune with him you worship not only privately, but then you want to worship publicly along with others without a believer. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 10 do not forsake together with other believers and he said and do it all. You see, the day of the Lord's return approaching what that tells you that God is giving you time not only to have daily time abandoned the word and talking to God. But God is giving you time to get together with the Saints of God regularly. We got go back and do the will of God. And please him and hear him say well done good and label servant. We got a go back to old-fashioned going to church. We got a generation of folk who want to serve God on the lawn got on the moon. They want you to convenience to serve God and they want to have, you know, just hit me on the run drive through church virtual church not got about yourself. Able-bodied people are sick and provide ways for them to receive the word of God to minister to them where they are. But most of us, God has blessed us with the ability to get out and you have that ability. You want to get out and assemble with the people of God go to church old-fashioned going to church and that's part of the time God has given you to assemble yourself with the people of God teaches children to say when they in your house that's part of their training and development before you send them out in the time given the God best way to teach them that your house. Bring on the job you don't like it. So it's your house, but is not what you want to child then you wrestle with your children live in your house party your spiritual charge is the put the word of God in their life that pleases God and part of that is attending church when you are able-bodied and can do so then you teach them to get up. We're going to negotiate for years with your children and take emotional temperature and see if they feel like going to church.

Never in my life heard that question son Sunday morning. Do you feel like going to church. I don't know what that sounds like a thing like that from another minutes and there 45 minutes we had church goals.

Now we can win anything with God now we use the bathroom door to where even families that sell the Sunday school children maybe do some more foundation to provide llama start walking up the login right go into the church weekly, even children will even do some Sunday and I know now what we as people of faith have got to say why God gave me time every week. God give me all these days and you will take some time and go to the house of worship and say Lord, thank you for blessing me here on the first week or whenever you worship Saturday matter when you worship how you worship when you come together, say, Lord, thank you for time.

Thank you for strength.

Thank you for like mine. Thank you for the ability to get out and worship you. Thank you. Ability to live in order to hold thank you for all you have worship you. I give you for saving me picking me up out of God. Thanks for being here for today's message making the most of what you have. For more information about the destined for Victor ministry were Pastor Paul Shepard's booklet. He's alive, stop by our website Pastor Paul.net again that's Pastor Paul.net To Be a Minister Sure You Have Time Hundred 68 Hours about 120 of Them at Waking Hours. Part of That. You Just Saved My Time That I'm Going to Serve the Needs of Other People. I'm Not Looking to Get Something Directly Out Of This, I'm Just Looking to Be a Blessing. And That's Next Time and Pastor Paul Shepard's Message Making the Most of What You Have until Then, Remember He Who Began a Good Work in You Will Bring It to Completion. In Christ, You Are Destined for Victory