Do Not Waste Your Life John 6:12-13 Ephesians 4:29-32 Ephesians 5:15-17 Colossians 4:2-6 2 Timothy 2:15-16 Matthew 25:6-13 Matthew 7:24-27 Matthew 23:37-39 06.05.20

DO NOT WASTE YOUR LIFE

¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.  John 6:12-13 (NIV)

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV)

² Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴ Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.  Colossians 4:2-6 (NIV)

¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ¹⁶ Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.  2 Timothy 2:15-16 (NIV)

⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’  ⁷ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’  ⁹ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’  ¹⁰ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.  ¹¹ Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’  ¹² But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’  ¹³ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”   Matthew 25:6-13 (NIV)

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  Mathew 7:24-27 (NIV)

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”   Matthew 23:37-39 (NIV)

BUTTER

“As we think so we do.  The action always begins in the mind.  Therefore, it matters greatly what we continually dwell on and we are not to take our thoughts lightly rather captive always making them obedient to Christ.  As believers we are to set our minds on things above rather than the baser things of life.  This must be intentional as the world is loud.  Play your thoughts out.  Where do they lead?  Will you like the results?  You have one life to live.  Don’t waste it.”   BHY

“If you are really the chosen of God, and beloved by Him, do not allow all this lavish treasure of grace to be wasted on you. Pursue holiness; it is the Christian's crown and glory. An unholy church is useless to the world and of no esteem among men. It is an abomination, hell's laughter, heaven's abhorrence.”   C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg

“Greatness is not made through one trial or one victory.  It is hammered out over and over on the anvil of daily demands.  Most often this work is done alone – in complete obscurity.  But God sees every word, every choice, and every action.  Devoted hearts are never wasted.  He frequently uses the obscure, the broken, or the outcast for some of His greatest work.”  Charles R. Swindoll 

“One thing is certain, My love: if you live in the moment for Me and My glory, not a single day will be wasted. All you do will leave an everlasting impact on those who had the privilege of knowing you during your lifetime.”  Sheri Rose Shepherd

¹⁸ “‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. ¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.’ Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)  We are to live into this Truth.  Just because I do not see something happening out of my poor visibility due to my human earth-bound eye, does not mean it is not happening.  Just because I cannot see God’s work does not mean He is not working – God is always at work.  I am to sign all my prayers with anticipatory thanksgiving – thanking Him in advance and closing with ‘I am very truly yours, always’ is a constant reminder to me of Whom I belong to.  It is God alone.  It is He Who sends the great ‘showers of blessings’.”  BHY 

“Wisdom is man’s true strength; and, under its guidance, he best accomplishes the ends of his being.  Wisely handling the matter of life gives to humankind the richest enjoyment, and presents the noblest occupation for his powers; hence, by it he finds good in the fullest sense.  Without wisdom, man is as the wild ass’s colt, running here and there, wasting strength which might be profitably employed.  Wisdom is the compass by which we are to steer across the trackless waste of life; without it we are derelict vessels, the sport of winds and waves.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“A whole life can be lost in minutes wasted… in the small moments missed.  Make gratitude your attitude of habit — there’s no other way to make joy your life.   Every little day just has to be just a little bit better: Small things done consistently, consistently make the biggest change.”   Ann Voskamp

“I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.”  Frances Willard

“The essence of life is not found merely in simplicity and solitude and trying to get closer to a nature pulsing with life and convulsing in death. Life is not in today’s minimalism movement or sustainable living movement, nor is it in dream houses or bucket-list pursuits. All these things are ‘vanity and a striving after wind’ (Ecclesiastes 1:14) if we are not finding life’s essence, its meaning, in the Creator of life. The unwasted life is the life we receive from Him and live for Him (John 1:12-13).”  Jon Bloom

HEART SAVOR

·         God is not a “waster” of anything, not even our hard .  Indeed, He is a Master of making beauty out of our ashes. 

·         While God can do all things, the greatest miracle to me is that He can change the leanings of the human heart through His power for His glory for our good.  He can take our hearts of stone and make them undivided hearts of flesh to pursue Him rightly and wholeheartedly.

·         Be ready.  He is returning.