Time in a Bottle - 2 - Monday January 26, 2015
Be still and know that I am God. . . Psalm 46:10 NIV
To continue the theme of quoting old songs, Simon and Garfunkel wisely wrote: "Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last." I seem to find myself in a hurry far too often. My daughter Jill teaches in Honduras, and she has learned from her Latino friends to enjoy the moment. Recently while she was visiting we were at a grocery store. There was one checkout lane open, and there were three people in front of us with full carts. We had one item to purchase and I was feeling frustrated with the wait. The kind woman in front of us offered to let us go ahead of her. My daughter's response was: "Thanks so much, but it is good for us to wait. Patience is a virtue!" I admit that I would have readily jumped ahead in the line, but I am glad I didn't. We had a wonderful five minutes chatting that were far more valuable than getting our shopping done as quickly as possible.
The biggest disadvantage to a hurried life is that we miss out on opportunities for surprise encounters with God. Many times I have grumbled in traffic and missed noticing a beautiful sunrise. Or I was so focused on my agenda that I missed a chance to say something kind to a person who needed encouragement. I think one of the saddest verses in the Bible is Genesis 28:16: "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it!" (NLT). God, help us to slow down today and make us aware of Your presence.
Submitted by:
Kelly Lewis
Grace Point Community Church
Lewis Center, Ohio
One-Year Reading Plan:
Exodus 2:11-3:22
Matthew 17:10-27
Psalms 22:1-18
Proverbs 5:7-14
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SCRIPTURE REFERENCB-ES: Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible B) The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy, Bible, New International Version, copyright B) 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternaB-tional Bible Society; (NKJV) are from New King James Version B) 1982 by Thomas Nelson; (NLT) are from the New Living Translation, B) 1996, Tyndale House Publishers; (ESV) are from English Standard VersionB., B) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers; (TM) are from The Message B) 1993 by NavPress Publishers.