“Make Every Second Count” by Dave Good

Good day and welcome to another edition of GSM’s “Refill with Randy” blog. It is my pleasure to spend the next couple of minutes with you. I pray that the words of this message speak to your heart and are a blessing to you.

The topic I’d like to speak with you about is time management. If you take a few minutes and take an inventory of your day, I think you will conclude that you are pretty busy. If you are like me, you are probably juggling a full time job, a busy family, responsibilities at home, and trying to keep up to date with this fast paced world. Just writing that sentence seemed a bit overwhelming and exhausting lol. 

The point I’m getting at is that we are living a lifestyle that is busier, more demanding, and faster paced than at any point in history. Things are getting accomplished faster than ever. I remember writing a letter, sticking it in an envelope and throwing it in the mailbox. Now we have emails, faxes, and text messages that will deliver information in a nanosecond. People have gotten used to an instantaneous lifestyle and time is moving so rapidly.

Taking into account all the demands on our life, I would ask you to take a moment and analyze how you spend your free time. If you are like me you may not have much down time. I work 13 hours days, I have a family to care for, and I only have a limited amount of time to catch my breath. So what do you do with that precious down time? Are you reading your Bible, and spending time with God? Are you scrolling through social media and catching up with friends and family? Are you just relaxing in your favorite recliner watching Tv and movies? None of these things are wrong, we all need to rest and unwind.

Now that you have taken an inventory of how you utilize your free time let’s talk to you about priorities. Is God and His word a significant priority? I am going to be completely transparent and honest with you on this question. The answer is yes, God is a priority but I tend to get a little distracted.

My typical day is extremely busy and I’ve had to fight off the temptation of losing valuable time sifting through social media posts and YouTube videos instead of spending time in prayer or devotion.

Having a smart phone or an iPad is a blessing. One of my favorite apps is the Youversion Bible app. I can read my Bible, participate in a group devotional, and have immediate access to God’s Word with the tap of the screen. It’s truly amazing! However, I have a problem. My Bible app is on the same phone as my Twitter app, my YouTube app, my email app, my text app, etc. I think you get the picture. Too many times I have found myself having the good intention of reading my Bible but ending up scrolling through posts or videos and before I know it my free time is almost over. I am just being honest here folks.

I think most of you reading this can relate to what I’m saying. I had great intentions yet my execution was poor. I didn’t spend enough time with God but boy am I caught up on the news and gossip of this world. So what are we supposed to do?

Hear is what I did. First, I moved my apps around so my Bible is on my Home Screen and my social media apps are tucked away towards the back where I can’t get to them as easy.

The second thing I did was I made a prayerful commitment to God to spend more time with Him. I promised that I would read His Word and asked him to hold me accountable if I don’t. Trust me ,my spirit will always let me know when it’s not being fed and I’m not holding up my end of the bargain.

The third thing I did was I designated a specific time of the day to spend time in the Word. For me, I try to make that the very first thing I do. God likes when He is put first BTW. I have made reading my Bible a priority in my life. Do I succeed every single day? I would be lying if I said yes but you know what? I really try and it has made a huge difference in my life and I know it will yours too.

Friends, I know we are all busy and life is hectic but I can’t stress to you enough the importance of spending time with God and His Word. I guarantee it will change your life. The commitment is not easy at first but after a while it becomes more of a joy than all the other distractions in your life. So, as we wrap up our time together, I urge you to make a commitment today. Heck, start with just a chapter a day or maybe 10 minutes and watch how the wonderful words of God impact your life.

“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
‭‭(2 Timothy‬ ‭3:14-17‬ ‭NLT)‬‬