we all know it - now we need to practice it! (1 pic + 1 experience with the Lord) 30 day challenge

Many times people try to encourage us to do something, explaining how good it is to that particular thing, how healthy it is, etc... and you know what, you already KNOW IT! In my case it can be about going to gym and eating properly - not too much, not too little, not too much junk food, not too many sweets, etc... - and I KNOW IT! But now I need to PRACTICE it! ... But before I get into this, here's the,

1 Picture for today - The Grosvenor House in Central London

The above is Grosvenor House - home of JW Marriott Hotel in Park Lane, Central London, very close to the Hyde Park and the US Embassy. Only fancy cars around, and all kinds of stylish events and conferences are being held there. I heard about it "by the hearing of my ear" and I knew it was in London - I KNEW IT! - yet I wanted to see it! So one day I was around on a street called Park Lane, and here it is - the Grosvenor House! Of course, this picture is not a match to the official Pictures of the Grosvenor House, A JQ Marriott Hotel, from their website! [read their website for more info...]

At SparksDirect.co.uk we sell a light fitting called Grosvenor Light and another whole range called, Park Lane Wall Lamps, and recently I have been writing some articles on the NewLights blog to promote and introduce them. I have actually never known that these lamps are named after real streets in London and real buildings in London! One day I heard that there's actually a house called Grosvenor House, and there's a street in London called Park Lane.... - and since then, even though I KNEW where they were, I wanted to go visit them! Yes, we all KNOW it, but now we need to SEE it and PRACTICE IT!

1 Experience with the Lord - we all know it, now we need to practice it!

Just like with many things in life, we may KNOW a lot about the Lord Jesus - especially if you're in the church life practically, or if you're a seeking one pursuing the Lord daily - and about having a personal relationship with Him. We know we need to read the Bible daily, we know we need to confess our sins whenever the Lord shines on us, we know we need to regularly pray daily, we know we have to make it to at least one home meeting per week, we know we need to listen to the Lord's speaking within us... - we know all these things and so much more! Now it is time to practice it!

What use is it for me to know that there's a street in London called Park Lane, and on that street there's a hotel in a house called, Grosvenor House - if I don't go to visit that place EVEN THOUGH I live in the same city with that place?!? It kind of doesn't make sense... In the spiritual life, we don't just need to know things about God, about the Bible, about the church life, or about the saints - we need to be open to the Lord and enter into the life practices that we may OWN these things in our practical living! I need to practice being grouped with the saints to pray together! I need to practice reading the Bible regularly!

This is what I was pondering over today... these last days even the children know a lot of things, and the young people think they know everything. But what about our experience? Lord, I want to really spiritually see the things in the Bible, so that they may become my vision! I want this vision to be inscribed and written into me so that it may be my living, my practice, and even my being! Make me one like Paul who said to the king, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision (Acts 26:19).

... and this is a passive-active matter. It's not "me doing this", neither is it "me waiting for the Lord to do it in me" - it's God mingled with man, man learning to take the initiative and God coming in to fill man, and somehow being open to the Lord that He may do it in us... I hope you get what I'm saying - God will never come to you to force you to do things which you know you should do, but He will come in and strengthen you + be everything to you if you take the initiative to do something in oneness with Him! Lord, may I know You more! May I experience You more! May I practice living one with You more!

One portion of the Bible that sometimes sends chills down my spine when I read it or hear it is where the Lord says, Those who know much and don't do will be punished with more stripes than those who knew little and did something according to what they knew(approx. Luke 12:48). As believers we can't just "know", we need to enter in by practicing these things! Is there a home meeting close to where you live? Don't just KNOW about it, but make sure you pay the saints a visit! Is there a younger one that needs shepherding once or twice a week? Pray about it and the Lord will release your time for this... - the divine life in us is LIVING and ACTIVE, not DEAD and PASSIVE... - that's what I love about it!

don't waste your time: schedule it! - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today (30-day challenge)

Today we're in a race, and our opponent is TIME - we are in a race against time. From the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed, it's either wasting time or redeeming the time. We do or don't do so many things and some of the things we do or don't do are a complete waste of time. There's a saying that's very common in England especially among the young ones, I Can't Be Bothered! When it's time to do something, many times our attitude towards it is, I Can't Be Bothered! I'll do it later! Procrastinating... postponing... delaying... do it later or tomorrow...

I am also a failure at redeeming the time. Most of my prayers either at the end of the day or early in the morning are, Lord, forgive me for wasting my time! Forgive me for wasting Your time! I love You, Lord, and I thank You for Your patience - and everything You gave me... but Lord, save me today from wasting my time! Save me from wasting Your time! ... - time and time again I repent for this, for wasting time... This doesn't mean that I "do nothing" or "do meaningless things", but that there's so much time that I just waste! And this brings me to,

One Meaningful Thing I Did Today - Don't Waste Your Time: schedule it!

Let me put it this way: if you work with your boss in the same room, and he keeps an eye on you, or your manager checks in with you every once in a while... and then one day the manager is not in, would you still work / do the things you need to do in the same way, at the same speed, with the same diligence as if  the manager were there? That's the question I asked myself yesterday, and today when my manager was not in, I had to put it in practice! That's why I was praying even more today, Lord, save me from wasting time today! I give my work day to You! Lord, keep me focused! Be my diligence!

Again I say, this doesn't mean that I just do nothing when the manager is not there, but there's a temptation to chill a bit, to take things easy, to slow things down, to postpone some things, to have extended breaks... - there's a side of us that we don't discover or know we have until we're put in a special situation! So today, after having a time with the Lord in the morning, I got to this conclusion - DON'T WASTE TIME - SCHEDULE IT! So many things to take care of, so many customers, so many issues, website, blogs, products, updates, calls, orders, etc... Touching the Lord in the morning and consecrating the whole day to Him really helps - He keeps you going at it and being diligent, you just "co-operate" with His inner operating!

It is the same with our spiritual life. I was listening to the latest podcast at AgeTurners.com, the one concerning Scheduling our Time(1), and brother Ricky was sharing about the same thing. We may be touched by the Lord in the meetings, in the Poland camp, at the Students Training, or at other conferences / trainings / summer or winter schools, etc. We may consecrate ourselves to the Lord, and the Lord may touch us concerning having a time with Him in the morning, reading the Bible, being in the middle of the church life, preaching the gospel, having a companion, etc. But then school / work comes - and the school is indeed upon us now, at least for those in the high school, and the university starts pretty soon also - where things pile up, other people / things / schedules / meetings / classes demand for our attention!

It's time to STOP WASTING OUR TIME and start SCHEDULING OUR TIME! A very practical way to practice the things that the Lord has touched us with - and at the same time a good way to do anything worthwhile which can become a good habit - is to schedule that time into our daily routine! If we don't schedule the life practices it happens the same as when we don't schedule a time to study for school! You don't schedule it, you waste your time and don't do it! So I enjoyed these practical points concerning Scheduling the Life Practices daily:

• schedule a time early in the morning to spend with the Lord! Yes, we all want to spend time with the Lord, but SCHEDULE this time - the length of the time doesn't matter, the creating of the habit of touching Him first thing in the morning does! For this, you may need to go to bed a bit earlier so that you may have 5-10 time with the Lord in the morning!
• Schedule a time to read the Word of God! Put into your daily schedule a slot when you just Read The Bible! Get on the schedule - see www.readhisword.com for more info - and even get a companion to check up on you and to pursue with! 1 chapter of the Old Testament and 1 chapter of the New Testament is not much - but the reading time needs to be scheduled.
• Schedule a time for the gospel - if you can't go on the gospel weekly, at least pray with a companion for your friends and colleagues / workmates, and then set a time to speak to them! Don't leave it "when the Lord speaks to me and inspires me" - schedule a time to pray with your companion for your friends!
• Schedule your church life - don't go only to the young people's meetings / student meetings and the Table Meeting(which are VERY important for us), but also schedule to go to the prayer meeting! What about a service meeting - where you can serve practically with the saints, or serve with the younger ones / the children! Schedule it at least once a month to do this.

Time goes by ANYWAYS, so why not make use of it and redeeming it(Eph. 5:12) - by practically Scheduling our time?!? Don't "overschedule" by putting all these into your daily routine and then giving up after the first week. But pray and fellowship with the Lord about all these, and schedule them one by one! Start with the morning time, then the daily reading of the Word, then the gospel time, then the church life... If we schedule the life practices with the Lord and we fellowship with our companions, this will eventually have a beneficial impact on our studies, our work life, our relationships, etc. 

.... So even at work, when my boss is not around, I can still schedule the things I need to do, the main items I need to take care of, etc(it works, and it's effective!). And then after work / school / uni - don't just "let it be how it goes", don't just "chill", but slot in the reading of the Bible, the reading of the ministry, spiritual books, the exercise, meeting with the saints, spending time with the Lord, taking care of your finances, cleaning, sports, etc. Even writing on the blog - for the Lord and with the Lord - can be a "life practice". I need to learn to redeem the time - by scheduling it! Lord, save me from wasting my time and Your time!