Whatever It Takes, Part II

Here are some bullet points about what we talked about on the track:

• Do "Whatever It Takes" To Strengthen your relationship with God
• "Manipulate" your Management & Be Relational
• Balancing is Unifying, Separates become Fused
• Give your first fruits
• Set Goals: Be disciplined and responsible
• Be a "Surround Sound Steward" in every part of your life
• Be Concrete In Your Convictions
• Be ready for the 2 minute drill
• Follow The Ultimate Example

I will briefly touch on each point over the next 3 posts, this post will cover the first 4 points:

Whatever It Takes: Christian taught me this: Devotion time is not something we do, it is Someone We are with....it is time invested talking with Jesus...so if you wake up late and have to rush out the door...then do whatever it takes to Pray, Fast, Serve, Read at another time of the day...just make sure the next day you get back on track and keep your responsibility of talking with our Brother Jesus.

Management Manipulation/Be Relational: make up time....if I don't workout in the morning, then I do whatever it takes to do it in the evening...If I don't study in the morning, then I manipulate my time and set a goal to study at night. The same goes with Worship and Talking with Christ...that is also what separates being legalistic versus relational. Legalistic says "I must do my quiet time in the morning and only in the morning,"...Being like this is doing devotions just for the sake of checking it off your busy to-do list. Being Relational says, "I will speak and Pray with Jesus in the morning and throughout the whole day, just like you would speak and spend time with your family or best friends...it's not something you speed through and check off, It is a conversation and a relationship invested in.

Balance: Doing and accomplishing what God has called us to do and then at the same time, follow Him, Pray, attend Church, serve, etc, are not separate categories...they are fused together, they are one, they are synergistic...so don't look at it from the perspective as, "O.k. I got my Bible study in, now I can go to work and forget all about being a Christ Follower." No my friend, everywhere you go, everything you do is to be done for The Glory of God. Once you understand that following Him is a lifestyle, your life will no longer be separated in to "God-Boxes" versus "Culture Boxes." Balancing your life becomes unifying and your separates become fused. Your relationship with Christ creates synergy, where the sum is greater than the whole of its parts. You will then gain momentum and live as Christ has called you to live.

First Fruits: You always need to focus on giving God your best. He gave us His best when He sent His Son Jesus to die for us. Leviticus 23.9-10 tells us how we are to give God the first of our bests (our first fruits). Everything we are Blessed with comes from God; give Him the first portion back...The first of your paycheck, the first day of your week (Sunday), the first of your days (morning time)...Look when Jesus Prayed:

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed
Mark 1.35

You must give Him every second of your life, but I am talking about Tithing your first fruits as mentioned above. Your whole day will be set off right when you gain wisdom and strength from Him in the morning. Giving God your first fruits also gives you a framework in which to not only be a part of building His Kingdom, but it reminds you to be Thankful and remember where your good gifts come from.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

I will talk briefly about the next four points in the next post! Have a great day, Victory In Christ! Amen!