Making Time for Priorities

You have two choices:

• Become the most decorated soldier in the history of the 30th Infantry, OR...
• Read the Old Testament 70 times in your life, and the New Testament 280 times.

(General Harrison on left)

3 Star General William K. Harrison chose both.

Harrison lived an amazing life of military service. He was the first American to enter Belgium in WWII, received numerous medals and honors for valor, and was part of United Nations Command during the Korean Conflict.

He even caught up his Bible reading after three days on the front lines holding off Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. By Harrison's 90th birthday, he had not only read the Bible repeatedly, but was profoundly impacted by it.

And you can't find any time to read the Bible?

Oh how I love your law!
  It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
  for it is ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
  for your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged
  for I keep your precepts.
-Psalm 119:97-100

I've been there. Feeling there's no time to read while finding time for Netflix, video games, and social media. My intention isn't to beat you up, but to remind us of the gifts we receive from God's Word...

• That encouraged me during joblessness
• That reminds me of grace when I realize my sin
• That teaches me to live like Christ

My days spent with the Bible are much better than the ones without it. Would you agree? Then look today at what priorities you need to set to spend your time on the most important things.

They Need A Hero!

Maybe it's just a boy thing. 

Growing up, I dreamed of being the hero. Childhood daydreams (usually during Math class) allowed me to rescue the helpless and fight the bad guys. Even joining the National Guard in college provided a chance to pay for school while serving as a defender to my fellow citizens. 

But if a situation arose that really called for a hero, would I be ready? This question became real with the stunning news story of a local woman attacked in a convenience store. The video shows a man taking her to the floor and trying to rob her as grown men backed away or merely watched! After a long struggle, the assailant finally left when threatened by the manager with a taser. 

Watching the video, I insisted that I would have stepped in and been the hero. But the more I consider it, I wonder how ready I truly am for such a moment?

The words from "Ride" by Twenty-One Pilots comes to mind...

I'd die for you

That's easy to say

We have a list of people that we would take

A bullet for them

A bullet for you

A bullet for everybody in this room

But I don't seem to see many bullets coming through

See many bullets coming through

Metaphorically I'm the man

But literally I don't know what I'd do

The truth is, I have opportunities like this on a regular basis. There are people all around me who are in spiritual danger. Their souls are under spiritual attack as the enemy blinds them to the salvation that is only found in Jesus. And like the bystanders in the convenience store, I miss opportunities to be a hero for someone's soul.

"...he who is wise wins souls." Prov 11:30 (NASB)

Are you ready to be a spiritual hero? There is no shortage of endangered souls. Instead of arriving at the end of our day, counting missed opportunities, let's begin our day in prayer and preparation to be a witness for the gospel of Christ. As Christians, we have been saved not only for our benefit, but to spread that message of hope in a hopeless world. It's time to be the heroes God has equipped and called us to be!