Fast & Furious Part 2 Series

START WITH CAR RACE VIDEO # 2

OPEN: Good Morning! Welcome to our new series called.....

Let me begin by asking you three questions. If you answer “yes” to any of these.....please stand up:

# 1 – Were there two or more nights this week that you went to bed too late?

# 2 – At any time in the past two weeks, have you found your stress level rising because you seem to have too much to do and not enough time to do it all?

# 3 – Have you snapped, shouted, gotten short or exhibited a bad attitude towards one or more persons recently? (Now be HONEST!) (And someone next to you might stand up FOR you!)☺

Answer: if you are standing, you are at the right place this morning AND you desperately need more MARGIN in your life

16 But Jesus often withdrew to the

wilderness for prayer. Luke 5:16

! He goes off by himself.

! He logs off of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat

! And God forbid, he even turns off his cell phone.

! If the Son of God HIMSELF needed MARGIN, how much MORE do WE need MARGIN?

Definition:

MARGIN: THE AMOUNT

AVAILABLE BEYOND WHAT IS

NECESSARY.

(Explain)

TEXT: Mary & Martha (Luke 10:38-42)

! Martha was “busy”

! She thought SHE was doing the right

thing and Mary was doing the “wrong” thing.



(Tell Story)

WHEN YOUR MARGIN

DECREASES......YOUR STRESS

INCREASES

WHEN YOUR MARGIN

DECREASES.......YOUR RELATIONAL

INTIMACY DECREASES

THIS WEEK:

Scheduling Margin, Living

Practical, Not Maniacal

(Maniacal means “hurried frenzy”)

TEXT:

Be very careful, then, how you

live — not as unwise but as wise, 16



making the most of every opportunity,

because the days are evil. 17 Therefore

do not be foolish, but understand what

the Lord's will is. Eph 5:15-17

Margin #1 – Learn To Say No.

Some of us are pathological “yessers.” We’ve never met a job or responsibility we haven’t said yes to. You can tell who the pathological yessers are, you know how? They’re the ones who chronically either can’t keep all their commitments, or chronically do work that you know is below their own standard, are chronically stressed out and frustrated, chronically make excuses, or all of the above. Pathological yessers are people who say yes out of:

a) Habit, or

b) out of a Need for Approval, or



c) out of a Sense of Perfectionism that no one can do a job as well as they can.

If you are a pathological yesser, Rick Warren suggests that you ask two questions every time a new opportunity comes up.

a. Is it worth it?

b. What am I going to give up?

By the way, it’s easier to say no if you know your purpose in life. If you know what God has put you here for, then you accept opportunities that will advance that purpose and you say no to opportunities that will clutter your life with distractions. Personal example: Music is one of the great loves of my life. I would absolutely love being in a band that travels around and plays in clubs and at festivals and stuff. But as much as I love music, it’s not my purpose in life. My



purpose in life is to preach and teach and to be a great husband and father. Therefore I have always resisted the compulsion to just join a band and play around, because it would distract from my being the best husband/father I can be, and ultimately from my being the best preacher/teacher I can be. On the other hand, I’m currently pursuing four new opportunities that will expand my ability to influence others by teaching. If you haven’t written down your life purpose, I highly encourage you to do so, and then begin making decisions based around that purpose. If you find you are a compulsive yesser and you just can’t stop, I encourage you to get a referral from me to see a professional who can help you get this under control.

Margin #2 – Learn Contentment.



con·tent·ment

kəәnˈtentməәnt/

“a state of happiness and satisfaction”

Philippians 4:11-13 (MSG)

11 ... I don’t have a sense of needing

anything personally. I’ve learned by now to

be quite content whatever my

circumstances.

12 I’m just as happy with little as with much,

with much as with little. I’ve found the

recipe for being happy whether full or

hungry, hands full or hands empty.

13 Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can

make it through anything in the One who

makes me who I am.

Some ways to learn contentment are:

a. Count Your Blessings Regularly

b. Question Your Cravings

c.

d. Practice Patience and Grace in Suffering e.

Learn to See Patterns of Discontentment