SLOW DOWN!!!
It’s good to be home this morning. I want to thank each of your for allowing us some time off last weekend. We were not able to visit my side of the family in North Alabama during all the holidays. And it was good to get away and see mama...lol…Im sure most of you have seen or heard about our lil adventure. Suzane calls it the Great adventure with Scott and P.T. (PT is my ill bro). If not, we went snow skiing in Mentone after church Sunday. It was the first time either of us has been. And let me say it was an adventure. We did pretty well. Well she was a lot better than me. But we both had one small problem. Stopping. Couldn’t seem to figure out the proper way of doing it. But I figured it out!!! (Greg shows pic)
Church todays word is Hurry… Let’s say it together…HURRY!!! Hurry hurry…hurry…We are always in a hurry to do something, We are always in a hurry to get somewhere. In the mornings we hurry to work. At work we hurry to get things done. We take lunch we hurry to get thru. We hurry home to hurry up and do things around the house. Constantly on the go. Life passes us by cause we are in such a hurry. We don’t stop and enjoy life. We hurry things up to get those moments we want to enjoy. Every second every day is a time to praise God and enjoy.
Lets look at what Gods word says… Psalms 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God….In 1 Kings 19 God speaks to Elijah in a whisper..
Last year we bought season passes to six flags. We loved it. But here’s the problem. We would wait for an hour to ride on a ride that would last 45 seconds. And I aint going to lie…We got in line to ride the superman ride….and I didn’t really want to…this one scared me...but my loving wife made me…loll and we waited for almost eternity and the blame thing last just a minute. Of course the whole time my eyes were closed and I screamed like an ill girl in a haunted house. We got in a hurry for something that only passes us by. Why are we doing that? Why can’t slow down and see all the blessings God has given? You know as parents it seems only yesterday our children were small. Time flies by and an instant their grown. Time flies by and your hitting 40 this year...Time flies by and your 30 year anniversary is here. We get in such a hurry in life that we lose out on all the blessings God has given us. The simple blessings in life.
About 10 years ago, a young & very successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12-cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only 2 months old.
He was watching carefully for kids darting out from between parked cars & slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed that spot, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out & - WHUMP! – it smashed into the Jag’s shiny back side door.
SCREECH!!! His slammed on his brakes & his gears ground into reverse, tires spinning the Jaguar back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.
Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid & pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted, “Who are you? And what the heck are you doing?” Building up a head of steam, he went on. “That’s my new Jag, & the brick you threw is going to cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?”
“Please, mister, please…I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do! I threw the brick because no one would stop.” Tears were dripping down the boy’s chin as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister,” he said. “He rolled off the curb & fell out of his wheelchair & I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy pled, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt & he’s too heavy for me.’
Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair & took out his handkerchief & wiped the scrapes & cuts, checking to see that everything else was okay. He then walked with them to make sure that the younger brother was able to get them back home all right.
It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining 12-cylinder Jaguar XKE – a long & slow walk. Josh never did fix that side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention again.
How many feels like your highly favored by God? Ok let me ask you something. We think of someone being highly favored…we think of people who “have the good life” nice car…nice home…great family…great job…good income…good looks.. We see favor as being material things. We say they must have Gods favor. They always have the nicest things… Well let’s look back to Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” We cast lustful eyes on our neighbors stuff. We look at them and wonder why we aren’t as highly favored like they are? Why doesn’t God do for me like he does for them? What have they done to receive all this?
Well stop it!! Stop thinking that way…If you would stop all this hurrying you are doing. Slow down….and hears the whisper of God. Be still long enough to know who he is…you will see the favor he has cast upon you….Can someone say amen?
I can tell you right now. I got passed over in the looks department. I don’t own a home. I do however have a great job but I’m not getting rich here. The Camry has almost 200k on it, the jeep has a leak. Praying they last as long as they can. But I can tell you this. I have a beautiful loving wife, 5 healthy kids, and a grandson that I adore. I have a roof over my head, a church that loves me. And a risen savior who forgives me….I am highly favored!!!!!
The point this morning is to settle down…slow down…and listen to the soft sweet whisper of God. Slow down and look around at what god has given you already. Look and see just how highly favored you really are. Life is passing you by.
