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Often at this time of year from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day our calendars get so full that we don’t know where to turn. We accept invitations and extend invitations, go shopping for gifts, plan trips and plan to make calls to people we haven’t talked to all year, all without checking our calendars to see if we have time for all these things. Before we realize it we are overbooked, overwhelmed and frustrated. Our agendas have become an albatross. The little squares on our calendars have become way too small, and we are afraid of “missing out” on some things. It is not possible to do all of the things and be in all of the places for all of the people in our lives.
What we often forget is that the reason for this activity is to celebrate the gift that God gave to the world in the birth of Jesus. Jesus is the reason for the season.
Matthew 1:23 NIV “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
John 3:16-17 NIV [16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
God is the Author of time, and He lets us decide what we put on our agendas. He also gives a wise process to follow when we work on and build our agendas so that we can use wisdom in dividing our time between friends, family, and our community during this season.
Matthew 6:30-33 MSG [30-33] “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. (emphasis mine)
The wisdom on Psalm 37 helps us to reset our focus to the real reason for the season. It’s not just a time for family gatherings, exchanging gifts, and enjoying the festive atmosphere although those are all good things and things that we should have on our agendas just not at the top.
Here are 10 ways the truth of Psalm 37 helps us give our agendas to God (the complete text of Psalm 37 follows the 10 ways)
Editor's Note these 10 things are from an article written by Meg Butler for Crosswalk.com
Don’t Worry
Psalms 37:1-2 NIV [1] Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; [2] for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the LORD
Psalms 37:3-4 NIV[3] Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. [4] Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit to the LORD
Psalms 37:5-6 NIV [5] Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: [6] He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be Still in the Presence of the LORD
Psalms 37:7 NIV Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Stop Being Angry
Psalms 37:8-9 NIV [8] Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. [9] For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Be Godly
Psalms 37:16-17 NIV [16] Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; [17] for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Hold the LORD’s Hand
Psalms 37:23-24 NIV [23] The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; [24] though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Do Good
Psalms 37:27-28 NIV [27] Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. [28] For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.
Put Your Hope in the LORD
Psalms 37:34 NIV Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
Look at Those Who Are Honest and Good
Psalms 37:39-40 NIV[39] The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. [40] The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
I know that when we follow the reasoning that Jesus is the reason for the season we are going against what the rest of the world thinks is normal but this year, let’s stay focused on Christ Jesus, who is always with us When we do that we can joyfully submit our agendas, our schedules, and our daily activities to the Holy Spirit living in us, and we won’t worry about missing out on the other things. In fact if we turn our agendas over to God we’ll find out that we will have the time and we won’t miss anything that is really important.
What we often forget is that the reason for this activity is to celebrate the gift that God gave to the world in the birth of Jesus. Jesus is the reason for the season.
Matthew 1:23 NIV “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
John 3:16-17 NIV [16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
God is the Author of time, and He lets us decide what we put on our agendas. He also gives a wise process to follow when we work on and build our agendas so that we can use wisdom in dividing our time between friends, family, and our community during this season.
Matthew 6:30-33 MSG [30-33] “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. (emphasis mine)
The wisdom on Psalm 37 helps us to reset our focus to the real reason for the season. It’s not just a time for family gatherings, exchanging gifts, and enjoying the festive atmosphere although those are all good things and things that we should have on our agendas just not at the top.
Here are 10 ways the truth of Psalm 37 helps us give our agendas to God (the complete text of Psalm 37 follows the 10 ways)
Editor's Note these 10 things are from an article written by Meg Butler for Crosswalk.com
Don’t Worry
Psalms 37:1-2 NIV [1] Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; [2] for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the LORD
Psalms 37:3-4 NIV[3] Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. [4] Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit to the LORD
Psalms 37:5-6 NIV [5] Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: [6] He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be Still in the Presence of the LORD
Psalms 37:7 NIV Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Stop Being Angry
Psalms 37:8-9 NIV [8] Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. [9] For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Be Godly
Psalms 37:16-17 NIV [16] Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; [17] for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Hold the LORD’s Hand
Psalms 37:23-24 NIV [23] The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; [24] though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Do Good
Psalms 37:27-28 NIV [27] Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. [28] For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.
Put Your Hope in the LORD
Psalms 37:34 NIV Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
Look at Those Who Are Honest and Good
Psalms 37:39-40 NIV[39] The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. [40] The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
I know that when we follow the reasoning that Jesus is the reason for the season we are going against what the rest of the world thinks is normal but this year, let’s stay focused on Christ Jesus, who is always with us When we do that we can joyfully submit our agendas, our schedules, and our daily activities to the Holy Spirit living in us, and we won’t worry about missing out on the other things. In fact if we turn our agendas over to God we’ll find out that we will have the time and we won’t miss anything that is really important.
Psalms 37:1-40 NIV[1] Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; [2] for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. [3] Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. [4] Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. [5] Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: [6] He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. [7] Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. [8] Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. [9] For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. [10] A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. [11] But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. [12] The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; [13] but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. [14] The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. [15] But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. [16] Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; [17] for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. [18] The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. [19] In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. [20] But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke. [21] The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; [22] those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed. [23] The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; [24] though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. [25] I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. [26] They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. [27] Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. [28] For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. [29] The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. [30] The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. [31] The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip. [32] The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; [33] but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial. [34] Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it. [35] I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, [36] but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. [37] Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. [38] But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked. [39] The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. [40] The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
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