1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to 2 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: have you listening with us. Today's topic is about making 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: the most of each moment. We'll return with the devotional 4 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: after brief message from our sponsors. Make the most of 5 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: each moment written in red by Hannah Benson. For everything, 6 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: there is a season and a time for every matter 7 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: under Heaven, Ecclesiastes three to one ESV. Recently, on a 8 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: beautiful spring afternoon, I rose from my desk and stepped outside. 9 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: After working for the past several hours, I needed a 10 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: break and some fresh air. One of my favorite things 11 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: to do is to walk around my family's lush land, 12 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: pass the woods on one side and our neighbor's horses 13 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: on the other, and pray. This particular afternoon is I 14 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: quieted my heart to be still like the grass underneath 15 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: my feet. I admitted to God I had lots of questions. 16 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: Of course, he already knew that, both because he knows everything, 17 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: and because I'd been asking these questions for weeks and 18 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: months on end, was seemingly no answer. If I were 19 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: being honest, I realized that I was trying to approach 20 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: this specific situation with my own strength believing it was 21 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: up to me to see a breakthrough when I knew 22 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: deep down it would take a move and a miracle 23 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: from God. As I reflected on the previous several weeks, 24 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: I asked God what he wanted me to know, what 25 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: he was telling me? Why did it feel like he 26 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: was being so silent? And then in my heart God 27 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: reminded me to make the most of each moment. Ephesians 28 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: five fifteen through seventeen es V says, look carefully, then, 29 00:01:56,440 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise the 30 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, 31 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: do not be foolish, but understand what the will of 32 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: the Lord is. Some seasons are busier than others. Some 33 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: bring change, some bring new assignments. In my heart, as 34 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: I reflected on all this, I realized that I wanted 35 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: to make the most of this season. Whenever God calls 36 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: me into a new season, perhaps the assignments will shift slightly. 37 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: I want to make the most of the time I 38 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: have now and be a faithful steward of what God 39 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: has given me in each season. As I write this, 40 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: I'm prepping to travel out of town for a month 41 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: to work on a film project, effectively entering a new season. 42 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: While I want to have a heart that sits at 43 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: the feet of Jesus. Like Mary, I also realized that 44 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: making the most of each moment means not delaying the 45 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: assignments God is clearly placed before me. Sometimes we procrastinate, 46 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: thinking we can delay the assignment. But if God has 47 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: called us to a task, the wisest thing we can 48 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: do is walk in obedience. We must steward the moment 49 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: by saying yes to the work of today, trust saying 50 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: that He will provide everything we need. And I'm sure 51 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: of this that He who began a good work in 52 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: you will bring it to completion at the day of 53 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ Olyppians one, six ESV. I want to have 54 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: an open heart to what the Lord wants to do 55 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: in my life. It's okay to dream and work towards goals. 56 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: It's okay to make plans. But as the scriptures and 57 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: Proverbs sixteen nine es v say, the heart of a 58 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 59 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: God alone knows the plans he has for our lives. 60 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: On the flip side, sometimes we get so caught up 61 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: in the big picture that we forget to enjoy the present, 62 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: to take a break from the busyness of life and 63 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: just be my loveleg which is quality time. So one 64 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: of my favorite things to do with those I love 65 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: is simply spend time with them, to just take a moment, 66 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: to pull away from the busyness of life and just be. Lately, 67 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: God has been convicting me to spend deeper, intentional time 68 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: with him. If I love quality time, how much more 69 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: does God love when I spend time with him? I 70 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: think of the story of Mary and Martha, famously found 71 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: in the Gospels. One specific account is Luke ten thirty 72 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: eight through forty two. The Bible says Martha was distracted 73 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: with much serving verse forty while Mary sat at the 74 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: Lord's feet and listen to his teaching verse thirty nine. 75 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: Don't get me wrong, we are called to serve God, 76 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: but like any good parent, his love for us is 77 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: not dependent on what we do. He loves us and 78 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: wants time with us. He doesn't want us to get 79 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 1: so distracted doing things for him that we forget to 80 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 1: simply be with him. Keep in mind that Jesus didn't 81 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: scold Martha for serving him. Far from it. No, he 82 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: gently and lovingly pointed out that she was anxious and 83 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary Verse 84 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: forty one. So many times we allow our serving to 85 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 1: distract us from spending time with Jesus. Be aus. When 86 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: we walk through busy seasons, sometimes there are a thousand 87 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:58,720 Speaker 1: necessary tasks calling for our attention. Sometimes we look forward 88 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 1: to the future with the anticipation and dreaming of things 89 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 1: that lieon someday. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's 90 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: important to have hope for the future. But I don't 91 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 1: want to get so caught up in this someday that 92 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: I miss the here and now, The beauty of the present, sunset, 93 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: family laughing around the dinner table, the crush of grass 94 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: underneath my feet as I breathe in the scent of spring, 95 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: the view of the mountains outside our kitchen window. It's 96 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 1: amazing to dream. Let's keep hoping, but let's not forget 97 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: to make the most of each moment. We've been given 98 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: to serve God exactly where he has us, to love 99 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,360 Speaker 1: the people he has placed in our path. Let's be 100 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: a people who plan our ways with open hands, allowing 101 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 1: the Lord to establish our steps and choosing above all else, 102 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: to simply be with him. Pray with me. Dear Father, 103 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:51,039 Speaker 1: thank you for the beauty of today. Help us to 104 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: dream big dreams for the future while remaining fully planted 105 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,359 Speaker 1: in the present. Teach us to sit at your feet 106 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: like Mary, even when our to do lists look like Martha's. 107 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:05,160 Speaker 1: As we step into new seasons and assignments, let us 108 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:10,600 Speaker 1: never miss the miracle of here and now. In Jesus' name, Amen, 109 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: thanks for listening to today's devotional. 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