Time For The Master

DateLine (5/31/06 – Five Forks, SC)
Guest Contributor for Reference Point – Vickie Maxwell – The Songbird

On Wednesday night last week I stopped by my sister’s house for a moment while she was watching the final moments of season five of American Idol. I heard the overwhelming tally of votes taken for the finale – some sixty-four million voters from devoted listeners for this season’s finale, “….more voters than had ever voted for a President of the United States in an election,” one reporter stated.

I reflected immediately on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How He would love to have sixty-four million devoted, don’t-miss-a-week fans! To not want to miss one single session with Him, and to spend a dedicated hour at that! I was very humbled by the thought and sorry for my sometimes lack of attention to time with Him. You know, maybe it’s not American Idol for me (or you), but possibly there are other “idols” with which I have replaced Jesus with. In Exodus the Lord relayed the message to Moses for the people of Israel: “Thou shall have no other gods before me.” Oh goodness, and I wonder sometimes why my days and life seem so out of order. Could it be that the order of my priorities have gone awry? Have I reconciled myself to some self-serving, preconceived idea of what “no other gods” means? It couldn’t possibly refer to anything that I may have replaced God with in my schedule of activities, right?

Let’s think about our daily schedules. Have we made allowance for that so-important time for Him? God forgive us! Do you know what always amazes me about God? That even when I’m having difficulty managing my life so that I can diligently seek His face – that disciplined effort that is so difficult – He is willing to help me with that as well. Isn’t He great? Are we having difficulty in that area of our lives? Let’s ask Him for help.

I read an anecdote recently from an email that referred to a conversation that God was having with a young woman who could not understand why her prayers were not being answered. The ending of their discussion came with the voice from God saying “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was you; I didn’t recognize your voice.” John 10:27 says, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” Does He know mine?