Friday, January 17, 2003
Every fall, the TV networks start hyping their new shows. And usually, they have a couple that feature a well-known star. You can be sure that those headline shows and those headline stars won't be on at 2:00 in the afternoon or 1:00 in the morning. No way. They will air sometime in the heart of the evening, like 8:00 or 9:00 - prime time! You know you've made it when you've got a show on prime time, you know. Even though a lot of what's on in those hours doesn't seem very prime to a lot of us, to the networks this is their best. Stick the reruns and the less popular shows in the off-hours when not as many people are watching, right? But prime time, hey, that's reserved for the best.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Who's on in Prime Time?"
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the familiar, but extremely challenging, words of Matthew 6:33. "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well." In other words, put the things of God in first place in your life, and God will personally take charge of the rest. Powerful promise. Often, not the way we live.
Let's take your personal time with Jesus, for example. Now, if we're going to seek first what matters to Jesus, wouldn't that make our time with Him a primary item in our daily schedule? You've got no more important thing in your life than Jesus. Do you have Him on in prime time or stuffed in some sleepy, rushed, crummy corner of your life's broadcast schedule? Or is Jesus only on when you get around to time with Him, when you have some time left when you can squeeze Him in. Doesn't sound like seeking first the things of God, does it? It sounds like seeking the things of God if and when there's time.
There won't be time if you don't schedule it. Your time with Jesus is meant to be the non-negotiable of your personal schedule. If you have to cancel everything but one thing today, the one thing left will be your time with Jesus. Nobody else died for you. Nobody else deserves center stage in your life. No other voice can tell you what He can tell you. No other love can fill your heart. No other peace can still your heart.
All the other people, all the other responsibilities, scream for our attention. Jesus just whispers, "I'm here - waiting for you." Maybe He's been drowned out for too long, crowded out by earth-stuff, by good things that just aren't as important as He is. It's time to say, "Jesus, I am enthroning You in a central part of my daily schedule. I'm giving You some of my prime time, not my leftover time. I am making my time with You - beginning today - non-negotiable ... the highest priority of my personal schedule. I've got no one more important than You." That means getting up earlier, staying up later, going to bed earlier, cutting back on something else - whatever it takes. Make His time the anchor of your life.
Open your heart to Him. Look for His heart in the words He recorded in the Bible. Look for a specific praise, a specific change He can make that day, a specific promise by which you will shape your day. And keep a "Jesus Journal" where you record what your Lord has spoken to your heart and what you're going to do about it.
Remember, prime time is where you schedule the best. And the best thing you've got is your relationship with the Son of God. Make sure He's on every day - in prime time.