Tuesday, May 20, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: Acts 22

I noticed something about Jesus while watching The Chosen: He was fully present in every interaction he had. As I study the Bible, I notice that Jesus looked in people's eyes and saw them, he listened to them, and showed deep respect for them. He was never too busy for others. Every person mattered to him. He invested his time and talents to make an eternal difference.

In our culture, some of us have gotten off track. Our schedules are packed, and our anxiety is high. We are tired, worn out, and overwhelmed. We have lost sight of what is really important, and as a result, we are not investing our time or talents wisely. 

As Jesus followers, we are called to become more and more like Jesus, who used his time to teach, serve, heal, love, pray, and rest. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth with a mission - to show us how much God loves us and to save us from our sins. 

He was disciplined, and we’re called to be disciplined too. In 1 Corinthians, Paul explains that the way to accomplish this goal is to discipline ourselves like athletes.

1 Corinthians 9:25 
All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

Athletes use their time to train. They don't wake up one day and run a marathon. We train by investing our time in knowing Jesus. This is accomplished through Bible study, prayer, attending church, and fellowship. Fifteen minutes a day in prayer and Bible study can make a huge difference in your life. As we learn to know Jesus better, he starts to change us. We become so grateful for what Jesus has done for us that we want to serve others.

CedarCreek offers a wonderful class called GrowthTrack. It will help you begin your journey to know God, find freedom, discover your purpose, and make a difference. Through it, you will discover the spiritual gifts God has given you. The next step is joining the DreamTeam and using your unique gifts and wiring to serve others.

This is how you invest your time to make an eternal difference! And the amazing thing is - when you use your gifts to serve others, you feel energized and joyful. 

Questions:

How did Jesus invest his time?

How are you investing your time?

What disciplines do you need to put in place to use your time to make an eternal difference?

Next Steps:

Complete GrowthTrack. And once you complete it, join the DreamTeam to use your personality, place, and passions to make a difference.
If you’ve already gone through GrowthTrack but haven’t joined a serving team, maybe it’s time!

Prayer:
Jesus, I adore and worship you. I am so grateful for all you've done for me. Help me invest my time wisely. Lord, help me to use my spiritual gifts to make an eternal difference so that my life brings you glory. I praise you! Amen.

Series Theme Verse:
John 8:31-32
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

This post was written by Marsha Raymond, an Oregon attendee, and a regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.