My week had been crazy, and it was only Tuesday.  More things were coming onto my plate than leaving my plate.  I had a to-do list that was growing faster than I could cut it down.  And the rest of the week, was just as full.  Deadlines were pressing, events were upcoming, people needed contacted and met with.

You’ve probably had those days, those weeks, those months.

But it was Tuesday, and it had to get done.  If I would’ve waited until Wednesday, it would’ve been too late, and Wednesday was full enough already.  Today was the day.  The conditions were perfect, despite the lack of perfect conditions in my schedule.

What was so important to get done?  Fertilizing my yard and spraying for weeds, people!

We’ve been in this house for two summers now, and each time, despite my best efforts, we’ve had some weeds that just wouldn’t die with the regular granulated weed and feed.  Well, this year would be different, I vowed.  I went to a local expert, bought the good stuff, and sprayed my yard with great satisfaction that this might just do the trick.  Talk to me next summer, and I’ll let you know.

We make time in our schedule for what we value. 

I value a green, weed-free yard.  To some people, that is a silly value.  But to me, it isn’t, and so I make time for it in the midst of a schedule that on the surface didn’t look like it had any wiggle room.

In order to say yes to that, I had to say no to other things.

We make time in our schedule for what we value. 

So looking at your schedule and where your time gets invested, what do you value?  Let’s have an honest and sober view of how we invest the hours the Lord has given us.

For me, I can think of times when my schedule would say that I valued some pretty trivial things.  I can also point to times when my schedule said that I valued vitally important things (communion with the Lord, loving and serving my wife, speaking life into my kids and getting time with them, rest and work, exercise, community with other believers, etc.).

Paul said this in Philippians 3:8, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For Paul, what had surpassing value in his life was knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  Such a value shaped his way of life.  Not a part of His life, but His entire way of life.  That ‘surpassing value’ shaped all the rest.  It was the largest rock in the tank, before all the other pebbles were added.

Pastor Louis Giglio said this, “Whenever you say ‘yes’ to anything, there is less of you for something else. Make sure your ‘yes’ is worth the less.”

What do you need to say ‘no’ to, in order to say ‘yes’ to something greater?  What trivial thing(s) has competed for value in your life, that needs to be set aside?  Because through saying yes to it, there is less of you for something else.  Something greater.

Brother and sister in Christ, may the Lord give us His wisdom and His Spirit’s power as we live for Him who died and rose again for us.  Life is but a vapor and the time the Lord has given us is precious.