Author: Lead Pastor Michael Parnell

TIME

Our Most Precious Commodity

“When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.”

A. W. Tozer

Time is the rare and precious commodity that can only be redeemed and bring a return if it is used wisely. Paul said best when writing to the church at Ephesus:

Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

• Ephesians 5:15-16 amp

It is hard to believe that we are now 2 decades into this new millennia, far removed from the Y2K fiasco. The old axiom, “time flies when you’re having fun,” doesn’t adequately capture the reality of life, time rapidly moves regardless of our level of satisfaction. Solomon surveyed this reality in Ecclesiastes 3, he pointed out that times and seasons are part of the order of God and everything is beautiful in His time (v11). However, the Preacher seems to interpret all things in this life as vanity.

The focal point for Solomon seems to be the difficulty and toil of man as well as the endless pursuit of pleasure to which he admittedly attempted with great regularity and success. When listening to the Preacher bemoan his life, love and labor, one might believe he was a little depressed, consider his words:

Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.

• Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 amp

Many of the things that Solomon pursued throughout his life turned out to be time wasters that had zero eternal value and those hours could not be redeemed. What was true in antiquity remains true today and more so as modernity has brought about great technological advancement, which has actually created an environment where it is easy to not make wise us of the time afforded us each and every day. But this is not the end of the story, Solomon’s message and final impartation of wisdom is found in the second to the last verse in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes:

All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all
inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.

• Ecclesiastes 12:13 amp

As we consider the scripture’s admonition to make the most of our time and to serve God, keeping His commands in reverent fear, which the Preacher declares is mankind’s highest call, how will we live our life in 2020? Will it be in vain pursuits, time wasters or will we be frugal with this precious commodity, seeking only to invest in that which brings the greatest return. Here are 3 things we can do to aid in the pursuit of healthier time management:

1. Prioritize our time to honor God daily
2. Identify areas of waste and make corrections
3. Develop healthier patterns to maximize opportunities

This may seem simplistic but in truth, it requires sacrifice and discipline, both of which  not as easy as we might believe.

Final thought, for the person truly being led by the Spirit of God, this is actually a natural process, or it should be!

Blessings,

Pastor Michael

It’s that time of year again, the holidays are upon us and life may seem busier that normal. Like clockwork we turn our attention to the issue of thankfulness or at least we should and not to sound too cliché but as a believer, everyday should be a day of thanksgiving.

With that said, consider what Paul writes to the church at Colosse and allow me to take a moment to consider what I’m thankful for. Maybe you’ll feel the same.

Colossians 3:15

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be THANKFUL!

What am I Thankful For?

1. That I have been granted the blessing to understand the indescribable reality of God’s love demonstrated through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! (Jn 14:6)

• That through faith in Christ I’m saved and have come to the revelation of absolute truth found in the Word of the Living God. The Bible! The irrefutable truth of scripture informs my thinking and leads me in paths of righteous living before God.

Psalms 107:8

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

• That I was blessed with a wonderful family, a beautiful and intelligent wife, an awesome son, great in-laws and extended family. Riches and wealth are truly measured in terms beyond that of economy.

Luke 12:15

….. for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

• That I have been favored to live in this great nation, not perfect, but far superior to anything that has been or is today. Part of the revealed truth previously referenced is that I’m fully cognizant of the liberty we experience as Americans, a liberty unrealized in any other form of government or ism that exist beyond our shores.

• That God established the Church and saw fit to raise up local congregations where the saints can assemble to worship, pray, serve and hear the proclamation of the Word.

Matthew 16:18

…and on this rock I will build My church,

and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

This only summarizes some on the key blessings in life that I remain eternally grateful for. To remember and recount all the miraculous things God has done for my family and I would require more time and mental bandwidth than I currently possess. David must have grappled with this perplexity when he sang Psalm 40. Why? Because of v5:

Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done;

And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order;

If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.

While the task of recounting in succession all the great things Jesus has done may seem daunting, let us not become idle or indifferent in our Thanksgiving. After all, it’s more than a holiday, more than turkey and dressing with all the trimmings, more than football, parades or shopping. It is the grateful recognition of the sovereignty of our Lord and His Christ and His willingness to demonstrate His goodness to all mankind.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello friends, this is my first ever blog and I’ve chosen an unconventional topic considering I’m a Lead Pastor. One would think this blog would be some great insight into a particular passage of Scripture or biblical doctrine or prophecy, and the list goes on; but it’s not. I’ve chosen to share about our new and improved website and why we chose to step up our game in our online presence. But first, let me say how I’m proud and appreciative I am of those who have labored diligently to help our church in this endeavor, without them this would not have happened.

Change is never easy, but more often than not, it’s necessary. I’m from the Gen X world, I remember wall hung rotary phones and black & white TV’s. Used to be, if you needed to do research, then off to the local library you go or find a full volume of Encyclopedia Britannica, not anymore. So here we are, some of us fighting to retain some vestige of the past, others fully embracing everything this new technological frontier has provided. As a pastor and a church, we hope to utilize the best parts of the web to connect with and influence our church and community.

Let me start at the beginning. My wife and I began to pastor Boyette Springs Church of God in the fall of 2015 and one of the first goals was a website upgrade. Of course, as with all we attempt to do for God and His people, it was done with excellence and purpose; it was a great site. But times have changed, technology moved forward, and it seemed prudent for us to move with it. RELAUNCH!!!

We hope that our new website reflects the value we place on technology and the part it can play in our ability as a church to connect to as many people as possible. The purpose, as always, is to share the Good News of Jesus and inform our community as to who we are and what is happening at BSCOG. There are several new additions on our site, BLOGS are just one.

While there are similarities to the old, we hope that you will find in our upgraded platform a more visually appealing and functionally interactive site. Our desire is to provide a place where individuals and families will find resources, encouraging words, a clean and easy way to give, and a community of shared values. This is just the beginning, something we can build on.

Blessings in Christ!