Having "margin" in our lives

Good Monday morning, my friends.

I just spent an incredible weekend at a men's retreat in Maniwaki, Quebec (about 2 hours north of Ottawa).  We watched and discussed teachings by Andy Stanley (Charles' son) from North Point Community Church in Georgia.  The sermon series was called "Take it to the Limit" and it addressed the tendency in our current culture to take all aspects of our lives to the limit:

• We take our time and obligate every minute of it.
• We take our income and spend every bit of it (and sometimes more that we even have coming in).
• We morally allow ourselves to play with fire by living right at the edge.

What I discovered was that even a decade into my journey with Christ, my life is still a mess!  But the good news (the Gospel?) is that God won't leave me there.  The teachings were very relevant, but more than that, they were practical - they provided tools and strategies to help create "margin" in these areas of my life.  Just like margin on a page leaves space between the text and the edge of the paper, we must have margin in our lives in the areas of time, money, and morality.  If we live right on the edge, it is much too easy to step (or fall) over that line.

Do you have "margin" in your life in these areas?  Is your schedule so full, there is no time for God (going to church, reading your Bible, praying)?  Are you spending everything you earn (or more) and robbing yourself of the amazing benefits of joyful giving?  Are you involved in an "almost" inappropriate relationship (on-line, at work, or elsewhere) that could result in disaster for your marriage or family?

God want's us to have these buffer areas in our lives.  It is why He instituted the Sabbath day of rest, tithing, and the Ten Commandments.  He wants us to have margin because margin is where relationships happen.

Amazing grace and peace that surpasses all understanding be yours today,

Bruce

Heavenly Father,

We pray today that you would open our eyes to the areas in our lives You would like to see changed.

We invite you to examine our schedules, our finances, and our relationships.

Lord, all that we have comes from You and belongs to You - please help us to use the time, money, and love You have given us in ways that honour You.

We ask this in the name of Your most holy Son, Jesus.  Amen.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca