''Battle Between Man And Crocodile ''

Sorry I Got You Scared With The Headline, But I Just Needed You To Go Through This.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven"

There is no greater currency given to every man to spend on earth than the God given gift of 24hours each day of your life.
Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything. With it, all is possible; without it, nothing is possible. The only problem is that we invest the least of it in the most important area of our life.
How often have you talked with someone on the telephone who seemed to be in a hurry and wanted to get on with more important business? Or visited with someone dear and received that same "I am in a hurry" feeling? You've undoubtedly experienced it...and didn't enjoy it. And, perhaps, you have also been guilty of this.
Have you noticed that we seem to have time for business, ministry, academics, things we feel are very important.

But what about relationships with people, family and friends? Isn't that a great deal of what life is all about--loving other people? Remember Jesus? How he raced about, hurrying from one city to another, collecting great crowds on the way to give them a few minutes of hurried heaven-data, then dashing on to the next place? No, that is not the picture of Jesus the New Testament gives.
He had time for people. In a crowd, a woman touched his robe. Lots of people were probably pushing against him, touching his robe, but he discerned the urgency in this particular touch.
He stopped, taking valuable time for this "interruption." His disciples were full of fire and computer-like- efficiency.
They wanted to get on with the task of saving the world, even if they didn't always know how it will be done. Once a bunch of small, grimy-fingered kids came along and wanted to climb on the Master's lap. "Get those kids out of here," thought the goal-oriented disciples. "No, let them stay. Let's enjoy them and let them enjoy us," thought the true-goal-oriented Man from heaven who knew and expressed the great worth of the individual.
Beloved, why not save some of the time you invest on TV, shopping sprees, reading the latest gossip magazine, watching the replay of your favourite team, and invest it in a family session with your wife and kids, having a discussion with a teenager needing advice, putting a colleague through a complex situation, visiting a neighbour in the hospital or a friend in prison or police custody.
You must realize that some things we do with our time have eternal value, while others have no impact in eternity. Friend, I do agree that you are a really busy person but the next time a person "interrupts" you, think about it before brushing the person aside, think of that person's needs, of his covert compliment in desiring to spend a few moments with you.
Your meeting may be a significant point in each of your lives, because it is an encounter with another person God has created.
You may impart something crucial to his destiny--or he to yours. Paul the apostle prayed "May God, who gives patience, steadiness, and encouragement, help you to live in complete harmony with each other--each with the attitude of Christ toward the other" (Rom. 15:5, TLB). Every great leader knows the art of paying attention to one single individual even in the midst of a crowd. The famous mafia thriller writer Mario Puzo said "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man"
Let us pray:

Father, give me the grace to be able to pay attention to the people you have allowed in my life in Jesus name. Amen.