Latest / HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN® / Finding God in a world that never stops: Ep 6 People Are Not Interruptions

Transcript

Finding God in a world that never stops: Ep 6 People Are Not Interruptions · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

• 0:00
  Welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin. This is Ariel Santana.
• 0:04
  Can you believe I'm seven years old already? I'm old enough now to introduce my dad.
• 0:10
  Ladies and gentlemen, your host, my dad, Angel Santana.
• 0:47
  Hello, everyone, and welcome for another week, another five episodes.
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  It's the final five episodes of this 10-part series.
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  Welcome to the August 10th edition of Half Faith, Let It Begin.
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  And it is August 10th because we're up to episode six. And when you do five and five, that makes 10.
• 1:05
  No, just kidding, guys. Listen, slow down, finding God in the world that never
• 1:09
  stops. It's episode six, People Are Not Interruptions.
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  That's what we're up to, guys. My name is Angel Santana. Welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin.
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  And thank you for joining us on this journey, this 10-part devotional journey
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  designed to help us live at the pace of Christ.
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  So let me ask you a question. Have you ever been so focused on your schedule,
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  your to-do list, just to be clear, your next appointment, that someone interrupted your plans?
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  Maybe it was a phone call, a coworker, a child, or a neighbor,
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  or even a stranger asking for help.
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  And if we're honest with each other, most of us have thought, not right now.
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  But what if the interruption was actually the assignment?
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  That's what we're going to talk about today. So let's slow down,
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  open God's word together.
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  Biblical perspective. Our primary scripture comes from Luke chapter 10,
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  verses 30 through 37, the parable of the Good Samaritan.
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  Jesus tells the story of a man who had been beaten, robbed, and left for dead.
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  A priest walked by. Then a Levitt.
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  Both saw the man. Both kept going. Then came a Samaritan. He stopped.
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  He noticed. He cared. He interrupted his own journey to care for someone in need.
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  Jesus ended the parable by saying, go and do likewise.
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  Luke chapter 10, verse 37.
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  And our supporting scripture comes from Mark chapter 10, verses 46 to 52.
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  As Jesus was leaving Jericho, the blind Bartima cried out, Jesus,
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  son of David, have mercy on me.
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  The crowd told him to be quiet. Jesus stopped.
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  In the middle of his journey, on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus stopped for one man.
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  That stop changed. Barmas, life forever.
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  Jesus never viewed people as interruptions. He viewed them as opportunities,
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  to demonstrate God's love.
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  Our calendars are full. Our phones buzz consistently.
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  See what I mean? They do. They buzz consistently.
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  Our minds are already thinking about what's next. So when someone interrupts
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  our plans, we often see it as an inconvenience.
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  But what if we're looking at it the wrong way?
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  Imagine if the Good Samaritan had been in a hurry.
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  Imagine if Jesus had ignored Bartimaeus because he had somewhere else to be.
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  See, history would read very differently. Some of the most meaningful moments
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  in our lives happen unexpectedly.
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  A conversation in the grocery store.
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  A coworker who quietly says, can I talk with you for a moment?
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  A family member who simply needs someone to listen. Those aren't interruptions.
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  Those may be divine appointments.
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  God often works through the moments we never planned.
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  The question is, are we paying enough attention to notice them?
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  When we slow down, we begin to see people the way Jesus saw them,
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  not as an obstacle, not as delays, but as souls deeply loved by God.
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  So here's a heart check for you. Let's put together, who have you been too busy to notice?
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  Who have you been too busy to notice?
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  As your schedule becomes more important than the people God has placed in your path?
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  Think about that question. Has your schedule become more important than the
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  people God has placed in your path?
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  Is there someone God has been prompting you to slow down for?
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  Ask the Lord to help you see people through his eyes today.
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  Here's your faith challenge. Today, don't rush. Don't rush the interruptions. Someone needs to talk?
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  Listen, someone asks for prayer, pray with them. If someone needs encouragement, give it freely.
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  Instead of asking, why is this interrupting my day?
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  Change that and say, Lord, is this why you brought me here today?
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  You may discover that your greatest ministry happens when your schedule changes.
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  Today's takeaway. The interruptions in your day may be the appointments God
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  has already placed in his calendar.
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  You know, Jesus never hurried past people. He noticed them.
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  He loved them, and he stopped for them.
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  May we become people who aren't so busy chasing the next task that we miss the
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  person standing right in front of us?
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  Sometimes the greatest thing you can accomplish is.
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  Won't be crossing something off your list. It will be taking time for someone who needed you.
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  Amen. Heavenly Father, let's pray. Thank you for never treating us as an interruption.
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  Even when we cry out to you in our weakness, you hear us, you see us,
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  and you meet with us with compassion.
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  Help us to slow down and notice the people you've placed in our lives.
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  Open our eyes to opportunities to encourage, serve, and love others just as Jesus did.
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  May our schedules never become more important than your purpose.
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  Teach us to see every interruption as a chance to share your grace.
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  In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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  Before we wrap up today's episode, I'd like to ask you for a small favor.
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  If today's message encouraged you, would you consider helping us share it with someone else?
• 6:58
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  Thank you for being a part of today's Half Faith Let It Begin family.
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  Thank you for listening.
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  Real people, real stories, and real faith. So keep your faith,
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  slow your pace, and let God lead the way.
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  And never forget, have faith, let it begin. Let it begin.