OPEN TO CHANGE

GETTING CONTROL IN AN UPSIDE DOWN WORLD – PART 5

1 PRIORITY – first things first

2 RULES FROM THE BOSS – God, family, work, ministry

3 ALIGNMENT – working together on your life purpose

4 BALANCE – built on a personal relationship to God

5 OPEN TO CHANGE – protecting your opportunity for change

Yesterday we talked about the fourth guideline for living …. BALANCE Today we are talking about the FIFTH rule for getting control in an upside down world… being "open to change" or what I call STRUCTURED SPONTANEITY!

 This really comes down to a matter of how you schedule your time.

 Many of us think of ourselves as highly organized, productive people.  We even "feature" this idea of ourselves to others.  But then we are so highly structured that we might have to put off our best friend for three to four weeks before we can fit them into our schedule.  By then, he may not need a friend like you anymore!

 Others of us are so flexible that we can drop everything should an old friend show up unexpectedly.  Nice for him/her.  Maybe not so nice for you.  Dropping everything means your priorities are very likely off-kilter and someone else or something else will have to pay the piper.

 So, can we suggest that the best of both worlds?  You guessed it!  It lies somewhere in between. We call it structured spontaneity or flexibility. With our life patterned in this way we can order life so we can respond to the call of the Holy Spirit when the call arises. 

 Yes, of course, you're never perfectly balanced.  There was only one man like that and He walked on water.  No, the answer really is to know where the balance is and to always be moving toward it.  And as we know the Word always helps with this.  However...Unstructured?  Get some structure.  Too structured that you can't respond?  Your priorities may be off.  Say no to a few things and open up your schedule.  Then if people aren't calling you to get ministered to periodically, you can call them. 

 What does God’s word have to say?

 Prov 27:1

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

 John 15:4

4          "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

(NAS)