Faithful Living: Always give God your best, part I

The 3 T’s have certainly made the rounds over the years.

There are lots of 3 T’s out there! Here are a few. The 3 T’s of success according to Doug Robinson with LGCY are, “Talent, Tenacity, Timing.” David Odepidan speaks of the 3 T’s of life, “Take a chance, Take charge, Take control.” The 3 T’s of the CCP are Taiwan, Tibet and Tiananmen. A couple more… Randy Schroeder, Ph.D., notes that the 3 T’s of marriage are, “Time, Talking and Touching.” John Van Epp, Ph.D., on the 3 T’s regarding relationships, “Time, Talk and Togetherness. And finally, a guest for StorageCraft blogged the 3 T’s of client relationships are, “Transparency, Trust and Timing.”

I am sure that there are other triplet t’s spattered across the globe when it comes to business, relationships, physicality, life enhancements, our soul health and our spirituality.

Over the next three months we will consider an individual T in each Faithful Living article that has often been associated within religious circles. English Language & Usage noted they found the earliest example of Time, Talents and Treasure back in 1845. Note: This example also included physical strength.

The first T we will consider is Time. This noun, according to the dictionary is, “The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.”

All of us have 86,400 seconds, or 1,440 minutes, in the course of a 24-hour day. The average life span for a U.S. citizen is more than 79 years. According to the World Health Organization in 2020, the average age for people worldwide was 73.3 years.

Some of us, honestly, will live shorter lives than others. Whether long or short, our Lord has given each of us an ordered number of days to live. And, when our allotted days have been fulfilled, Jesus, Himself, will call us from this life. As the hairs of our heads are all numbered, so to, are the evenings and mornings of our lives. So, how are we using our God-given time remaining that He has graced with?

I know we cram a lot into our days. For many of us, there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. Overworked, tired and weary … many of us are wiped out rolling into the driveway.

God says the hours of the day are precious and He wants us to not only work hard and always give our best, He also wants us, more importantly, to take some moments just to breathe … and rest in Him.

What would happen if we (and that includes me) took more time at the beginning of the day to hang out with our Lord? How would our mindset, motivation, energy, effectiveness and efficiencies change?

If God created everything in six days and then took the next day off, everyone could make a better effort and take a day deferring our attention from normal routines and focus on rest and relaxation … including some fun!

If that concept is far from your heart because you work on Sundays or would rather not step one foot inside a house of worship, I’d like to be bold and propose something else.

How about giving our Lord a "tithe of the day?" Yes, that’s right; at least 10% of each day for Him. If my math is correct, that would be 2.4 hours or 144 minutes daily. I know what you are thinking, “There Joe goes again! Are you kidding me? I can’t give Him 10 let alone 144!”

Stay with me. There are many ways to focus on our Lord, even while we are working. Try this one on for size. The next time you are changing a diaper during the early morning hours, half asleep, praise Him for the gift of your child. Whether you are driving screws on the assembly line, getting ready for surgery, cleaning toilets or the deep fryer, sweeping floors at an elementary school, Ubering for your clients, waiting for the bus, paying your taxes, traveling 600 mph at 36,000 feet in the air, in solitary confinement, at the bottom of a coal mine or wherever you are, continually praise and worship our Creator. Frankly, we can adore and meditate in silence or at the top of our lungs all through the day!

Giving Jesus our best during our days doesn’t have to be boring — focus your attention on Him even while you work and see what happens. He certainly has time for us. Can we return the favor? As my Dad often said to me, “You don’t always have to be talking.” Being quiet and waiting for His still small voice is one of the best ways for me to listen and learn. In these moments maybe for you, Jesus will lead, guide and direct. Bring everything to Him.

The Japanese use the term kaizen. This concept has spread globally, to promote continuous improvement in business. It can also be extrapolated to mean every area of our lives.

Spending more time with the Lord, whether studying and reading God’s word, praying quietly in your workplace or at any time in your personal life will abundantly return many blessings.

Let’s all praise and worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords more and more, and expect God to move.

— Joe Wagley is a Realtor and broker in Lenawee County. He is the owner of The Wagley Group Real Estate Advisors in Adrian and Manitou Beach. He can be reached at 517-265-6000 or at Joe@TheWagleyGroup.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Joe Wagley: Always give God your best, part I