1 00:00:00,970 --> 00:00:04,690 I remember years ago when I was a 2 00:00:04,690 --> 00:00:08,930 businessman and I walked by my boss's office 3 00:00:08,930 --> 00:00:11,450 and I saw him standing at his desk 4 00:00:11,450 --> 00:00:13,770 with a sad look on his face. 5 00:00:14,070 --> 00:00:16,670 I knocked on his door and asked him 6 00:00:16,670 --> 00:00:18,170 if everything was all right. 7 00:00:18,770 --> 00:00:21,270 He told me that he had just returned 8 00:00:21,270 --> 00:00:23,590 from being out of town where he had 9 00:00:23,590 --> 00:00:25,810 dropped his daughter off at her new college. 10 00:00:26,550 --> 00:00:28,710 He said that as he stood in her 11 00:00:28,710 --> 00:00:32,670 dorm room and hugged her goodbye, he realized 12 00:00:32,670 --> 00:00:35,710 he didn't know her and that's why he 13 00:00:35,710 --> 00:00:36,450 was sad. 14 00:00:37,090 --> 00:00:39,810 Now this came from a man who worked 15 00:00:39,810 --> 00:00:42,530 an average 80 hours a week and he 16 00:00:42,530 --> 00:00:44,130 was married to his job. 17 00:00:44,530 --> 00:00:46,970 He made a ton of money but he 18 00:00:46,970 --> 00:00:49,410 didn't know his adult daughter. 19 00:00:50,170 --> 00:00:52,610 Now that's a sad story, isn't it friends? 20 00:00:53,210 --> 00:00:56,070 It proves that if you want a relationship 21 00:00:56,070 --> 00:00:59,930 with someone, you need to invest time into 22 00:00:59,930 --> 00:01:01,030 that relationship. 23 00:01:01,710 --> 00:01:02,930 Do you agree with me? 24 00:01:03,550 --> 00:01:06,410 Now if that's the case, how in the 25 00:01:06,410 --> 00:01:10,330 world can we know Jesus in an intimate 26 00:01:10,330 --> 00:01:14,090 love relationship if we only give him five 27 00:01:14,090 --> 00:01:15,090 minutes a day? 28 00:01:15,810 --> 00:01:18,870 It's morning and you crack open your Bible 29 00:01:18,870 --> 00:01:21,870 and read it a little while and say 30 00:01:21,870 --> 00:01:24,090 a few prayers for a few folks and 31 00:01:24,090 --> 00:01:26,810 you ask Jesus for help for your day 32 00:01:26,810 --> 00:01:29,530 and you give him the leftovers of your 33 00:01:29,530 --> 00:01:32,990 time and you wonder why it's so easy 34 00:01:32,990 --> 00:01:35,670 to fall on our face in sin. 35 00:01:36,170 --> 00:01:38,670 We cannot tip our hat to him and 36 00:01:38,670 --> 00:01:40,930 have a solid walk with him. 37 00:01:41,530 --> 00:01:45,250 This is what happened to the believers way 38 00:01:45,250 --> 00:01:48,610 back yonder who were members of the church 39 00:01:48,610 --> 00:01:49,330 at Ephesus. 40 00:01:49,890 --> 00:01:55,130 Jesus commanded these Ephesian believers by acknowledging their 41 00:01:55,130 --> 00:01:55,930 hard labor. 42 00:01:57,110 --> 00:02:00,710 In Revelation 2-2 we read, I know 43 00:02:00,710 --> 00:02:03,350 thy works and thy labor. 44 00:02:04,110 --> 00:02:07,130 Jesus tells them his eyes have been upon 45 00:02:07,130 --> 00:02:07,610 them. 46 00:02:08,050 --> 00:02:11,510 He'd been watching them and he acknowledged that 47 00:02:11,510 --> 00:02:13,530 they'd been busy for him. 48 00:02:13,950 --> 00:02:16,930 But the risen Lord has a bone of 49 00:02:16,930 --> 00:02:21,290 contention between them that they are completely ignorant 50 00:02:21,290 --> 00:02:21,810 of. 51 00:02:22,210 --> 00:02:25,730 They were good folks working hard to serve 52 00:02:25,730 --> 00:02:28,590 God but in the midst of their busyness 53 00:02:28,590 --> 00:02:32,650 and activity they forgot something and that something 54 00:02:32,650 --> 00:02:35,890 was a certain someone who rebuked them in 55 00:02:35,890 --> 00:02:40,450 verse 4 with the words, nevertheless I have 56 00:02:40,450 --> 00:02:45,650 somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy 57 00:02:45,650 --> 00:02:46,770 first love. 58 00:02:47,530 --> 00:02:50,930 My boss thought if he slaved away and 59 00:02:50,930 --> 00:02:54,110 made millions he could show his daughter his 60 00:02:54,110 --> 00:02:57,230 love by buying her things like a new 61 00:02:57,230 --> 00:03:01,330 Mercedes, designer handbags, and an expensive Rolex. 62 00:03:01,990 --> 00:03:04,770 But in the process he never spent any 63 00:03:04,770 --> 00:03:07,130 time getting to know her and now it 64 00:03:07,130 --> 00:03:07,990 was too late. 65 00:03:08,330 --> 00:03:09,950 That's why I had a tear in his 66 00:03:09,950 --> 00:03:12,370 eye that day but it was too late 67 00:03:12,370 --> 00:03:14,390 to do anything about it. 68 00:03:14,670 --> 00:03:15,730 She was gone. 69 00:03:16,190 --> 00:03:20,030 It's impossible to have a solid relationship with 70 00:03:20,030 --> 00:03:23,490 anyone if all you do is spend five 71 00:03:23,490 --> 00:03:25,010 minutes a day with them. 72 00:03:25,470 --> 00:03:28,630 We have replaced Jesus with many things. 73 00:03:29,190 --> 00:03:31,750 In Luke's Gospel we get a sense of 74 00:03:31,750 --> 00:03:34,530 this in the story of Martha and Mary. 75 00:03:35,110 --> 00:03:39,770 Mary was occupied with one thing and Martha 76 00:03:39,770 --> 00:03:42,910 was occupied with many things. 77 00:03:43,610 --> 00:03:46,890 Martha had a meal to prepare for over 78 00:03:46,890 --> 00:03:49,650 a dozen people and she was busy in 79 00:03:49,650 --> 00:03:52,610 the kitchen to a fault while her sister 80 00:03:52,610 --> 00:03:56,670 Mary sat at Jesus feet and was absorbed 81 00:03:56,670 --> 00:03:58,930 in the one thing needful. 82 00:03:59,490 --> 00:04:02,610 You get to know someone by spending time 83 00:04:02,610 --> 00:04:05,110 with them and talking to them. 84 00:04:06,270 --> 00:04:09,530 The more time you spend with them and 85 00:04:09,530 --> 00:04:12,030 the more time you talk to them the 86 00:04:12,030 --> 00:04:13,730 better you get to know them. 87 00:04:14,330 --> 00:04:17,230 Five minutes a day won't cut the mustard. 88 00:04:17,910 --> 00:04:21,950 Maybe if we're guilty of this we've been 89 00:04:21,950 --> 00:04:25,370 wanting some things from Jesus but all he 90 00:04:25,370 --> 00:04:28,830 wanted from us was us to spend time 91 00:04:28,830 --> 00:04:29,630 with us. 92 00:04:30,090 --> 00:04:34,050 Maybe we need to apologize to him for 93 00:04:34,050 --> 00:04:35,130 ignoring him. 94 00:04:35,250 --> 00:04:38,770 If we want to have a life of 95 00:04:38,770 --> 00:04:42,190 victory in Jesus then we must be absorbed 96 00:04:42,190 --> 00:04:45,710 with him in a life of abiding in 97 00:04:45,710 --> 00:04:49,090 him in a close intimate walk with him 98 00:04:49,090 --> 00:04:52,330 for our good and for his glory. 99 00:04:52,690 --> 00:04:54,270 Let us pray.