Redeeming the Time
This morning I read the devotional message from Henry Blackaby's "Experiencing God Day by Day" as I always do during my unhurried time with the Lord. The theme was redeeming the time from Ephesians 5:15-16. I am sure most of us are familiar with the passage, but how many of us have mastered the command?
Every day I am presented with literally hundreds of options of what I could do to fill my time. I have decided that out and out sin is not an option for me, so I avoid anything close to breaking God's laws or principles. That part is fairly easy now. It is all of the good things that present the problem. How do I choose between the good things and God's will for me? It takes a great deal of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and a sharp focus on God's mission for my life. If I forget those things, I find myself just doing good things, but missing the best things.
I could pray for 3 hours a day, study God's Word for 3 hours a day, take care of administrative duties for 2 hours each day, and prepare for my messages 2 hours a day. That would be a good way to spend 10 hours of the day. However, what about evangelism and witnessing? What about time with my family? What about discipling other Christians? What about fellowship with believers? What about counseling folks? If you see what I mean, I could do good things that I know are good, but I would miss others that are just as good or even more important in the process. That is why it is essential for me to find God's will for my life each day, so I can fill the time or redeem the time from doing the wrong thing. That is my goal each day, and I would commend it to you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 120-122 and I Corinthians 9.
Every day I am presented with literally hundreds of options of what I could do to fill my time. I have decided that out and out sin is not an option for me, so I avoid anything close to breaking God's laws or principles. That part is fairly easy now. It is all of the good things that present the problem. How do I choose between the good things and God's will for me? It takes a great deal of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and a sharp focus on God's mission for my life. If I forget those things, I find myself just doing good things, but missing the best things.
I could pray for 3 hours a day, study God's Word for 3 hours a day, take care of administrative duties for 2 hours each day, and prepare for my messages 2 hours a day. That would be a good way to spend 10 hours of the day. However, what about evangelism and witnessing? What about time with my family? What about discipling other Christians? What about fellowship with believers? What about counseling folks? If you see what I mean, I could do good things that I know are good, but I would miss others that are just as good or even more important in the process. That is why it is essential for me to find God's will for my life each day, so I can fill the time or redeem the time from doing the wrong thing. That is my goal each day, and I would commend it to you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 120-122 and I Corinthians 9.