"A 2013 study was done by a group of British researchers to determine if there was a correlation between walking speed and financial success. The results were what you might predict. The researchers found those in the top 20% economic bracket walked at a quicker pace. Those at the bottom of the financial ladder strolled along at a slower pace.
Obviously these are very general studies with plenty of individual exceptions. But the basic point is valid. People with a sense of purpose and mission reflect that purpose in their determination to move toward their goal.
As Christians, we have a purpose far greater than financial success. We are trying to get people ready for eternity and we have only a limited time to work toward that goal. That doesn’t mean we’ll all move like speeding bullets. But if your pace is closer to a herd of turtles marching through peanut butter, it might be good to ask God for a fresh sense of enthusiasm, so you’ll redeem the time.
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"What defines a person as being “rich”? Since nearly all of us in Western countries would be considered rich by those from impoverished nations, there is no single, universally accepted answer to that question. So please allow me to share my definition of rich.
I believe a person is rich when they can live on passive income. Passive income is income that does not require a person to spend time working for it each day. It could be dividends from stock or rents from an apartment building you own, but pay others to manage. It could be a business you start, and hire others to run for you. Maybe its royalty income from intellectual property you create.
The great thing about passive income is it frees up your most valuable asset, your time. A person who God blesses with passive income can give time to the Lord’s work and to their family.
That’s why working toward the creation of passive income is a great strategy for redeeming the time.
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"Bill told his buddy, “There are three signs of old age. The first is memory loss. And well…I forgot the other two.”
There are actually quite a number of signs you are getting older. They start making your shoes heavier for one thing. And it takes longer to rest than it does to get tired. You are now cautioned to slow down, not by the police, but by your doctor.
It’s true, your body and mind do begin to lose traction with age. The writer of Ecclesiastes gave a description of the aging process in chapter 12 which includes the advice to “remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come.”
Your body, like everything else on planet earth, is winding down and wearing out. You will most likely have less energy next year than you have now. That’s why no matter what stage of life you are in, you need to give today’s energy toward something that matters, something that redeems the time.
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"Josh Billings, a humorist from the 1800’s advised, “Be like a postage stamp. Stick with one thing until you get there.” That old timer’s advice is even truer for us in the 21st century.
We have way more options for spending our time today than people in the 1800’s could have imagined. Yet the fact remains the same. Determining the one thing that will produce the greatest results, and staying with that one thing until it is finished, will be the pathway to ending your day well.
You probably have a good idea of what your “one thing” should be. It’s that high payoff activity you never can seem to get focused on for very long at a time. It’s the one that always gets pushed to tomorrow because you have something more urgent to do right now.
Instead, be like the Apostle Paul who labeled his daily striving to please God as “This one thing I do.” He knew that was the secret to redeeming the time.
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