"I once heard about an 11-year-old boy who passed out tracts with his father every Sunday afternoon. One Sunday his father said they wouldn't go today because it was raining. The son replied, “But, Dad, aren’t people still going to hell even though it's raining?”
The son convinced his father to let him go alone. After two hours of walking in the rain, he rang the final doorbell. After a several rings a sad-looking woman slowly opened the door. The boy gave her his last tract along with words of encouragement.
The following Sunday, a woman stood up in the boy's church and said, “Last Sunday I went to my attic to hang myself. As I stood on a chair with a rope tied around my neck, the doorbell rang and kept ringing. I finally answered the door and found a radiant boy telling me that Jesus loved me. I accepted the tract he offered and became a Christian.”
Aren't you glad that boy didn't let a little rain keep him from redeeming the time?
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"March 23, 2010, 27 year old Albert Baily and his 16 year old accomplice were arrested in the parking lot of the People’s United Bank in Fairfield CT. The two were charged with bank robbery when they showed up 10 minutes after calling the bank to tell them to get the money ready because they were coming to rob them. Police Sgt. James Perez told reporters the pair were “not too bright.”
It would be nice if all robbers were that easy to identify. Because identifying thieves is the best way to keep a theft from occuring.
Satan is also a thief. And one of his main targets is your time. That’s why we should take a moment each day to identify where our time is most likely to be stolen. Could it be friviolous internet time that produces nothing, a gossiping co-worker or neighbor, or a project destined for failure?
By identify your time thieves you can arrest the devil before he hinders you from redeeming the time.
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"Bill asked his neighbor if he could borrow his chainsaw. The neighbor replied, ""Sorry I can't help you. I had soup for lunch yesterday."" Bill scratched his head and asked, ""What does that have to do with borrowing the chainsaw?"" The neighbor replied, ""Nothing really, I just figured one excuse is just as good as another.""
Unfortunately, lots of our excuses don't add up any better than those of Bill's neighbor. Many of us will procrastinate our lives away continuously living under the belief that ""someday"" I'll start my own business, start sharing my faith, do more with my family, or write a book. But today, I've got this piddly little thing that's keeping me from applying myself to what I really feel God has called me to do.
Remember, as long as we're waiting on Fred to get off the night shift, or Bobby to graduate, or a new adminsitration to take over in Washington, before we can take action, we'll never produce. Quit hiding behind your excuses today, and redeem the time.
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"Until September 3, 1967 people in Sweden drove on the left side of the road. That morning at 4:50 AM everyone pulled off the road for 10 minutes and at 5:00 they all turned around and began driving on the right hand side of the road.
This change had been prompted by the many fatal accidents that occurred from Swedes driving on the opposite side of the road from every other nation in continental Europe. Many however opposed the change fearing it would produce even more accidents. But on the day of the change there were zero traffic fatalities because the entire nation obeyed the authority’s order to change direction.
Often, God wants His people to change direction. Maybe you like where you are and what you are doing. But is it really the place where you can be most effective for the Kingdom? Changing direction is never easy. But in the long run, trusting God, and not resisting the changes He initiates, will get you going the right direction and will redeem the time.
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