"Years ago, Mary Ann Smith of London England had a novel idea which became a thriving business. At that time there were many working class families in London who could not afford an alarm clock. Instead, they paid Mary a few pennies to shoot a volley of peas at their window to awaken them at a specified time.
Apparently, the people who subscribed to her wake up service understood the value of being up on time and were willing to plan ahead to make sure it happened. Today the problem is not that we can’t afford an alarm clock, but that we stay up too late the night before.
The Bible actually speaks of a “day” as beginning in the evening, such as in the creation week, where it says, “The evening and the morning were the first day.” Remember, if you are going to get up on time you have to go to bed on time. That’s very simple. But many of us still miss that point and fail to redeem the time.
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"My wife recently picked up a book at a yard sale titled, “The Lost Soul’s First Day in Eternity.” As I’ve read it in my devotions, I’ve been greatly challenged by this little book’s very graphic and horrifying description of Hell as a real place of torment, hopelessness, and anguish.
It is interesting to note that the yard sale was at the home of the pastor of a church where the reality of Hell would have been mentioned in times past, but would be too upsetting to most church members today. He apparently felt he no longer needed such a book in his library.
But, despite what’s politically correct in the church world of our day, the Bible still teaches that Hell is just as real as Heaven and that more people will go there than will go to Heaven. It also teaches that how we spend our time today might keep someone from going to Hell. Realizing that fact, gives us what I believe is the most powerful motivation possible to redeem the time.
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"In 1971, a couple of Swiss tourists named Hans and Erma, along with their pet poodle, Rosa, stopped a Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong. They asked the waiter if he would mind taking little Rosa into the kitchen and feeding her something while they ate their meal. The Chinese waiter gladly agreed. But a few minutes later the couple realized he had misunderstood their request, when he returned the poodle to their table in a frying pan marinated with sweet and sour sauce, and garnished with Chinese vegetables.
Hans and Erma learned that day the cost of unclear communication. Perhaps little Rosa’s fate would have been different that day if they had asked the waiter repeat their order back to them before taking her to the kitchen. Repeating back instructions is a good way to make sure employee and boss, or parents and children, are all on the same page.
God communicates clear instructions in His Word. Let’s follow His example by repeating instructions so we redeem the time.
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"I read this morning of a man who left his church after looking around one Sunday and realizing that if he died that day there would not even be six men from that church who he would know well enough to carry his casket. Something about that story struck home with me because I’m sure there are a lot of men in a lot of churches today who feel the same way.
In past generations, people generally lived in a community for a lifetime and naturally made lifelong friends. Today we are much more transient, moving every few years, and those relationships often just aren’t there. That’s why we sometimes have to work harder at going out of our way to build friendships.
If you would have trouble finding six friends to carry your casket, consider the verse from Proverbs, “He that has friends, must show himself friendly.” The key to having friends is being a friend. That’s why taking time today to form friendships will redeem the time.
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