"Several years ago, my family and I had front row seats to hear President George W. Bush address the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. It was exciting sitting just a few feet from the President. But the highlight was after the speech was when he came over to shake hands with our family. The encounter only lasted a few seconds but the kids and I will never forget it.
That’s because the President’s time is extremely valuable. Not just anyone can claim an hour or even a minute of it. The President knows he has to carefully guard his most valuable resource and use every moment to its full potential.
Your time doesn’t have the same dollar value as the President’s, but it is just as scarce. God has given you both the same 24 hours. Try pretending some time that you are the President for a day. Imagine your time to be just as valuable as his when tempted to waste time. It might be a fun way to redeem the time.
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"Most Christians think of the resurrection as a future event when their bodies will be raised from the dead and refashioned so that they will last forever. But something else is also going to be resurrected at that time- the works which we have done for Christ.
First Corinthians chapter 15 is perhaps the most quoted passage of Scripture at funerals. There the Apostle Paul spells out in detail the exciting events we can expect on resurrection day. He concludes this chapter with a practical note reminding us that in light of these coming events our labors for the Lord are never done in vain.
He also refers to works as falling into one of two categories. The first he pictures as gold, silver and precious stones that will endure forever. The other is wood, hay and straw which are temporary and will be consumed in the final fire.
Keep the resurrection of your works in mind today. It will give you a filter for choosing how to redeem the time.
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"I first had the idea of launching a one minute radio program teaching Biblical time management in 1986. But our first program didn’t air until 2003. So what was happening during those 17 years in between?
Most Christians would look back and say, “Well, it just wasn’t God timing.” But I’m not so sure that’s true. I believe many times we miss opportunities to launch new ventures to advance God’s Kingdom simply because we fail to do the focused praying and planning necessary to make it happen.
In 2002 I spent an afternoon in a hotel room in Carson City Nevada seeking God for a strategy to launch the program. I did my thinking on paper that day, and as best I could, determined the pathway God would have me take. Within months, over 500 stations were carrying the program.
Maybe you need a Carson City hotel moment for your dream project. If so, don’t waste 17 years like I did. Do it today so you’ll redeem the time.
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"Last month I completed my fourth hike into the Grand Canyon. I keep going back there because I love standing in awe at that giant chasm and thinking about how big, how powerful and how creative God is to make such a wonder.
The Grand Canyon is about 18 miles wide from rim to rim. That’s big. But there is another chasm that is even bigger. It is the chasm between the dreams many people say they have and the actions they should be taking today to achieve those dreams.
Many people dream of starting their own business or writing a book that could be a blessing to others. But they “just don’t have time” to start on it today. There is a chasm between what they see as God’s calling on their life and the reality of their daily schedule.
If that describes you, stop what you are doing right now and think what you can do to close that chasm so you’ll redeem the time.
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