"Someone has wisely noted that change is inevitable- except from a vending machine. I think for the most part, I would have to agree with that statement.
We live in a quickly changing world. That’s why knowing when to change, and how much to change, is so important for those who want to make the most of their time. Many people are given to extremes when it comes to change. On the one hand there are those who view change as unnecessary and risky. In the church world, any change in policy or practice is viewed as spiritual compromise.
On the other side are those who are quick to abandon and cast off the past. They are easily led astray because they like change just for the sake of change. This can lead to serious error and open the door to false teaching.
The balance comes when we recognize that the most effective people change only when doing so will make them even more effective and help them redeem the time.
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"You’ve heard the saying, “It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the oil.” Well in some cases that may be true, but in others the squeaky wheel gets replaced. That’s why its important to know when to squeak and when not to squeak.
How do you handle it when God puts you in an irritating situation? First determine if the irritation is one you have the power to remove, such as putting oil on a squeaking wheel. If the irritation is beyond your capacity to remove, thank God for the irritation, remembering that He is bigger than the irritation and He can stop it if He wants to.
If God chooses not to stop the irritation, determine what ultimate objectives He has in mind to teach you from it. Character qualities such as patience, diligence, and humility are often best learned in situations we would not have chosen for ourselves.
Irritations can cause us to waste time. But correctly responding to irritations, instead of squeaking, redeems the time.
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"It’s been said that everyone has a photographic memory. The problem is some people just forget to put film in the camera. One area where that may be true is reading habits.
Effective reading is a skill which every good time manager must develop in today's information rich society. It's true that, ""Readers are the leaders,"" but only if they read the right material and read it with an application in mind. One of the keys to making the most of your reading time is to ask, “Why am I reading this?” or “What is the application of this material to my life?”
Keeping this thought in mind will make us more focused when we read and will make us more careful of what we read in the first place. As one person said it, “Furious activity is no substitute for understanding.”
Remember, reading the right material, such as Scripture, with application in mind is a good way to redeem the time.
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"A man said to his wife, ""Honey, you're just like an angel."" ""Why thank you dear."" The surprised wife replied. ""Yea,"" said the husband, ""You're always up in the air harping on something.""
I hope you would never say that to your spouse, but I do hope you are thinking about how you will spend your time in Heaven, because that can give us a good idea for how we should be spending time on earth.
What will be our main activity in heaven? As best I can tell it is praising the Lord Jesus. The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse of Heaven when it speaks of falling down and giving glory, honor, and praise to the Lamb of God.
Going to Heaven is a big event. And any big event requires planning and preparation. If you're going to Heaven to worship your creator for all of eternity, why not spend some time today getting into practice.
Praising God every chance we get is a great way to redeem the time.
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