"A trucking company put their slogan on the back of their company's vehicle, “We Always Go the Extra Mile.” But someone scrawled in the dirt just below it: That's Because We Missed the Last Exit.
If that were true it might reflect the philosophy of some Christians today. They’ll give time to the Lord’s work, but only if it doesn’t interfere too much with what they really want to do. How many hours for example have you given to a church ministry during the past month. I don’t mean just attending church. That’s the basics. But during the last month, how often have you given time to volunteer at a rescue mission, work on a church bus route, visit a nursing home, or become actively involved in some other outreach of your local congregation?
If everyone was as involved as you are, would your church be winning more souls to Christ or fewer? It’s something to think about, if you want to redeem the time.
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"I recently read of a Rhode Island state trooper that once pulled over a 99 year old woman who produced a driver’s license issued in 1917. He ruled the license was valid since 1917 Rhode Island licenses did not have expiration dates.
A lot of other things do have expiration dates however and good time management can help stay us on top of them. When you check out library books, immediately make a reminder in your organizer the day before they are due. If your area has vehicle inspections, make a note on your calendar two weeks before the reinspection deadline. If you have a special coupon or offer you want to take advantage of make a note of it a few days before it expires.
Expiration dates have a way of creeping up on us, including the expiration date on life itself. If you haven’t prepared for that one, do so immediately. There’s no better way to redeem the time.
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"An angry man telephoned his travel agent upon arrival at his Florida hotel. “I thought I was getting a room with an ocean view!” he complained. When the agent tried to explain that Orlando was in the middle of the state, he fired back, “I don’t buy that. I looked at the map before I left and Florida is a very thin state.”
This man was obviously geographically challenged. But thinking about geography can be a valuable way to redeem the time. As you consider the errands you have to run today, take an extra minute to plan out the geography you’ll need to cover. You might find it possible to combine two trips into one or make some other minor adjustments to get geography on your side. Another idea is to keep a list of things you need to do in different cities where you do business. That way fewer things fall through the cracks and you become a more effective Christian who knows how to redeem the time.
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"Perhaps the worst data loss in history occurred Jan 10, 1896 when a fire at the Commerce Department in Washington DC destroyed the 1890 Census records and years of work went up in smoke.
Data loss is costly. Every piece of equipment, no matter how well it is made, will eventually fail. That includes your computer’s hard drive.
We’ve all heard we need to “back up our hard drives” in anticipation of that event. But most of us either forget or don’t feel we have the time. The best solution to this dilemma is to buy an external hard drive, which plugs into your computer, and automatically backs up your entire hard drive every night.
Hard drive failures are inevitable. And their recovery can cost weeks of your time. Something else that’s also inevitable is the failure of your body. It doesn’t have a back up system. That’s why making preparation for that event today, by getting right with God, is the best way to redeem the time.
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