"Some people like to disagree with the Bible. It’s fashionable today in many circles to ridicule Biblical truth that is out the mainstream of Western thought. Subjects like evolution vs. creation, Biblical child training vs. “the experts” of our day, and the claims of Christ to be the only way to heaven all give opportunity to those who want to challenge the Bible. They also give us opportunity to share much needed truth in a world far from God.
There is one Biblical truth however than almost no one disputes. It is the brevity of life. All through Scripture we are warned that time is quickly passing. The older we get the more conscious we become of this truth and the more disturbing it becomes to those who are uncertain what will happen to them at the end of this life.
Everyone agrees that life is short. Let’s watch for opportunities to use this agreement as a starting point in presenting the Gospel, which is the best way to redeem the time.
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"A pilot announced, “I’m sure most of you have noticed the engine which just fell off the plane. That’s actually good news since the reduction in weight and drag will mean we’ll be flying much more efficiently now.” At least he was optimistic.
No one ever said being a pilot would be easy. If you’ve ever looked into the cockpit of a large aircraft you know they have more gauges to keep track of than Van Camp’s has pork and beans. Pilots have to be good managers, and so do we as Christians if we want God’s best for our lives.
Think of your schedule today as a flight through some turbulent skies. Determine which clouds God wants you to plow through and which ones He wants you to avoid.
It’s much easier to be a passenger and nibble on peanuts than to be a pilot responsible for multiple decisions throughout the flight. But thinking of yourself as a pilot creates a sense of responsibility to redeem the time.
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"I read recently that Theodore Roosevelt became President of the United States when he was 42 years old. Since I’m 43, that caught my attention. And I’ll have to admit it discouraged me as I compared what he accomplished in 42 years with what I have accomplished in 43.
But as I thought more about it, I realized that my discouragement had come from violating the Biblical command not to compare ourselves to others. As far as I know, it wasn’t God plan for me for spend my life climbing to the top of the ladder in national politics. It was God’s will for me to teach Christians how to redeem the time.
The point is, we get discouraged and off track from what God wants in our lives, when we continually compare ourselves with someone else. There is only one person’s time you will be accountable for at the judgment- your own.
God won’t ask you and I why we didn’t become President. But He will ask if we redeemed the time.
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"Joe was offended. “How could I have a problem with hygiene?” he said. “I take a bath every two months whether I need one or not.”
Obviously Joe had a different sense of priority than most of us when it came to personal hygiene. Priorities are at the core of how we spend our time each day. If something is a priority it gets done. If it isn’t a priority it doesn’t. It’s just that simple.
To some people, even some Christians, time for personal cleanliness seems like an optional inconvenience. Will anyone really notice if you don’t brush your teeth? Eventually, yes. How effective will you be speaking to someone about the Lord or going for a job interview when they are distracted by grimy teeth and offended by bad breath?
Personal cleanliness doesn’t cost anything except a few moments of your time each day. But those few moments aren’t really an expense. They are an investment with great returns because cutting corners in some things won’t redeem the time.
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