"If you want something that will challenge you to redeem the time, read a biography of John Wesley. I believe he is perhaps the greatest example since the time of the apostles of a man who made every moment count for the glory of God.
When Samuel Johnson, one of England's most esteemed writers, urged Wesley to visit with him a bit longer, Wesley explained, ""Pardon me, sir, but I am obliged to meet with a widow and her family in an hour. I must go."" ""You are always in hurry"" complained Johnson. To which Wesley replied, ""No, sir. I am always in haste, but never in a hurry. I never undertake more than I can do with perfect calmness of spirit.""
That response gives us an excellent philosophy for scheduling our day. Always in haste, but never in a hurry. Never undertaking more than we can accomplish with perfect calmness of spirit. Mr. Wesley both articulated and demonstrated for us a very powerful and Scriptural formula for redeeming the time.
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To realize the value of one year
Ask a student who has failed a final exam
To realize the value of nine months
Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born child
To realize the value of one month
Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby
To realize the value of one week
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one minute
Ask a person who just missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one second
Ask a person who barely survived an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond
Ask the person who has won a silver medal.
Truthfully, all time is valuable and none of us have enough time to waste. The Bible says time in this life is very short. That’s why it also says to redeem the time.
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In October 1998, Don Athey of Ohio set a world record by stacking nine golf balls one on top of the other. Don is obviously a man with a great ability to concentrate on what he is doing.
That’s a skill many of us could benefit from, not for stacking golf balls, but for learning to give our undivided attention to another person. Multitasking, or doing two things at once, is good time management, except when we’re engaged with someone who needs our attention. There’s no better way to let a person know how much you care about them than to give them your undivided attention.
God put a need in your children and your spouse to have one on one time where you can concentrate, not on them and the TV or them and the newspaper, but on them alone.
The saying is true, people don’t care how much you know till they know how much you care. That’s why giving undivided time will redeem the time.
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Remember the story of Typhoid Mary? Her real name was Mary Mallon. She was a typhoid-infected cook for several wealthy families in New York in the early 1900’s, who despite being ordered by health officials to stop working as a cook, continued to infect scores of people, some of whom died from eating her contaminated food.
Mary unintentionally demonstrated for us the power of being contagious. She showed us that, whether we realize it or not, we do have an influence over others for better or for worse. The best way we can be contagious is to have a positively contagious attitude.
When people walk away from a discussion with you do they feel better or worse? Have they seen a clear example of Jesus and been more challenged to follow God from being in your presence?
Typhoid Mary made lots of healthy people sick. Let’s look for opportunity today to make spiritually sick people healthy by spreading a contagiously good attitude and redeeming the time.
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