"The word “grocery” comes from the word “gross” which means 12 dozen or 144 of something. That’s because the original grocers were food wholesalers who bought and sold large, or “gross,” quantities of food.
While I would not normally encourage you to do something “gross” I would encourage you to consider buying some things by the gross or at least in large quantities as a way to save time. If it is a nonperishable you are eventually going to buy anyway, like canned goods or paper products you can save time and money by stocking up when you spy a super bargain.
Our family was in Walmart once just as the manager marked down a large pallet of green beans to ten cents a can. We grabbed them up by the gross and enjoyed green beans for months to come.
I could tell many other stories of how God has provided for our family of 14 in similar ways in answer to prayer because I believe He delights in helping His children save money and redeem the time.
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"A quote I discovered this morning said, “Life doesn’t get better by chance, it gets better by change.” I think that quote is right on target.
Have you ever known someone who constantly blamed their lack of accomplishment on circumstances beyond their control? I recall talking to one such man, a professing Christian, who claimed he “never got a break in life.” In his mind, success was simply a matter of chance. His failure had nothing to do with his own sour attitude, lack of diligence or lukewarm spiritual life.
Like many people, he didn’t see the need for change on his part, especially a change of heart, which the Bible calls “repentance.” Repentance means a turning from those behaviors which God labels as sin. Those are the behaviors that hinder us from enjoying God’s best and which will ultimately exclude us from Heaven.
Remembering that quote, “Life doesn’t get better by chance, it gets better by change” will give you the mindset to redeem the time.
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"Comfort is often the enemy of achievement. Think about it: When a person’s primary goal in life is to see how comfortable they can make themselves, they seldom achieve much else in life beyond their own comfort.
That’s because comfort generally makes us content, and contentment, by definition, means a state of mind where there is no drive to achieve anything further. Content people have no need to innovate, motivate or create.
While excessive physical comfort may hinder growth in virtually any area of life, it’s potential hindrance to spiritual growth is especially perilous. In the book of James, God warns the rich about the perils of a life dominated by luxury and pleasure. While the rich may have achieved much to arrive at where they are financially, their biggest challenge now is not letting their comfort lead to contentment. James knew that comfort, resulting in contentment was often the enemy of spiritual achievement.
Here’s the application: As God blesses your diligence with material comforts, you’ll need to remain vigilant to redeem the time.
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"“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” That quote sounds good until you think a little deeper about it.
The truth is, there are many people who regret having given their best to something, when they later realize that what they have given their best for, is something that doesn’t really matter. When they realize they’ve given years of creativity, energy and resources for something that amounted to nothing, they end up with deep regrets over having given their best to the wrong cause.
We can improve that quote by saying, “Nobody who gave God his best ever regretted it.” Regrets come from having given time to something that ultimately lacks meaning. As believers, we understand there is a bigger frame of reference to consider.
In eternity, there will be many regrets from those who “gave their best” for what mattered only in this world. There will be others who gave God their best, and perhaps faced discouragements in this world. But in eternity, they’ll have no regrets. They will have redeemed the time.
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