"The most remote place on the earth is Tristan da Cunha. It is an island in the South Atlantic 1750 miles from the nearest land. The 38 square mile island is inhabited by 297 people who are descended from the original 15 inhabitants who arrived prior to 1908. There are only 8 family names among the 80 families and phone numbers have only 4 digits. Since there is no airport, the only way on or off the island is via an occasional passing fishing boat or the scheduled boat to South Africa which only happens every few years.
I wouldn’t want to live in Tristan da Cunha, but I think it would be really nice to visit there. That’s because there is something special about times of isolation.
Jesus on several occasions isolated Himself from the noise, crowds and diversions of His day to spend time with His heavenly Father. He didn’t live there 24/7, but He did go there long enough to show us that times of isolation are a valid way to redeem the time.
"
"I once saw a motivational quote that said, “Live every day like your hair is on fire.” As I read it I thought, “What is that supposed to mean?”
Some people can say some pretty wacko things when it comes to giving advice on using your time well. Living every day like your hair is on fire, conjures up images in my mind of a frantic person screaming and running wildly in a constant state of panic and desperation. Can you imagine a person ordering a cheeseburger at McDonalds with the urgency of someone whose hair was on fire?
If that were to characterize your everyday life, I would not consider you a properly motivated individual nor a good manager of your time. I’d think you were nuts. Not only would your hair burn, but you would quickly burn out and die as well.
Good time management involves staying focused, staying balanced and listening to God’s voice. That’s a much better plan for redeeming the time.
"
"I talk a lot about managing time. But really, you can’t manage time. You can’t speed it up or slow it down. It is the single most constant, unchangeable (and thus unmanageable) force in the universe. You can’t save it for later or create an extra supply for today.
What we actually manage is not our time but our energy. We prioritize what people and projects we give our energy to. We look for ways to create more energy. We ration our energy to make it go further. Those are all management functions.
Right now you have a certain amount of potential energy available to finish out your day. As you consider what things need to be done between now and bedtime, think of them in terms of their energy requirements and how you’ll manage them all.
God promises to give the needed strength for whatever tasks He requires of us. Let’s make sure we don’t mismanage that energy and fail to redeem the time.
"
"Do you know your net worth? It’s an accounting term meaning the dollar amount you would have if you subtracted everything you owe from the value of everything you own. For example, if the value of all your possessions is $100,000 and your mortgage and other loans total $40,000, you have a net worth of $60,000.
I suggest you track your net worth by recording it each month. This gives a solid indication of which direction you are heading financially and serves as a good measure of your financial progress.
But there is another net worth that is less easy to measure. It is your experiential net worth. That is the sum total of life experiences you have accumulated thus far. We grow this net worth by investing in others, doing good works in the name of Jesus, and creating meaningful memories with those God brings our way.
Both net worths are important, but building experiential net worth is often the better way to redeem the time.
"