"If you visit a forest ranger’s station or natural history museum, you might see a display showing the cross section of a very old tree with the rings marked to show different events in the life of that tree. If it’s a centuries old oak or redwood tree they may point out the ring that shows when George Washington was born or the civil war took place, or a black mark where the tree survived a forest fire. Other scars tell other stories.
These displays can reveal the full scope of the tree’s life only after the tree is fallen. In much the same way, the full value of many of the things we as Christians invest time in may not be known in this life. For example, when we invest hours teaching a children’s Sunday school, we’re putting time into a project that may not be fully appreciated in our lifetime.
But, when the tree of your life is fallen, you’ll be glad you redeemed the time.
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"A man watched as two workers made their way down the street. One would dig a hole and the other would follow a few minutes later filling dirt right back in the same hole. Overcome with curiosity the bystander asked, what they were doing. “We’re the tree planting crew.” They said, “But the guy who puts the trees in the hole is out sick.”
It might do all us good to stop and reexamine our daily habits. Our nature is to gravitate toward our comfort zones, that is, to do what we’ve always done the way we’ve always done it. And that’s ok, as long as what we’re doing is still the best way to do what God wants us to do. But being creatures of habit, we often spend time on things we should have long ago dropped just because we’re resistant to change.
Instead, ask God which of your routines glorify Him and which ones don’t. It will keep you spiritually fresh and alive and help you redeem the time.
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"The first law of the comfort zone says we will gravitate toward the place where we are most comfortable, the one that is most familiar to us. The second law of the comfort zone says that when we can’t reach our comfort zone we try to recreate it wherever we are.
But sometimes, it does us good to get out of the comfort zone completely by traveling light and keeping things simple. Instead of approaching your next trip with the mindset of “How much can I take with me?” ask yourself, “How much can I do without.” You may find there are several time-saving advantages of traveling light including less time packing and unpacking, and fewer things to keep track of or lose, which means less stress.
The Bible warns us about becoming too attached to the things of this world. Remembering that less is sometimes better, especially when traveling, might help you redeem the time.
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"Remember when you were a child how exciting it was when the electricity went out? But now that you’re an adult there are few things that limit your ability to produce more than being without electricity.
That’s why you might want to invest in a 110 volt electric transformer to provide house current in your vehicle. These transformers start at less than $30 and plug into your cigarette lighter. They can run several different types of low wattage devices.
Let’s say you’re going on a three hour trip to grandmas and carrying a roast for supper. Just plug in your slow cooker and its nice and hot when you arrive. If you have a 2 hour battery on your laptop but a three hour drive to your destination, just plug it in and arrive with a full charge after working all the way while your spouse drives.
Knowing God gives great spiritual power. Using a transformer gives great electrical power. And we need both of them to redeem the time.
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