"Police in Oakland, California spent two hours attempting to coach out a gunman who they believed had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing right beside them, shouting great appeals to come out and give himself up.
Sometimes we might need to just step back from a situation and take a look around us. We waste time when we get mentally bogged down with a problem or situation that requires creative thought and we’re simply at a dead end. Pastors working on a sermon or teachers preparing a lesson can often benefit from a 20 minute break to take a walk around the block. Maybe you need to go talk to the Lord about your assignment and ask Him for wisdom to know what you should do.
Knowing when to take a break to allow your mind to recover and refocus is an important skill to learn if we want to redeem the time.
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"The Library of Congress in Washington DC subscribes to 70,000 newspapers and magazines. That’s a lot of periodicals. And I’m sure they have a good reason for those subscriptions since they are the world’s largest library.
But how about all those newspapers, magazines, and trade journals you subscribe to? Do you have a good reason for getting them? Do you even read them? Or more importantly, should you be reading them?
If you aren’t sure, ask yourself a couple of questions. First, do any of these magazines temp me to spend less time in God’s Word or with deeper Christian materials. Secondly, do I have a tendency to spend more time reading newspapers and magazines than I originally intended to.
The bottom line is really this: Do these publications help you or hinder you spiritually? If the answer is hinder, cancel your subscription today and consider spending one hour each week getting news at your library. It will save you money and help you redeem the time.
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"How do you feel about your future? In the next three years do you expect to be in better health or worse? Do you anticipate you will have more friends or fewer? Do you expect your career will advance or decline? Do you expect to earn more money or less? Do you expect your walk with God to grow stronger or weaker? Do you expect to lead more people to Christ or fewer?
If you’re like most people you anticipate things will get better for you. But what is your basis for that belief? Is it just a vague hope or do you have a strategy for making your situation better? Many people go through life anticipating a better tomorrow but neglecting to redeem the time today. As a result the future quickly becomes the past and success never arrives.
God compares life to sowing and reaping. Hoping for a good future without spending time on it today is like expecting a harvest without planting seed. It’s not redeeming the time.
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"Here’s a way to save on laundry. Don't spend two dollars to dry clean a shirt. Donate it to the local thrift store instead. They'll clean it and put it on a hanger. Next morning buy it back for seventy-five cents.
While that might help the thrift store, a better idea for dealing with laundry would be to invest in second washing machine. Having an extra machine means you can wash two loads of clothes in about the same amount of time it takes to wash one. That means you only have to load the washer once instead of twice.
Adding a second washer can often be done without special plumbing changes. If you don’t have space for a second machine in your laundry area you can put it anywhere there’s a water supply and drain, especially if you run the extra machine on cold water.
Spending less time with laundry so you can spend more time with the Lord is redeeming the time.
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