"Someone said, “The safest place for a ship to be is in the harbor. But that is not what ships were made for”
Using your time to your fullest potential will often involve taking risks. It will involve getting out of your comfort zones and doing the thing God really wants you to do, regardless of what negative consequences you think might happen.
An example might be sharing our faith. We can come up with all sorts of reasons why we’re too busy to participate in church outreach. My plate is full we cry. But the real reason is not lack of time, it is fear of talking to strangers about our faith. We'd never admit it to others, but we just feel safer in the harbor.
What great thing would you attempt for the Lord if you knew you could not fail? Why not set sail today and go for it! Time is passing quickly. If you are ever to do great things for the Lord, you must begin now by pulling up anchor and redeeming the time!
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"Thomas Edison, America’s greatest inventor, often called a press conference to announce his latest invention. Then, he would then go into his lab and invent it. Thomas Edison understood the power of public commitment as a motivation for accomplishment.
What do you plan to accomplish today? Have you told anyone about it? I don’t mean calling a press conference like Edison, but just exchanging plans for the day with your spouse or your coworkers.
Sharing our plans with others increases our level of commitment to those plans. It keeps us more accountable for how we spend our time. It allows others to know how they can help us and pray for us. And sharing our daily plans with others helps crystallize our own thinking about how God wants us to spend our time.
The bottom line is that sharing your plans with others keeps you focused on doing the right thing, something we all need if we’re to redeem the time.
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"Be careful what you set your heart on when you’re 15 because you will probably have it when you are thirty. Be careful what you set your heart on when you’re thirty because you will probably have it when you are 60.
Scripture warns, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” Whatever you set your heart on will control how you spend your time. That’s why God told us in Colossians to set our affections on things above not on things of the earth. The thing you set your heart on becomes the guiding force, the point of reference for evaluating every activity that requires your time.
Just imagine the results of a 15 year old who sets their affections on winning other young people to Christ. By the time they reach 30 they could have a lifetime of spiritual fruit as they make it a habit to redeem the time.
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"Two women were walking down the street when one noticed a compact mirror on the sidewalk. She picked it up and said, ""Hmm, this person looks familiar."" The second lady said, ""Here, let me see.” She looked at it and said, ""I can’t believe you didn’t recognize this person. It's me!""
At least the second lady knew herself better than the first one. And that probably meant she managed her time better as well.
Each of us have our own particular strengths and weaknesses. In Scripture, God calls them our spiritual gifts. Examples include teaching, exhorting, showing mercy, and giving. Knowing what your spiritual gifts are will allow you to spend more time in the areas where your gifts lie. Those are the areas where your efforts will produce the greatest results and give the best return for the time invested.
To learn more about spiritual gifts study Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. Identifying and cultivating your spiritual gift will help you redeem the time.
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