"October 7, 2014 police in Daytona Beach FL were alerted to a man, covered with tar and in possession of a prying tool on the roof of a closed gas station at three in the morning. When asked what he was doing, the man told police he was visiting family. When they didn’t buy that, he said was a repairman and heard noise coming from the air conditioner so he stopped to fix it for them. Police then arrested him for attempted burglary and possession of burglary tools.
Some excuses are quite flimsy. They are futile attempts to hide the obvious. They are also a waste of time.
Often when we have a project that needs our attention we create excuses as to why we can’t do the right thing, right now. We then busy ourselves with some low payoff activity to make us appear to be productive.
Look, you know what God wants you to do! Forget your silly excuses and go redeem the time!
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"Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the hen and the pig who saw a sign announcing a bacon and egg fundraiser for the local church. The hen said, “Let’s go help them out.” “No way!” replied the pig, “For you that’s a contribution. But for me that’s a total sacrifice.”
I’m afraid when it comes to using our time too many of us have an attitude like the old pig. We fear the cost of total commitment to Christ. We’re afraid of what He might ask us to do if we really yield every moment to Him. Instead, we make a “contribution” here and there.
Think about your plans for the rest of the day. Is there a way you can make a contribution to the cause of Christ with your schedule? Even better, is there a way you can make a sacrifice of time to advance the Gospel?
Being ready to respond to God’s call for contribution or for sacrifice means being ready to redeem the time.
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"On Sunday, October 8, 1871 a fire broke out in the O’Leary family barn in Chicago. Before it was over 34 blocks of Chicago had gone up in smoke in one of the worst disasters in US history.
That night everyone knew Chicago was on fire. It was obvious. It got everyone’s attention for miles around. Fire is also used as a symbol of God’s presence, such as when we talk about someone being “on fire” for God. But what does it actually look like when a Christian is on fire for God?
It is a thought provoking question. I believe the answer is largely in how the “on fire” person prioritizes and uses their time. If a person is truly on fire they will respond differently to the world around them. The flames would set them apart from the crowd.
Would you like to get on fire for God? If so, you can start right now, right where you are by redeeming the time.
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"A March 2012 news story told of a British bride who postponed her marriage because her pet lizard got sick. She didn’t have enough money for both the wedding and the $4,700 needed to pay for the lizard’s chemotherapy treatments. So, she chose the lizard. She was quoted by a British newspaper as saying “George [the lizard] will always come first.”
I like my pets. I have a golden retriever named “Friendly.” She does a great job of keeping our 12 children entertained. She likes to believe she is a part of the family. And in a limited way she is, but at the end of the day, she is still a dog. She eats dog food and sleeps under the porch.
Pets are great, but like everything else, they have to be prioritized when it comes to how much money and how much time they receive. Only people have eternal souls. That’s why being careful to prioritize people before pets will redeem the time.
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