"Would you like to be wise? Would you like to have riches, honor, & life? The Bible says we can have all of these if we learn to fear God. Proverbs tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Furthermore, Proverbs 22:4 says “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.”
But what does it really mean to fear God? The popular teaching today is that this fear is simply a reverence & awe. But that definition is incomplete. We experience reverence & awe when we look at the ocean or the Grand Canyon but we don't fear them.
The fear of God must include the realization that I am accountable to Him for how I spend each moment of my life. Understanding that will make us careful in how we use our time, which in turn will make us successful. Learning to rightly fear God is not only the basis of wisdom, it is also a guiding principle for redeeming the time.
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"An unknown author wrote the following observation about living and dying
First I was dying to finish high school and start college.
And then I was dying to finish college and start working.
And then I was dying to marry and have children.
And then I was dying to for my children to grow old enough for school so I could return to work.
And then I was dying to retire.
And now, I AM dying – and suddenly I realize I forgot to live.
Could that describe your life? Continually thinking about what’s going to happen some day but never quite reaching a point of satisfaction with where God has you today?
Planning for the future is a basic principle of good time management. But we also live in the now. It’s fine to dream of doing great things for God in the future, as long as you aren’t using those plans as an excuse for neglecting God’s priorities for today and failing to redeem the time.
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"Does God care how you dress? Does what you wear have anything to do with how well you redeem the time? The answer to both questions is yes.
The Bible applies to every area of our lives, right down to the clothes we wear. God teaches us for example that our clothing should be modest in appearance. That means covering any part of the body which could produce lustful thoughts in others. It teaches the clothing of a woman should be distinct from the clothing of a man. And it teaches that clothing should be economical, not following the fads and styles of the world.
Our obedience to God in these areas has a direct impact on our effectiveness as Christians. Many workplace studies have shown that when employees dress professionally, they act professionally and produce better results. When we choose clothing that gives the appearance of sloppiness, our work habits will often follow.
Remember, following God’s principles and dressing for success, will promote an atmosphere of redeeming the time.
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"Would you like to have a million dollars? The formula is simple enough. Just take one dollar and double it twenty times and you will have $1,000,000.
Let’s suppose you were actually able to do this over a 20 year period by doubling your money every year. When would you be half way to your million dollar goal? After 10 years, right? Wrong. You would not be half way there until your 19th year. The real payoff comes between the 19th and 20th years when you earn a half million dollars.
That’s often the way God’s calling for our lives work. A pastor, Sunday school teacher or missionary may labor many years with meager results, but God is preparing them for a season of great fruitfulness in the future. The reason many of us could never double our money to a million is we cash it in after 10 doubles for a trinket.
Remember, when tempted to quit, holding out for the 20th double will redeem the time.
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