"A 21 year old man walked up to two police officers in a squad car who were showing their felon-identification computer to children in a Detroit neighborhood. When he asked how the system worked, the officers asked for his drivers license so they could demonstrate it. Moments later they arrested the man when the screen showed he was wanted for a two-year-old armed robbery in St. Louis, Missouri.
Sometimes our curiosity can get us into trouble. Beginning in the Garden of Eden, Satan has used curiosity to lead people astray from God’s best. He often does this by getting them involved in things that consume time but produce little or no results. The great majority of TV programming falls into this category. We say we’re just going to watch the news, but an ad in the middle of the news makes us curious about the program coming up next hour.
Learning to say no to tantalizing curiosities is redeeming the time.
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"Maybe you heard of the man who complained that his wife charged so much on her credit card she was nominated for the MasterCard hall of fame.
Many people, myself included, use credit cards as a time saving device. I like not having to run to the bank for cash. I also use the frequent flyer miles, my card awards, for ministry trips.
But a misused credit card can cost much more than its worth. If there is ever a month when you cannot completely pay off your card, its time to get rid of it. You'll be working far more hours to pay the interest on the card, than the few minutes you save by using it.
Any time-saving device, ceases to be a time-saving device when it costs too much money. The Bible warns us against being snared by ""usuary"" or high interest rates.
Remember, it’s only when you completely pay it off each month, that using a credit card is really redeeming the time.
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"Crayola produces nearly 3 billion crayons every year. That’s a lot of crayons!
And I’m glad they do because crayons can be an excellent tool to help you and your child redeem the time. If you have small children you probably struggle to keep them quiet and attentive during family devotions. Instead try giving them crayons and a Bible coloring book to occupy them while you read and talk. You’ll be surprised at how much their minds can absorb once their hands are occupied.
Crayons are also a better use of time for little people than TV or videos. They allow them to use their minds and be creative instead of passively vegetating. Keep a set of crayons in your car or a small package in your purse. They can help keep your little one, or someone else’s little one occupied in a situation where you need to communicate with other adults, maybe even to share the Gospel.
Something as simple as keeping crayons handy can help you redeem the time.
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"Have you ever seen a counterfeit $20 bill that was pink and had Mickey Mouse’s picture on it? Of course not. Counterfeiters want to make their product look as much like the real thing as possible. Their intent is to deceive you into thinking their fake money is the real thing.
That’s the same principle Satan uses to deceive Christians into accepting his counterfeit plans for using time. He understands that subtlety is a much more effective tactic than obvious error. Many people miss God’s best in their use of time because they are busy doing something good and respectable.
Most of aren’t going to spend time today planning a bank robbery or convenience store hold up. But, we might light let Satan rob us of time by sitting too long in front of a TV, aimless telephone conversations which border on gossip, or mindless web surfing. Ask God today to reveal to you any subtle counterfeits that might hinder you from redeeming the time.
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