"In today's world of so-called advanced communications, many people identify ""telephone tag"" as their biggest time waster.
When you leave a phone message on someone's voice mail or answering machine, remember to cover the four W's: who called, why you called, what you'd like the receiver to do, and when you're available to receive a return call. A specific request with detailed information increases your chances of a reply. Also, the message of your own answering machine, should direct your callers to leave you answers to the four W’s
Another idea for using answering machines is to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ when you record greetings for those who call your answering machine. Proverbs says, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
Leaving clear directions and acknowledging the Lord are both ways to redeem the time.
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"A wealthy businessman was dying. He called in his best friend to arrange to have his body cremated. The friend agreed and asked, ""What do you want me to do with the ashes?""
""Put them in an envelope,"" said the dying man, ""and send them to the lnternal Revenue Service. Enclose a note telling them, 'Now you have everything.'""
That's what the Lord wants from you. Not your ashes, but your ""everything."" And a big part of that everything is your time. It’s easy to think of God’s time as five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night. And certainly we need those times of focused devotion each day. But really, God wants to control the time when we’re driving to work, having lunch, taking a bath or fixing supper. He wants us to be mindful of Him in all we do.
Is there a way you can acknowledge God right now in what you’re doing at this moment? Go ahead and do it so you’ll redeem the time.
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"A resource I recently came across from the Advanced Training Institute contained a little article titled “Commit Your Life.” Let me share it with you.
The call of Jesus Christ to a great purpose is a call to take up your cross, die to your personal desires, and follow Him to a fruitful death that will accomplish something significant.
A great goal gives direction for decisions, meaning to every day of your life, and courage to stand against those who oppose God’s ways. You will have something worth living for- because you have something worth dying for.
Doing something great does not happen with a part time commitment or a few years of effort. It demands your entire life and all the strength and resources that God gives you.
What great thing will you attempt for God?
That little article captures why many Christians waste time. They’ve never had a big enough vision or purpose. Ask God today for a vision big enough to make you redeem the time.
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"The world’s largest monolithic rock formation, known as Ayers Rock, lies in Central Australia. It abruptly rises 1,115 feet from the surrounding territory and is 5.8 miles in circumference.
Imagine for a moment that a tiny hummingbird were to brush its wing against Ayers Rock creating a microscopic friction which would erode a few dust particles from the rock. This imaginary bird would then fly away and nothing would touch the rock for 100 years until another humming bird did the same thing. If this process repeated itself every 100 years, how long do you suppose it would take for the friction from these bird wings to reduce Ayers rock to the surrounding territory?
The answer would be far beyond our ability to comprehend. And yet, that far distant point in time would still be only be the beginning of eternity.
What are you doing today to prepare yourself and others for eternity? Stop and think about it. It will make you want to redeem the time.
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