"A wealthy father took his son to a farm to show him how poor people live. On the trip home, the father asked, ""What did you learn about poor people?""
The son answered: ""I saw that we have one dog and they have four. We have a swimming pool and they have a creek with no end. We have outdoor lanterns and they have stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land and they have fields that go beyond sight. We have servants, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property for protection; they have friends to protect them.""
The father was speechless. Then his son added, ""Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are.""
Perspective is a wonderful thing. Thanking God for what we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have, is a much better way to redeem the time.
"
"Your smoke detector is missing something which every other electrical device in your home has. It’s an on/off switch. That’s because there is never a time you would willfully deny yourself the protection of a smoke detector by turning it off.
Smoke detectors are like the promptings of God’s Spirit. They alert us to danger and keep us safe. When we are deciding how to spend our time, especially our entertainment and recreation time, we continuously need those warnings. Yet, many Christians act as though they serve a god with an on/off switch. It is as though God’s will doesn’t even enter the picture when deciding what radio station to listen to, what website to visit, or what audio or video resource they will consume. The spiritual results are often as devastating a house fire.
If you are a Christian, you need to understand how valuable your time is and never trade it for something that does you spiritual harm. Keeping God “on” in your life 24/7/365 is required of those who would redeem the time.
"
"I was teaching my daughter to drive last week in our very old car with no power steering. As we started, she noticed the wheel was hard to turn. I explained that was because we were sitting still, and that once we started moving it would get easier.
I thought about that later as it applied to redeeming the time. Many times we claim we are not producing anything because we are “waiting on the Lord.” And it is definitely wise to take time to discern God’s will in important decisions. But you should never use “waiting on God” as a spiritual sounding excuse for your own procrastination.
Just as it is easier to steer a moving car than a parked car, so God often uses the man or woman who stays engaged and productive while they wait. Learning a new skill while unemployed, or volunteering in ministry while waiting on a full time ministry opportunity are examples of keeping the car moving so we redeem the time.
"
"You know you are addicted to technology if it frustrates you when they don’t allow texting on roller coasters.
My wife and I recently spent 3 days at a remote mountain cabin with no internet access or mobile phone service. At first it was a little frustrating to be “out of touch” with the rest of the world. But after a while, I started enjoying a spiritually challenging book, written long ago, which I had never seemed to find time to read while I had more flashy online alternatives.
This older book, called “A Serious Call to Devout and Holy Living,” challenged me to a deeper walk with God and rewarded me with a more spiritually refreshing vacation than I would likely have received surfing the internet.
We need technology to leverage our time and make us effective for God. But, I’m convinced there are times when unplugging and reading a deeper book, or actually speaking to the live people in the room with us, is the best way to redeem the time.
"