Redeeming the Time

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”- Ephesians 5: 15-16

What I’ve come to realize about myself is that I love books…okay, I love buying books with the idea of reading them. Recently this problem has been getting better, I stay out of the bookstore and have organized all my unread books into categories to read on a monthly basis. But, as time went on and school started up again I thought to myself “I barely have time for personal prayer and bible reading time, let alone books!” Oh boy, was I wrong…

I had gotten a book awhile ago recommended by my pastor’s wife, Shopping for Time written by C.J. Mahaney’s wife and three daughters. I figured since I enjoy C.J.’s writings and sermons his wife and daughters are probably just as good. But to no surprise it sat on the shelf for months. That is until I spoke with a woman about how “busy” I was and feeling as if I had no time for anything, she mentioned the “5 am club.” Is it just me or does that sound like self mutilation? I barely sleep as it is, let alone wake up at some dreaded time! She said just to read the book and that I’d understand, so I did and here is what I gained from it…

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.”- Haggai 1: 2-5

How often we are like these men who claim to have no time for the work of the Lord, claiming we are just too busy for bible study and prayer and when life “settles down” we will start it up again. What foolishness this is to put off what God has commanded us to do, Charles Spurgeon was right in saying:

“If you have not the time, God gave it to you, and you must have misspent it. Nobody has more than twenty-four hours in a day, and you have no less.”

So, let us redeem the time, for we ourselves are redeemed!

How can you redeem the time? Think first of what “time wasters” we can take out of our day; such as TV, Facebook, books that are not geared to edifying your knowledge of God…? Then, take them off your mental list of things to do, plan ahead and finish your priorities before these activities!

Secondly, how can you add more time to your day? By arising earlier! This psalmist had it right when he declared “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” (Psalm 5:3) Remember the “5 am club” I mentioned earlier? Well, this past month I have joined what the “6:30 am club.” Waking up at 6:30 to begin my day had led to a series of amazing mornings! First I wake up, text my accountability partner, pray for the strength to be awake, drag myself to the kitchen for some coffee, then it’s straight to over an of hour of bible study and prayer time. As an extra bonus I get to see my parents before they leave for work. So, by the time I am finished with all these things is about the time I would have normally been waking up! I encourage you to start this as well, you can modify it to your schedule like most of the women I know doing this did, but just start by waking up earlier the amount of time you spend for quite times.

Thirdly, kill procrastination. This by far can be our biggest struggle when dealing with redeeming our time, but Alexander MacLaren makes an excellent statement about this:

“No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our communion with God. If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it.”

By putting off those daunting tasks placed in front of you it becomes the same as the people putting off the building of the Lord’s house because we are told that “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23) Replace procrastination with diligence. (See Proverbs 12:24)

“I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.”- Jeremiah 10:23

Your plans are not your own. Please keep this in mind as it is of the most upmost importance to surrender your plans to God’s will. He directs our path and prepares us to walk in it. We usually see these plans as “interruptions,” when in fact they are blessings! In the Mahaney girl’s book we get a nice insight to how their dad (C.J.) views his to-do list in sight of God’s:

“Only God get his to-do list done each day. We are not God. We are finite creatures with serious limitations.”

I began this blog with Ephesians 5:15-16 and would like to end with the verse following afterwards; “therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (v.17)

What is the will of the Lord? You may not know ahead of time that His will for you on a certain day is to not clean the house but to minister to a brother or sister in need or end up with a family emergency; but we can know that the will of the Lord is perfect and will be done over ours! Submitting ourselves to God’s will down to the smallest of tasks is the beginning of redeeming time because only from God do we receive the ability to carry out each and everyday. So, let’s give it back to Him.

“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”- Psalm 118:24