“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16)
Some of the main “time wasters” are connected to simply not having enough things to supplement your day. Spending hours perusing the internet or filling up “dead space” with texting, are often just defaults. But if you really take some time to think about what things can enrich your day as opposed to wasting it, your life will broaden and you will become excited to face each new day. When time has been well spent, there is such great satisfaction!
The problem is, we don’t value time. Day after day slips by, and what has been accomplished? In the physical realm, as well as the spiritual? Don’t we realize that every “idle word” will be accounted for before God at the judgment seat? Every idle word! Let alone every idle day that is spent without thought for God and others. Our eternal reward will be based upon what was done for God with the time we’ve been given on this earth. He sees all that is done even in secret for, or against Him.
God’s not expecting you to get off your phone right now, and start your own ministry to the homeless. He’s looking for a heart that is willing to be faithful in even the little things that He’s put before you to do. If you can use the time you have now to glorify Him, He will surely count you faithful, and entrust with you greater responsibility down the road.
How do you use the time and season you’re in right now? Do you view your day as just “another day,” or a special opportunity to learn and grow into the person God wants you to be? If you embrace today, and value your time, you will no longer just fill “dead space” with meaningless activity. In fact, if you value time, there is no such thing as “dead space!”
Another thought: if you waste your time on frivolous things, you make yourself vulnerable to the enemy. “Because the days are evil.” It is so much easier for the devil to have access to you if he sees that your guard is down and your focus is not on God. Redeeming the time is a great defense against the wiles of the devil.
Take a moment and think about how you spend your time. Evaluate if these things are profitable, or are just “time wasters.” Then think about how you can exchange those things with “time redeemers.”
Time Wasters:
– Aimlessly perusing the internet, watching movies, spending way too much time in front of the mirror, sleeping in late because you went to bed too late, etc.
Time Redeemers:
– Start a journal, or read the book that’s been sitting on the shelf since Christmas
– Write a handwritten letter of encouragement to a friend or relative
– Visit your elderly relative in the nursing home
– Have that coffee date with your friend you’re always planning on having (but never have because “time just slips away.”)
– Go on a jog or re-organize a messy closet
– Help your mom in the kitchen or surprise your dad with a cup of tea
– Try out a new recipe or make an early morning breakfast to surprise your family
– De-clutter your room or write a new piano piece
– If you have a car, offer to help your parents run errands or drive your siblings to work or school
– Start a scrapbook
– Plan a fun night with your siblings. (Make good use of movies by sharing the time together)
– Read the Word (If your life is busy with work or school, make use of any time you have. Fill up “dead space!” Put the Bible on your phone and listen while on the bus or in the car. Pull out the Word if you’re in the waiting room at a doctor’s appointment, or while dinner is still in the oven.)
This is just a start. Get serious about how you’re spending every moment He gives you. Because time is one thing you can never get back.