REDEEM THE TIME
For a lot of folks the monotony of the day-to-day grind is total boredom. They will face the new year with a “been-there-done-that” attitude. They have no vision, little energy & no excitement.
But with a world of more than seven billion living souls & millions of them perishing every year, we must not allow the spirit of lethargy to take lodging with us! We must not give comfort to indifference! We must not sluggishly & selfishly pass the time mired in defeat.
In so many ways we live in a dark day, but the light of the Gospel still shines. It is a strong, piercing, illuminating light. It destroys the darkness every place it is sent. As Christians we are not helpless & we are not without mandate. Now is the time God has given to us, & frankly, we must not foolishly squander it.
We are challenged by the word we have from the Lord to ‘redeem the time’:
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil”. Eph 5:16.
“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” Col. 4:5.
The dynamics of this theme require us to make full use, wise use, of the time afforded. We are not guaranteed another year. Who knows if we will have full menu of 365 twenty-four-hour days. Should the Lord tarry His coming, for however long He gives us, we should make every one of the days a day of ministry & service unto the Lord.
Surely right now is an excellent time to “push the reset button” & get a fresh start. Here are some suggestions to you:
I. EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD “REDEEM THE TIME”
Every blood-bought, born-again son & daughter of the living God should personally & individually make heartfelt resolves for the new year.
1. Dedicate yourself afresh to a daily walk with the Lord.
Pray, read your Bible, live by biblical concepts & practice godly principles. As you keep your heart open & attuned to the Lord, you should ask Him to guide your every step. Determine that you will stay in fellowship with the Lord as you go about your daily business.
2. Read your Bible in its entirety.
You can do that & you can do it this year. Get & use a daily Bible-reading calendar. They are a very handy way to set a schedule & keep a record of what you’ve done. You’ll be blessed by systematically & daily walking through the Bible.
3. Commit yourself to three services a week.
It never fails! When a Christian gets fully serious about making his life count for the Lord, he/she start showing up at church Sunday morning, Sunday night, & for the midweek service. Building everything around your local church is neither new nor novel. It is an old- fashioned plan that produces good results. It’s still the way to go. It will undoubtedly be necessary to cull out other time thieves in your schedule. Trim & trim some more until you can make time for church.
Although we cannot assemble during the Corona Virus with stay at home & social distancing requirements, we can still worship via livestream. Soon, we hope to be able to safely assemble to worship & serve God.
4. Attend special meetings.
When your church has revival, Bible conference, etc., make adjustments to your normal schedule & be there. These special events will add a dimension of blessing to your life. So many Christians hear of these opportunities but keep passing them up for lesser causes. This is the year to start taking full advantage of these big meetings!
Again, although we cannot assemble during the Corona Virus with stay at home & social distancing requirements, we can still attend many services via livestream. Soon, we hope to be able to safely assemble to worship & serve God.
5. Give yourself to soul winning.
Take the soul winners’ training your church offers. Become a part of the team of soul winners who actively go soul winning every week. You’ll be amazed at how God can use you-& you’ll be further amazed at what blessing comes to the soul winner himself.
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; & he that winneth souls is wise.’-Prov. 11:30.
6. Go ahead & tithe!
You really can’t afford not to tithe. If you’ve been trying to manage your business without this obedience to God, don’t be surprised at your STRESS. Rearrange your finances & put your obligation (tithe) to God at the top of the list.
If you’ve neglected this during the past year, some may be able to write a check now & catch up before the end
of December? Even if you can’t do that, start right tithing right now & keep it up every week.
7. Stop rehearsing past hurts & failures.
If you are nursing some old wound, give it up! Let it go. The past is past. You have today & with God’s help you can make it beautiful. But by all means, don’t let some ugly thing from yesterday steal the joys of today & the hopes for tomorrow. Clean out the attic of your mind-& stop rehearsing the trash of the past. As you enter the coming year look up (to the Lord) & look forward (to the future).
8. Share the vision of your pastor.
You’ll do well to find out the dream your pastor has for your church & for reaching your area for Christ. Let yourself in on that vision. Dream with him. Invest yourself in bringing that dream to reality. Walk side by side with the pastor. Work with him. Stand by him.
9. Keep your spirit warm & excited.
If you fall prey to the Devil’s snare in becoming a critic & a crank, you are going to lose a lot that is important. Don’t let yourself become the judge & jury of everybody close to you. You don’t want to be treated that way, so don’t you do it to others.
Learn the good songs of the Faith & sing them every day. Be patient with the faults of your fellow Christians. Stay upbeat even when things go awry. Keep the joys of the Lord flooding your soul & flowing out through your countenance. Stay sweet & keep your spirit & attitude excited!
10. Trust the Lord.
You can’t foresee every shadow that will fall across your path. You can’t stop trouble from camping in your neighborhood-but you can trust God. No matter what, you can trust Him. He never leaves you nor forsakes you. When darkness engulfs you, trust Him. When the burdens grow heavy, trust Him. When you don’t know the answers & you can’t explain the circumstances, trust Him.
Just keep on trusting!