Don't waste it! - In His Word
The following is reworked from years ago and in keeping with sharing older versions of In His Word that stand out to me this one is perfect timing for some of you out there that I know are going through rough times, losing loved ones or just walking through this past year... in His Word... be blessed and do not waste what you are walking through, but use it for His glory!
In His Word-2/27/06
Things seem to creep up on us now and then; age and life’s
problems gather in our time. How can a person know when the time is up? What
can we do to be prepared for the coming storms of our lives? Where can we go to
find the answer to the age-old questions like these?
Let’s look- In His Word!
Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm
yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has
ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the
flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough
of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles -- when we walked in
lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable
idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with
them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an
account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason
the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged
according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 1 Peter
4:1-6
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as
wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16
I was thinking about my children growing up and wondering
what they will be. As all children their dreams and desires change with their
years as time slips by with each passing day. I wonder if they will be prepared
for life when they are adults, then I stopped to think about whether I was
prepared myself? Do we ever get prepared enough?
It often seems like we just walk around as lost sheep for the majority of
our days then suddenly some revelation hits us, and we know what to do. Even as
Christians, or ‘Believers’ we can find ourselves wasting time on this earth.
But is that what God intended us to do?
The Word of God tells us to redeem the time, to make the
most of it, but what exactly does that mean?
We cannot go on thinking of how things were, reliving the past,
can we? If we think about it, we hear in the world all the time the fact that
you ‘can’t go back’ in life. But can you take back time? When I redeem a coupon,
I am getting back the amount on the paper, or app. 50 cents off, or however much
redeemable at the local store, or web site.
Can we get back time? If I wasted time not doing His will,
can I really get it back? I do not think
so, but wouldn’t it be nice? We must suffer the consequences of our actions
after all.
What we can do is to take the time we have now and do what
we should have done then!
After all that is what Jesus has given us in our new life
with Him… new time! We need to remember that each day is a new day in the Lord!
Okay, and just what do I mean by that?
We can make it a promise to ourselves to live each day to its
fullest for His purposes instead of our selfishness. In other words, if you see
someone who needed your help last year, but you were too wrapped up in your own
life at the time, go and help now. If you had wanted to do more as a youth to
help your friends come to know Jesus, go tell them now. Don’t delay this time,
but instead, use your time wisely. I think that redeeming the time is like
getting a second chance at sharing with someone whom you knew needed His
love. Just don’t sit there and do nothing
but do something with this new time!
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the
time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may
know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:5-6
If you waisted time cussing and flapping your lips about nonsense
in the past, redeem that time by sharing the Gospel, as that scripture says;
speak with grace towards those around you. Even if you have always cussed or
gossiped around other people who you knew spoke this way you can redeem the time
by changing the subject or changing your own way of talking. It only takes one
person to stop a conversation. Sure, it is hard sometimes, and you may feel
they think you are better than they are for a moment, but if you take some time
to tell them why you choose not to waste time with such talk, they will
understand. After all gossip and complaining is only a waste of your time, time
that Christ redeemed you to spend sharing His Word, love, and life, not waste
it. Maybe make it a goal to speak two words of kindness for every word you use
in harshness?
“Okay, sure I will change tomorrow” you may be saying. Or “I will tell my friend about my life in Christ tomorrow, or the next time I see him, or her…” but what if it is too late? How can we know when we say goodbye to someone if it will be the last time?
The answer is—we can’t! No matter how prepared you are for death, and after death, yourself; your time here is limited and each minute counts.
We need to take time to pray, for it is our life’s strengthening moments that connect us to our Lord.
Take time to speak to others
about Him, for we know not when we will speak again.
Take time to read the Word, it
gives us life, wisdom, and knowledge for everyday use!
Take time to give to one another…
for when we give it shows His love through us.
Take time to listen, because
there are people crying out for Him, and His love all around us who need our
Hope in this world. He is our Hope in every need.
There is so much that we could go
on and on, to remind ourselves about redeeming the time, but the answer to the
question of why is in the following scripture.
For man also does not know his
time: like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons
of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.
Ecclesiastes 9:12
We do not know when we will die,
and God alone does. Because of this we need to make the most of the time we
have. We need to remember that it is not about us, but about Him. We can live a glorious life for Him on this
earth but when our time is up, it will be up.
On a happier note, we do not know when the Lord will come again, but we
are told to live as though He would be here today!
Ephesians, chapter 5, tells us how we should walk during
this time. (5:17-21) It tells us to be wise, not foolish and to understand what
the will of the Lord is. We are to not be drunk with wine but filled with the
Spirit sharing His joy with others, as well as ourselves. We are to sing and
make melody in our hearts to the Lord, to me that means not complaining and
being annoyed, but rejoicing that He is Lord. He will open doors for me to
share His love. He will help me find hope in lost circumstances and He will direct
my path to another reason to rejoice!
We are also told to give thanks always for all things. (vs
20) This tells me to look for the good in things, and find how a sad time, or a
‘storm of life’ can bring about some sort of good.
When my dad passed away my brothers and sisters were full of
sorrow, we miss him terribly and I sought the Lord for why we had to let him
go. People usually speak words of “at least he is not suffering now..” this was
true, I know Dad is with the Lord, still, I miss him terribly. We grew through the initial
days and I know we can tell someone else in encouragement “I know what it is
like to lose my father…”.
I know that He will find a way to bring good from it,
because He does that in all things. It has made me think about redeeming the
time for now, and so I write this today thinking of how to get the word out to
take each moment you fully have and use it know that those around you will
spend eternity with you. If I have done
nothing else with my life, if something should happen and I left this world
tomorrow I want to know that I made the best of today, while it is today.
I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day;
the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am
the light of the world." John 9:4-5
Jesus Himself said
that! We as children of God are to do the work of the Father in heaven as well.
In other words, do what He would have us do. So we need to be wise and know
what the will of the Lord is, study His Word and you will know it for sure.
Redeem the time and use it wisely, and we will make the most of our life in
this world.
Dear Heavenly Father, help us to use our days wisely that we will know that we have done Your will in all that we do each day, and not waste it. Help us to do Your will and to make it our delight to do so. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Suggested Readings for this week;
Monday: Hebrews 3:1-15
Tuesday: Ephesians 5:1-33
Wednesday: 2 Timothy 4:1-18
Thursday: Psalm 71:1-24
Friday: Romans 5:1-21
Weekend readings:
Colossians chapter 1-4 ( they are short and to the point)