Time to think about time... : )

Ephesians 5:15-17 "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

How many of us are truly "redeeming the time"?

In our sunday school class, our teacher really brought conviction to me through these verses listed above. Sometimes, I am SO busy!! I've only got a million things to do every day: time with the Lord, time with my family, time spent on photography, time spent on the house, time spent at church... OH, THE LIST! On and on it goes... I know you all are following me here...

So, let's take some time to think about time. : )

First, I would like to point out one obvious thing about time that is so often forgotten: No one has any more time than you do. We all are so wonderfully given 24 hours each day--time that God has allotted each of us to accomplish His divine will on this earth. Each moment you are given is a precious gift from God which we are to be good stewards of. What are you doing with this gift? Are you "press(ing) toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" Philippians 3:14 or are you living in the world for the temporal things, and living for yourself or others, 1 John 2:15-17? Also remember, the busier you are--the less you think about God!

Another thought to consider: It does no good to dwell on the past--whether it be guilt, glory, sorrows, or resentment. Paul said, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before" Philippians 3:13 He essentially considered the past a "dead issue" whether good or bad, because it did him no good. Another way to think of this might be that, "Worry does not take the sorrow out of tomorrow--but it does take the strength out of today." Two more verses to bring home this point: Matthew 6:34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Most definitely easier said than done--but still what we are called to do. God will help us if we ask Him to! And, Psalm 118:24 "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." God gave us this day, this moment, this second--be happy! It's His gift to us! What a great God!

Last thought, based on these verses: Proverbs 27:1 "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." And James 4:13-15 "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

WE ARE NOT PROMISED TOMORROW. Period. Think of it this way: "Yesterday is a cancelled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is all the cash you have." You all know the old saying "Don't put off till tomorrow what could (or should) be done today"!!

I know this is a lot... But I was deeply convicted of my usage of time. God has so graciously bestowed this gift of time to me. I don't want to waste it! I want it to be for Him!!

So here is a quick recap:

1) Be careful about getting too busy. We will one day give an account for all of our actions--including what we did, or did not, do with our time.

2) Cut yourself loose from yesterday, and "Tomorrow" is a time that is nowhere "but on the fool's calendar".

3) We all have time. Use it wisely and efficiently for God! Accomplish His will with your gift of time!

My last and final thought:

2 Corinthians 6:2 "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Don't wait. Come to Him. Call unto Him for salvation. Now is the time.

~Page

Redeeming the time....

Ephesians 5:16 "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."


Yesterday, our special speaker at church preached on the coming of Christ. He asked us how we fill our time. If we really are anticipating Christ's return, how we spend our time will reflect that. Do we fill our time with the things of this world, or are we spending it wisely in service for our Lord?
The temporal and eternal are both very real, it obviously makes more sense to prepare for eternity instead of the here and now.....so, then why do we often live with only the temporal in mind?

It's SO easy to get caught up with the things of this world -the news, Facebook, sports, the latest styles, gadgets, technology, etc. Entertaining ourselves is quite effortless - we all love a vacation, having fun comes naturally. There is NOTHING wrong with any of those things either, as long as they are in moderation and don't consume our time (which is too often the case).

I was convicted of this, and asked the Lord to help me to live with eternity in mind. If we truly are looking forward to Christ's return, and anticipating it, it will cause us to be busy in telling others about our so great salvation! It will cause us to put aside our petty arguments, opinions, and circumstances -knowing that there is SO much more to life than that! It will cause us to see people differently, seeing them as souls on their way to an eternal destination. It will cause us to get busy in our churches, serving the Lord, knowing that time is short. It will cause us to realize that the days are fleeting, and how we spend our time is of great concern. We must redeem our time, in other words - choose wisely how you spend your time because we really don't have much of it.

James 4:14 says "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."


"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil".....are YOU spending your time wisely?

I hope you'll keep this in mind as you go throughout your week. I know I will!

~Lauren

~Making Time~

Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.




I've certainly been busy these past few weeks, and I'm sure that you can relate! I enjoy the various activities I'm involved with, and am grateful for my many hobbies. However, something that I'm realizing more and more is that you MUST make time for the important things in life. We could seriously stay busy doing things 24-7. I seem to always have housework to do, a meal to fix, pictures to edit, jewelry to make, the list goes on and on- a woman's work is NEVER done. :-)
I have to ask the following questions though -How many of us go throughout each day without even stopping to read our Bible and spend time with our Lord? How many of us get so wrapped up in our daily chores that we forget to show our spouse and children how much we love them? I think we are all guilty of neglecting the important things from time to time.
This past week I've had my sister, Heidi, and brother Silas out here visiting. We've had a good time, but I can tell you that I haven't been getting as much done. I haven't made jewelry, hardly cleaned house (I'm planning to put them to work though-shhh!), edited pictures, practiced piano, etc. It's easy to get somewhat frantic thinking that you're getting behind on everything. I had to stop and realize that I'm making time for my family. They are SO much more important than anyTHING I can do. Cultivating relationships with family will always be more worthwhile. So what if you get behind on a few household chores (just do what I'm going to do and put your family to work!-muahaha)
In all seriousness, MAKING TIME for our Lord, family and others is what life is all about.
The verse below causes me to always re-examine how wisely I'm spending the time that the Lord has given me.

James 4:14 "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

"Only one life, so soon will pass, only what's done for Christ will last."
Focus on the eternal, for the here and now is so temporal. Do you know for sure you're saved by the blood of Jesus Christ? Are your sins forgiven? Do you know where YOU will spend eternity?
If you are indeed saved - are you becoming too wrapped up with your day to day schedule? Have you taken time to let your spouse know how much you appreciate them? Have you stopped to hug and cherish your children?
When we MAKE TIME for what is truly important, we'll be amazed how the other things will just fall into place.

I'm filled with thankfulness for my wonderful husband, and family that the Lord has blessed me with!

~Lauren