From "Giving Away My Time"
By Rev Steve Murray
LaJolla Community Church
Sunday March 2,2008
The apostle Paul uses a phrase, "redeem the time", in two of his letters. It basically means, by God’s grace, get the most good out of every moment.
It is a marketplace analogy: take every opportunity you have to do good!
We move from the universal to the particular to fulfill God’s purposes. From ‘God’s love’ to ‘loving and living for God.’ This allows us to apply big ideas in small and meaningful ways. I can’t do everything but I can do something. I can’t be everywhere but I can be somewhere. I can’t help everyone but I can help someone.
Tolstoy tells a story called The Three Questions.
The most important time? Now.
The most important person? The person you are with.
The most important pursuit? The good you can do.
To whom and to what will I give my time? And how does it fulfill God’s purposes? The needs in this world are so overwhelming that it is tempting to check out. “I’d love to change the world but I don’t know what to do; so I leave it up to you.”
Everything we do in life takes more time than expected! Getting kids ready for school; getting yourself in shape; getting dinner ready. Finishing any project on-time is a challenge! We all know how precious time is. Time flies, right? We are all pressed and pressured to use our time wisely.
Two ways to redeem your time and give it away to fulfill God’s purposes
- Approach everything you give time to as an act of serving God.
The most mundane, necessary things will become more significant to you! The most important, precious things will receive their proper place in your life. - Get rid of everything that doesn’t fit item one!
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