Redeeming the Days

I put a bottle of water in the freezer. I want a bottle of cold water. Not a bottle of ice. And I sure don’t want an icy mess in the freezer either. Cold water is what I want. Better watch the clock to make sure time doesn’t slip by. I better be intentional.

What are you trying to accomplish with your time? Do you have some goals? Are there some things you want to accomplish in life before time runs out? It will slip by, you know. The clock is ticking even now.

We aren’t looking for mere busyness though. We’re looking for effectiveness. We should be looking to redeem the time. Have you really considered how you will use your time to bring results? Good marriages don’t just happen. Neither do raising children of character. Growing in your faith doesn’t just happen either. It takes time and even a plan.

The Bible calls us to redeem our time because the days are evil. Now saying the days are evil doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to do something immoral or illegal if you don’t plan to avoid that activity. Evil days are wasted days. We’ve all had those days. You come to the end of the evening and you really don’t know where the day went. You’re left frustrated because nothing of value has been accomplished.

Redeemed days are those where righteousness has been accomplished. You had some solid conversations. You’ve spent some time thinking about your life and how it compares to God’s way of living. You served someone. A major project is out of the way or maybe at least begun. Rest even holds redemptive value. Are you planning for these things to happen?

My water bottle is going to freeze in the freezer. It is a scientific fact that my time is limited. If I forget about it and fail to plan accordingly I’ll just have a regretful mess. Life is the same way. You may not know how many hours and days you have, but it is set. When it ends will look at it and see some of those achievements that were intentional or will you be dealing with a regretful mess? Redeem the days.