“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil“–Eph. 5:16
Having just entered the new year I’m sure many pastors have recently preached from this verse– for good reason. The older I get the more meaningful this verse becomes to me. We all have less time left than at any other point in our life. How will we spend it? That is the question.

We all can think of pleasant ways to spend our days, and it would be different for each one. Given the opportunity, what would it be for you? How about sitting on the porch swing, in perfect weather, holding hands with your dearest loved one? Or maybe you are the adventurous type and seeing the wonders of the world is on your bucket list. Or how about sitting in your recliner watching your grandchildren play? And, I suppose, for some fishing might be the way they would want to spend the rest of their life. But what about you? You need to think about that, because the clock is ticking! What will consume your time, exhaust your energy, and capture your attention?

Moses prayed, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”(Ps. 90″12). While life demands various kinds of activity, there should be one single purpose for which we live. I believe Paul got it right when he said, “For to me to live is Christ..”(Phil.1:21). That describes the God-given purpose for every Christian. Although we must of necessity devote some time to work, play, rest, and eating, etc. the one thing, above everything, more than anything that we should focus on is serving God. We should spend our time doing the will of God, from the heart, for the glory of God, with eternity in view.

We talk and sing about “Wasted Years”, but we need to remember that there is more than one way to waste our lives. We usually think of those like the Prodigal son who waste their lives in sinful activities, but some of us are just as guilty by spending our lives on things that are of no eternal value. If we were honest we would have to admit that we spend far less time in Bible study, prayer, witnessing, worship, etc. than we should. We tend to give the least amount of attention to the things that matter most— don’t we?

I received an email this morning from a dear preacher friend that touched my heart and reminded me of the following poem, by an unknown writer, that has blessed me over these many years. I am not at liberty to share my friends story, but I do want to share this poem. Hopefully it will bless you as well:

“Lord, I’ve never moved a mountain and I guess I never will. All the faith that I could muster wouldn’t move a small ant hill. Yet I’ll tell you, Lord, I’m grateful for the joy of knowing Thee, and for all the mountain moving down through life You’ve done for me.

When I needed some help you lifted me from the depths of great despair. And when burdens, pain and sorrow have been more than I can bear, you have always been my courage to restore life’s troubled sea, and to move these little mountains that have looked so big to me.

Many times when I’ve had problems and when bills I’ve had to pay, and the worries and the heartaches just kept mounting every day, Lord, I don’t know how you did it. Can’t explain the wheres or whys. All I know, I’ve seen these mountains turn to blessings in disguise.

No, I’ve never moved a mountain, for my faith is far too small. Yet, I thank you, Lord of Heaven, you have always heard my call. And as long as there are mountains in my life, I’ll have no fear, for the mountain-moving Jesus is my strength and always near.”

Every Spirit-filled Christian knows he is not perfect, but he wants to be. He also yearns for other believers to be always at their best. He longs to see Christianity in its purest form and most effective state. That’s what A. W. Tozer was hoping for more than half a century ago when he wrote these words:

“I am afraid of a new wave of religion that has come. It started in the United States, and it is spreading. It is a sort of esoteric affair of the soul or the mind, and there are strange phenomena that attend it. I am afraid of anything that does not require purity of heart on the part of individuals and righteousness of conduct in life. I also long in the tender mercies of Christ that among us there may be the following: 1. A beautiful simplicity. I am wary of the artificialness and complexities of religion. I would like to see simplicity. Our Lord Jesus was one of the simplest men who ever lived. You could not involve Him in anything formal. He said what He had to say as beautifully and as naturally as a bird sings on the bough in the morning. That is what I would like to see restored to the churches. The opposite of that is artificiality and complexity. 2. A radiant Christian love. I want to see a restoration of a radiant Christian love so it will be impossible to find anyone who will speak unkindly or uncharitably about another or to another. This is carefully thought out and carefully prayed through. The devil would have a spasm. He would be so chagrined that he would sulk in his self-made hell for years. There should be a group of Christians with radiant love in this last worn-out dying period of the Christian dispensation, a people so loving that you could not get them to speak unkindly and you could not get them to speak uncharitably.”

While we cannot change or control the condition of Christianity as a whole, we can do something about ourselves. When others are at their worse it is all the more reason why we should be at our best. Your neighbor might not know anything about the over-all condition of Christianity, but they know something about the way you represent it and they make judgements about it based on what they see in you. I pray you will show them the best side. Who knows, that just might encourage them to join with you.–Bro. Stone