This past week I have read a booklet by Rick Grubbs called, “Redeeming the Time.” (Grubbs, 2007) Grubbs begins by quoting Ephesians 5:15, 16, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” He then defines the terms of “redeem” and “time.” He explains “redeem” as rescuing something from going to waste. He used Benjamin Franklin’s words for the definition of time, “Do you love life? Then don’t waste your time. Because that’s what life is made of.” Grubbs then points out a trick the devil uses to desensitize us to wasting time. Satan wants us to live as if there is not a difference between our time and our life. If he can get us to frequently waste moments, those moments add up to be hours. If we waste hours, those hours turn into wasted days. A wasted life is only a life that wasted its time.
The Bible says our time on earth is limited, and we will die and then be judged. Psalms 90 gives us the expectation of a 70-80 year life span. Grubbs asks the reader to realize the shortness of 70 years.
He tells a fable about a young man who had a close encounter with death. As Death was passing this man by, Death said that he would give him a warning before coming the last time. The man did not recognize the symptoms that he was getting old for what they really were, the warnings Death had promised.
Grubbs explains how the way we use our time will have eternal ramifications. We will reap the fruit in eternity of the way that we lived on Earth. He clarifies how long eternity is by describing the number, ten duotrigintillion, which is a one followed by 100 zeros. If eternity is forever, then ten duotrigintillion is just the start. Since we will exist in Heaven or Hell for that long, based entirely on the choices we make on earth, we must be very serious about the way we live. Heaven will be glorious for the person redeemed by Christ’s blood. All the problems faced on earth will seem so small. We will worship Jesus endlessly.
Grubbs pointed out that on the other hand, if someone has not trusted in Christ for salvation, he will spend eternity in Hell. This prompts the question on page 32, “What does it mean for a soul to be lost, without hope, and without God for ten duotrigintillion years?” The Bible describes Hell as a place where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48); a furnace (Matt. 13:42) of torment, flame, and separation (Luke 16: 22-26). Grubbs beckons the reader to imagine the horror of burning alive for just ten years. Eternity will be over 1 100 years. He quotes a British skeptic to have said to a Christian, “You Christians don’t really believe your Bible. If I believed for one moment that there was a place as horrible as Jesus describes hell as being, I would get on my hands and knees and crawl over broken glass all the way across my country to warn one person. But I don’t see you Christians doing that.” Grubbs proposes that telling the lost world of the saving grace of Jesus is the most valuable use of our time.
Grubbs then reminds the reader that it is impossible to regain wasted time. He encourages viewing how much of life remains instead of what is past. It is possible to replenish money or resources, but time is not renewable. On page 38, he says, “Time is our most valuable earthly possession.”
Grubbs reminds us that we must give account for the way we use our time.
Grubbs then offered three practical ways we can redeem the time. The first is to “learn how to wake up and get up.” He gives the tools that he has used to abolish the time waster of over sleeping. He encourages the reader to get up fifteen minutes earlier than normal to spend time with Jesus. The second way to redeem time is to get organized. One tool he recommends is a pocket organizer. He defines organization (p.51) as, “Arranging my life so that God can use me to my fullest potential.” The third way is to get rid of time wasters. How can you tell a time waster? He offers two questions for you to ask yourself on page 55. “What will be the fruit of this activity in five years?” and “What will be the fruit of this activity in eternity?” The only activities that last into eternity are those done for Christ. God, the Bible, and souls are eternal.
Grubbs offered a cure to procrastination on page 63; answering and preforming the answer to the question, “What does God want me to do right now?”
The three things that stood out to me most are:
-Wasting time is wasting life
-Eternity: its hugeness and consequences, and therefore my responsibilities.
-The question, what will be the fruit of this activity in five years, in eternity?
-Eternity: its hugeness and consequences, and therefore my responsibilities.
-The question, what will be the fruit of this activity in five years, in eternity?
The first subject I found to convict me is on pages 9 and 10. A wasted life is formed by wasted moments. I waste moments easily. When I am not productive for a few hours, I realize I am wasting time. When I use minutes unwisely, I do not feel condemned. I want the Lord’s help in redeeming these minutes. I want the Lord to judge all my moments effective.
The issue I found most arresting is eternity. I have not had a realistic view of Heaven and Hell’s duration. My life span is tiny compared to forever. I only have a short time to fulfill God’s purpose for my life. What I do right now will have eternal consequences. The British skeptic’s statement convicted me, making me realize that I know people who are going to Hell. They have a horrible forever in front of them, yet I have told few about the gospel. I work at a retail store and I see many people a day. When I see someone, I do not consider his or her eternal existence; I only think of their project. I have felt hesitant to talk to people about their souls. After reading this book, I have surrendered to God my attitude toward the opportunities He gives me. I want to make Christ known everywhere I am, because the gospel has positive eternal consequences.
This leads to the third area that stood out to me; the two questions of an activity’s fruit. I will use these questions to evaluate my activities.
Some necessary activities seem not to have long-term fruit. For example, doing dishes and vacuuming are not tasks I will remember doing five years from now. If I look at the big picture though, I see that helping my family does have lasting effects.
After reading through the “Redeeming the Time” book, I commit to the following actions:
- I must become completely willing to speak for Christ.
- I must learn to think quickly.
- I must quickly obey God’s leading in my future jobs, relationships, marriage, etc.
- I must live as an ambassador of Christ, representing Him to everyone I meet.
- I must identify and eliminate time wasters in my life.
- I must consider each activity’s eternal importance, and do only what will make a lasting difference.
- I must be accountable to someone trustworthy.
- I must change my concept of eternity to God’s concept.
- I must put others’ needs ahead of my desires.
- I must live a faithful life, without sin, filled with Jesus, so that I can go to Heaven.
- I must invest time in those God has given me.
- I must habitually realize the horror of Hell, and the duration of forever.
- I must constantly be a courageous witness of God’s salvation to my family, friends, coworkers, and customers.
- I must operate in the mindset that Jesus died for the world to be saved.
- I must view my life according to the time I have remaining.
- I must guard my time more diligently than I guard money.
- I must view the issue of sleeping late as seriously as God sees it.
- I must not let my illogical early morning thoughts, nor my lazy bones, control my life.
- I must give high priority to God’s Word and prayer.
- I must live ready to speak for Christ.
- I must not try to store everything in my mind. I must record thoughts , responsibilities, and tasks on computer or paper, so my mind will be freed up from having to remember everything.
- I must arrange my life so that God can use me to my fullest potential by promising to do only what I can do, and by living on schedule.
