Redeeming Time

             Our minister recently told the story of Jochebed, Moses’ mother, and how she was able to “redeem” time with her child, despite Pharoah’s attempts to kill him.  When Pharoah’s daughter found Moses in the small ark floating in the Nile, she needed someone to nurse the child.  Through divine intervention, the baby’s mother was chosen, and she took full advantage of the time she had with her son.  Although Moses was raised in Pharoah’s palace, he was a Jew and he knew his people and their God, thanks to the training he received during the time that Jochebed “redeemed”. 

            We’ve probably all had time that we would like to redeem.  If we could go back in time, what would we do differently?  There may be relationships to be restored or maybe mistakes to be atoned for.  Maybe it’s the time that we’ve wasted that we would like to “redeem”.  The point is that as much as we would like to redeem those times, we can’t, so, what now?

            If you are still breathing, God can still use you.  Remember, it wasn’t until Moses was 80 years old that God revealed His plan for Moses’ life.  We can’t reclaim the time that we have wasted but we may still be able to repair those relationships and atone for our mistakes.  We can also look to the future and see how God can use us in this moment and this chapter of our lives. 

            Instead of looking backward, trying to reclaim what’s lost, let’s begin looking to the future.  Start with considering your talents and Spiritual gifts.  What are your life experiences and training?  All these things will help to determine how God can use you in this phase of your life.  Consider teaching, mentoring, and serving.  There are churches and Christian non-profits that are eager for volunteers—people who can teach, cook, provide childcare, maintain lawns and gardens, clean facilities, and provide light maintenance.  Those are just a few of the needs.  Whatever your skills and abilities, there is a place for you.

            Ephesians 2: 10 tells us that God prepared good works for each of us to do.  He made the preparations, the question is, “Will we complete the work?”  Forget about the opportunities that you may have ignored in the past.  We can all mourn those to no avail.  Instead, ask yourself, “What can I do now to advance the Kingdom? What “good works” does God still have planned for me to do?”  If we are sincere, God will give us the answer.  Let’s all “redeem” the time we have left, all for the glory of God!

Ephesians 2: 10

Ephesians 5: 15, 16

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hi, I'm the Sun Porch Lady

  Hi, I’m the Sun Porch Lady. I recently retired and while most of the world thinks that is a wonderful thing, I've found it to be anything but wonderful. I've been going to school and/or working since I was six years old so finding myself with nothing, but free time is a whole new experience.   I have no structure, no daily schedule, and seemingly no purpose in my life.   While that may sound like heaven, I believe that Christians never retire.   God just repurposes them. As I struggled to find new purpose and bring some structure back to my life, I turned to writing.   Over the years, I have often written devotional thoughts or put various ideas to paper.   I can’t say that I’ve ever been very good at journaling but from time to time, I have written about events in my life that taught me values or made me more aware of God working in my life.   So, to keep busy and hopefully spark an interest in others I've decided to create this blog. I’m callin...
Read more

My Dad

                 Yesterday would have been my father’s 98 th birthday.   He’s been gone for 13 years, and I still miss him.   He wasn’t perfect, but he loved his family.   His letters home while he was in the service reflect his love for my Mom—Mandy, as he called her.   They were married for almost 65 years, and his love for her was never more evident than when she became sick in 2007.               As Mom underwent several surgeries due to an infection that ravaged her body, he was always by her side.   He became her primary caregiver as well as the cook, house cleaner, and laundry person, but you never heard him complain.   When she went to the hospital with another round of pneumonia, he was right there, remaining by her bedside until just a few hours before he died.             His lov...
Read more

Jesus Prays to His Father

                 A few weeks ago, I wrote about the need to “abide” in Christ.   I think every Christian desires to develop that deep, intimate relationship with our Savior.   That is the definition of “abide.”   The question is always, “How do we do that?”             This week my Bible study group looked closely at John 17, which I believe allows us to examine the deep, intimate relationship between the Father and the Son.   As Jesus prays, not a prayer of teaching as is found in Matthew 6, but a prayer of love and devotion to His Father and the “Mission”, we get a glimpse of what it means to “abide” in God or Christ.             He begins the prayer with humility, seeking glory for Himself only so that the Father might be glorified.   His mission of bringing salvation to the world was done.   ...
Read more