Ephesians 5:15-16
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
A short twenty-seven years ago, my husband and I embarked on a new business venture. We purchased a state-of-the-art Apple Macintosh computer and a couple of printers, including a laser printer that cost $4000 on its own. Today the same printer would probably cost a little more than $100! There was no cell phone…or World Wide Web…certainly nothing like Skype or FaceTime. Yes…things have certainly changed in a short period of time! We had plenty of opportunities for distraction…but they didn’t include playing “Candy Crush” or “Angry Birds” on a smart phone, communicating via social media, or texting. And none of these are bad past-times, if conducted wisely and in moderation.
Facebook is the perfect example. This social media vehicle can become a time waster…or a wonderful medium for sharing friendship, love and concern with others. A good case in point came in recent weeks when Buffy, a woman with whom I attended school and church as a teenager, became ill with the flu and double pneumonia. Her family members began to post prayer requests on Facebook. In turn, I shared these requests with my Facebook friends – many of whom had also been classmates and friends. Buffy died earlier this week. As her brother said to me, “thru your posts, thousands of folks prayed for Buff.” He thanked me for contributing to “this avalanche of love that's covered all of us.”
Every day, we have opportunities to spend our time wisely… or to waste it. Our choices matter…more than we may ever realize. The thirty minutes you spend writing cards of encouragement to someone or visiting with a friend or acquaintance on the phone may give them exactly the lift they needed to get through another day. The hour you turn off the computer or television and take a walk with your spouse, family member or friend… play in the floor with a child…or visit a neighbor…may generate results and blessings beyond your wildest imagination – for that person AND for you! The time you spend reading this devotional may give God an opportunity to provide you with insights you had not considered…and help you to serve more fully and effectively as one of Christ’s disciples!
The point is that everyone has the same amount of time each day. The difference comes in how we choose to use our time…where we place priorities…our ability to create balance between the demands of others and the world, our own desires, and God’s will. The best way to accomplish a successful equilibrium is to earnestly seek God each day…to start with the question, “What do YOU want from me in the next 24 hours?” We must listen to God’s voice and direction and schedule our activities accordingly. We must leave room on our calendar for the unexpected…and not fill our days so chock full that we are totally thrown into a tizzy when something happens that we did not anticipate and/or could not predict.
Opportunities to serve others…to share the love and compassion of Jesus with them…are all around us. I don’t know what new gadgets, gizmos and inventions the coming years will bring - or what means they will offer for serving others (and potential distractions) will accompany them. But I do know that God can show us how to keep balance in our lives and spend our time wisely. Are you willing to listen and let Him?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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