Are you redeeming your time?

"See then that ye walk circumspectly,

not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. "

Ephesians 5:15–16

The Rest Challenge

I had lunch today with a good friend whose job carries an enormous amount of responsibility. He has people depending on him all day, every day. As we were finishing lunch, he mentioned he was leaving for vacation. Before we parted, I challenged him to do something that isn't easy for most of us: don't answer work calls, don't check email, and don't carry the office with you. Give your family your undivided attention. Spend time with the Lord. Rest.

As I shared with my friend, that challenge wasn't just for him, it's for me and it's for every one of you.

This is Getting Harder

Back in the early 1990s, if you had one of those big bag phones in your car, you had arrived. It meant people could reach you virtually anywhere. Then came the cell phone. Today we don't just carry a phone—we carry our office, news, entertainment, social media, and a thousand interruptions in our pocket. We are never out of reach, and many of us have forgotten what it's like to be fully present.

A Satanic Strategy

I can't help but think about Satan's strategy in The Screwtape Letters. Lewis paints the picture well. The enemy doesn't always have to get a man to abandon his faith. If he can simply keep him distracted, he's accomplished a great deal. Distracted from praying. Distracted from reading God's Word. Distracted from listening to his wife. Distracted from playing with his children. Distracted from hearing the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit.

The Solution

Paul tells us to "be wise, redeem the time, because the days are evil." We usually think of redeeming the time by doing more. Maybe one of the best ways to redeem the time is by doing less—less scrolling, less checking, less responding, and more being fully present where God has placed us.

The Phone Challenge

This week, choose one boundary. Put your phone away during your quiet time. Leave it off the dinner table. Don't check email after a certain hour. If you're on vacation, be on vacation.

Remember, the reason margin is so important is that it is where relationships happen--with both God and man.

Ryan Johnson

MD5 Facilitator