Scripture: Colossians 4:2-5
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should. 5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.
Thought for the Day: Monday is my day off, and this past Monday was a productive day. I got up early and did some writing on Sunday School curriculum, worked out on the elliptical for 30 minutes, did 30-minutes of Spanish, spent a few minutes in prayer, made my son breakfast and got him off to school, took a 45 minute walk with my wife, worked on a sermon, read three chapters from my brother’s new book, took a short nap, visited my neurologist, mowed the lawn, did two loads of laundry, washed both cars, started power washing the drive way, swept out the garage, fixed dinner, helped my son with some math, wrote a devotional, answered emails, and worked on some New Church material. It was a good day! But let me be clear – not every Monday is that productive. What was different? As I reflected on how I spent my day off, I realized that I did not turn on the tv until around 8pm. It was only then that I became a slug and rather unproductive.
Now I don’t want to cast all blame on tv. In fact, there is a lot of good stuff that can be found on tv. But according to a Nielsen report, children ages 2-11 watch over 24 hours of TV/week and adults ages 35-49 watch more than 33 hours/week. This is interesting information alongside the fact that “I don’t have enough time” is the most common reason people give for not volunteering in America.
Now none of this is to make people feel bad. Instead, it is to encourage us to look at what distracts us from being productive in the work of God’s kingdom. What in your life is rather empty of meaning and purpose, yet it consumes a great deal of your time and energy? What could be reduced even just a little, but in doing so, a great deal of time could be made for Godly purpose?
Prayer: Give my life purpose, Gracious God, and do so by helping me make good use of my time. Amen.
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