Redeeming the Time & Living Purposefully for God
Thank God for His new mercies every day. I need to improve my time management and stewardship lately. I want to be the best steward I could be with my time. I want to live my life purposefully for God every hour of life. And I know I’ve not been faithful in that lately. But you know what? Thank God it is never too late to repent. Thank God it is never too late to get back up again. I am thankful that God has been merciful in drawing me, in convicting me, and that He did not pass me over.
I read in Elisabeth Elliot’s book Passion and Purity that 
Jim Elliot used to write Scripture verses on little note cards so he could use his time wisely by memorizing Scripture while waiting in line for lunch at his school’s cafeteria. Wow! Talk about redeeming the time. Rather than allowing minutes to pass idly by, he was thinking God’s thoughts after Him and etching God’s Word in his heart. Jesus said that he who is faithful in little things is faithful in greater things as well. “Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves.” Harvey Newcomb said, “So if we take care of the moments, the hours will take care of themselves.”
I’ve also noticed remaining idle invites temptations which otherwise would not have entered into our life. The old adage is “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the wise Charles Spurgeon aptly said, “Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the idle.” I think of King David who committed the sin of adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his most faithful servants Uriah, and how he fell into the temptation in the first place. Incidentally I just finished reading the book of II Samuel recently. Chapter 11 records for us what happened just prior to David’s sin:
In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (II Samuel 11:1-4)
Why did David remain at Jerusalem when there was a battle going on? It was during “the time when kings go out to battle,” but instead David stayed at home. If he had been in battle instead of wandering around walking on the roof of his house, he may not have seen Bathsheba bathing and found himself in such vulnerable situation.
Perhaps that’s why John Owen, “a Puritan of the Puritans,” wrote:
“The indulgence of one sins opens the door to further sins. The indulgence of one sin diverts the soul from the use of those means by which all other sins should be resisted.”
When we let our guards down and give in to one temptation, it also becomes harder to resist the next one facing us. Our mind is not as focused on obeying God.
I read an excellent chapter on the improvement of time in Harvey Newcomb’s book A Practical Directory for Young Christian Females that opens my eyes to see the huge loss in misusing even just one hour each day:
Our whole life is made up of moments. A little calculation may startle those who carelessly trifle away small portions of time. Suppose you waste only ten minutes at a time, six times in a day; this will make an hour. This hour is subtracted from that portion of your time which might have been devoted to active employments. Sleep, refreshment, and personal duties, generally occupy at least one half of the twenty-four hours. You have, then, lost one-twelfth of the available portion of the day. Suppose you live to the age of seventy years. Take from this the first ten years of your life. From the sixty remaining years, you will have thrown away five years! These five years are taken from that portion of time which should have been employed in the cultivation of the mind, and in the practical duties of piety!
The common excuse for neglecting the improvement of the mind and the cultivation of personal piety, is the lack of time. Were you to employ one half of this time in reading, at the rate of twenty pages an hour, you would be able to read more than eighteen thousand pages, or sixty volumes, of three hundred pages each. If you employ the other half in devotional exercises, in addition to the time you would spend in this manner, upon the supposition that these five years are lost, what an influence will it have upon your personal piety! Or, if you spend the whole of it in the active duties of Christian benevolence, how much good may you accomplish! Think what you might do by employing five years in the undivided service of your Master.
Well, there are many beneficial projects that I need to do in my current station in life and to prepare myself for the next chapters of my life. Projects that would help me in cultivating godly character. To be an obedient disciple of Christ. To be the kind of godly Christian woman God wants me to be. To be a good daughter to my parents. To be a good sister to my siblings. To be an encouraging friend to my neighbors. To be a good witness of Christ to others with my lips and actions. To impact the lives of those whom God has placed within my sphere of influence. To learn more of God and study the Scripture daily. To spend time in daily communion each day with God in prayer. To evaluate daily how I’ve lived out the day prior to retiring each night and reflect on necessary improvements. To read more edifying books. To find and exercise my spiritual gift(s) by serving faithfully in church or local Body of Christ. To learn more skills on personal finances & investments that would be useful in my financial stewardship. To make my home more efficient. To learn or practice being a good “worker at home” now. To learn more from my mother the feminine skills and domestic arts of homemaking. To cultivate the gift of hospitality. To exercise regularly in physical fitness and stay in shape.
I thank God for His provision over my life and that He never gives up on me. Praise God that He gives a new beginning even when we stumble and fall. I thank God for His forgiveness, His mercy, and that He chastises because He loves His children. And last but not least, I thank God that I can trust in Him, by His mercy and grace, to enable me to live a life more pleasing before Him, because without Him I could never do it on my own. Soli Deo gloria.
May 7th, 2007 at 12:12 am | Permalink
Jessica, it was great hearing from you (I think that comment was yours, anyway). I am back from IBEX now, sitting in one of the guy’s dorm until I fly away to Texas in a week for a wedding (as I watch all the students here do their finals; I’m done). Hopefully, I’ll read more, study more, and post better and more “real” things this summer. The Lord has been working in my life, and I covet your prayers. I was almost afraid to comment on your blog, as I know you hear from too many people to keep up with. But, thanks for stopping by mine… it gave me a great reason to leave you a comment as well!
I hope all is well with you. If you get time, shoot off an email and keep me updated. If you happen to be in CA this week (doubtful?), let me know. I hope I use all this free time wisely. I love it!
Your blog still looks great… blessings, friend! : )
May 7th, 2007 at 10:48 am | Permalink
I suppose that means I should stop browsing all my friends’ blogs right now …
May 7th, 2007 at 2:52 pm | Permalink
P.S. I meant to mention that I totally agree with your post. That has been a struggle for me in the past, and my sincerest and deepest prayer for this summer has been–for as long as I can remember–that I’ll use the time wisely and not drop into laziness, deceit, or sin. Thanks for the encouragement, and keep posting!
May 7th, 2007 at 7:27 pm | Permalink
Hi Don, ha ha ha ha
Well, no, not true. Visiting friends’ blogs does not constitute as a misuse of one’s time. 
I’d say it falls under the category of keeping in touch with friends and, as I wrote in the entry above, being “a good friend to [my] neighbors.” 
May 7th, 2007 at 7:30 pm | Permalink
Hey Adam, nice to hear from you!
Glad to hear all is well after you came back from the trip! Thanks for your comments. Actually, honestly, I really don’t get as many comments as you think I do 
, so please don’t ever hesitate to leave a comment anytime. I always love hearing feedback and from friends! Could never get too much. And it’s great to hear what and how God has been working in your life lately. And sure, I’ll reply you back on email soon. Talk to you again later… and God bless!
May 8th, 2007 at 12:06 pm | Permalink
Yes, that note-card portion of Elliot’s book is one of my favorite illustrations.
May 11th, 2007 at 7:41 am | Permalink
Jonathan Edwards
“Resolve to live as with all your might while you do live, and as you shall wish you had done ten thousand years hence.”
Jonathan Edwards
“Resolved, to live with all my might while I do live. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can. Resolved, never to do anything which I should despite or think meanly of in another. Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge. Resolved, never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.”
Solemn words to consider.
May 11th, 2007 at 11:07 pm | Permalink
Hi Jessica,
God has been faithful to keep His children walking in His spirit. He delights us to move and grow to second level of our spiritual life. I have been encouraged by your simple and practical prayer to be a good stewardship because everything that we have under heaven truly belongs to Him. Therefore we need to use them according to His will…isn`t it?
Concerning David`s life, this week I enjoy meditating II samuel too. It was so horible to see how David had to admit the qonsequency of his single sin, commit adultery with Bathsheba, in the period of his life as a king of Israel. Indeed, I have been touched by his surendered faith to God in II Samuel 15 : 25-26 that says ” …..If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back …..but if He says thus , I have no delight in you , here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.”
Let this will be a good example to us when we face up and down of our spiritual life. God bless you. Your blog has been so blessing for me.
Laura
May 12th, 2007 at 12:57 pm | Permalink
Hi Jessica,
I just want to say thank you for maintaining such an edifying blog. I recently joined Agora SG and come to know your blog from there.
I read some of your posting there and liked your thoughts.
I’m an Indonesian too and lived in East coast (North East). I thought it must be tough to be a Reformed living in California =)
You must be sort of endangered species.
Keep up the good work.
God bless,
Nobuseri
May 14th, 2007 at 2:45 pm | Permalink
Hi Nobuseri, welcome to my blog!
Thanks for leaving a comment. Nice to know another Indonesian visitor here. Well, you must be sort of an endangered species, too, as a Reformed who lives in East Coast. 
What state are you from? Mmm, maybe it’s not too bad since they have a good Reformed seminary (Westminster) and some good churches like the Tenth Presbyterian Church there in the North East. 
May 14th, 2007 at 2:49 pm | Permalink
Dear Laura, thanks for writing. I’m happy to hear from you again!
And I’m glad you like my post on stewardship. Thanks! I find your comments to be encouraging, too, and I’m blessed by your words! Thanks so much. 
God bless you!
May 14th, 2007 at 3:01 pm | Permalink
Hi Pastor Bruce, thanks for sharing Jonathan Edwards’s Resolutions. I love those. I printed a copy of his 70 Resolutions and put it on my desk. I think I need to review them once a week.
Didn’t Edwards composed those Resolutions as a teenager (at age of 17 or so)? I thought that’s so amazing! I couldn’t have composed them myself at 17, but I’m glad I could reap the benefits from his thoughts and insights and learn from them.
May 14th, 2007 at 5:30 pm | Permalink
Hi Jessica,
Both Westminster and Tenth are just about 30 miles from where I lived in PA. Interesting that you knew Tenth Presbyterian Church. (my church tried to model it).
Curious why you mentioned Tenth instead of Tim Keller’s church (Redeemer) ?
Coz, I’m Indonesian and you knew where most Indonesian lived ?
I always have impression that CA is very liberal. That under no circumstances would I ever move to live there. Even though I have cousins who lived in Southern CA.
Did you have good Reformed churches there ?
regards,
nobuseri
May 14th, 2007 at 8:07 pm | Permalink
Hi Jessica.
It seems that Jonathan Edwards wrote “The Resolutions” during the years of 1722-1723. It is most likely he wrote them after he had finished his graduate studies at Yale. He would have been around 19 to 20 years in age.
I wonder what it would be like today if we had men and women committed to serving the Lord as these old saints from the past? On one hand, I enjoy reading of their daily walk with God. It is encouraging learning how God blessed their faithful lives. Yet on the other hand, it can become discouraging to think that we as Christians do not walk and live lives like that today. May the Lord grant us the grace to be found faithful in all that we do.
“Resolutions” I find them easy to say - yet difficult to do! Perhaps you are right in that we need to read these resolutions once a week and then we should earnestly pray to our Lord that we “Resolve” not only to say them but strive to also serve Him accordingly. Later …
May 15th, 2007 at 1:40 pm | Permalink
Hi Nobuseri, nice to hear from you again. You wrote:
Well, actually, I suppose it’s because I love the late Dr. James Montgomery Boice’s radio show The Bible Study Hour, and I know he used to pastor Tenth Presbyterian Church. I’m not as familiar with Tim Keller’s Church, though I have heard of it and how he does a lot of church planting. Another reason is I had a friend who attended Tenth before. And I just heard so many good things about it.
It’s a place I’d like to visit sometime if ever I’m around the area in the future.
You said your church tried to model Tenth. Which church do you currently attend, if I may ask? Are there lots of Indonesians who go there?
Yes, there are some good Reformed churches here in CA, although I think there are many more in Southern California than northern Cali. Maybe partly cause there’s the Westminster Seminary in Escondido, so there are lots of seminarians who live around there.
May 15th, 2007 at 1:50 pm | Permalink
Hi Pastor Bruce,
Yes, I’ve wondered that, too. If we had these old saints living today, it would surely set the bar higher.
Yes, I find it difficult, too… so I often found myself with intermittent success. I’m trying to make a “to do” list for the day and divide it into 15-minute sections. And maybe reviewing and evaluating how I did at the end of each week. I read that Jonathan Edwards did that for himself, too. And of course, most importantly, relying on God to help me be more faithful.
Thanks again for writing!
May 15th, 2007 at 6:02 pm | Permalink
Hi Jessica,
Yeah, try to visit this area during Falls, the trees will be very colorful.
I love Tim Keller’s sermons, but it’s not free. However I think it’s worth the price. Some people said he’s better than Piper, and I agreed. Samples are free: Sermons
My church is: Renewal Presbyterian Church
I’m the only Indonesian there. Most are Korean American.
I was wrong to think as if CA consist of only SF and LA. As I heard so many bad news from there.
thanks,
nobuseri