16 comments

Kimberly Wagner

The Chiming of the Clock

Posted on 12.30.09 by Kimberly Wagner
Topics: Impacting your world

Something interesting has been happening this month. As I’ve heard the regular chiming of my wall clock, the Holy Spirit keeps using the musical tones to clockremind me of the phrase found in Ephesians 5:16. I hear the clock chime, then “Redeem the time, redeem the time” runs through my heart and mind.

It is easy to become so focused on day-to-day activities that we begin to live as though we’re earth-bound rather than temporary residents. Do you think God cares how we spend our time? What is His purpose for the number of days He’s given each of us? 

Preparing for Forever
Time is given to us for the purpose of glorifying God in our preparation for eternity—this life is just the warm up for the forever journey. God’s desire is for our activities, our families, and our relationships to be God-centered and eternity-focused. Our vocations are not to serve as an end, but as a vehicle for exposing others to Christ. If we’re preparing for eternity, our incomes will not build nest eggs and kingdoms on earth, but will be a means of promoting and advancing His kingdom.

Consider Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 6:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal” (vv. 19–20).

Today consider entering the New Year with this perspective in mind:
Once I leave this earthly realm, I’ll no longer have opportunity to accomplish what can only be done here. Only here will I be able to share the gospel with lost souls. Only on this side of eternity will I worship God while in the midst of battle. This life is my only opportunity to win victories over my flesh. Only in this fallen world can I prove that His value is of greater worth to me than my sin. When challenged to deny self in the face of temptation, only here will I have opportunity to please my heavenly Father with steadfast endurance. Here only do I fight spiritual battles with the hope of one day hearing His “well done!” as I enter heaven.

Once I leave this realm, I will no longer have the opportunity to store up heavenly treasure.

I want to live the rest of my life with no regrets, with no wasted moments, living intentionally in a way that purposefully glorifies Him and redeems the time He has allotted for me. How about you?

As this year winds down, as the chiming clock sounds its passing and we approach a new year, consider what could help you maintain an “eternal perspective.”

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  1. this is excellent. Great perspective for ending the current year and entering the new.
    Today.. i will consider the chiming clock and seek to
    tell others of His plan and purpose.
    Thanks for this meditation..
    posted by Bonnie Stalter
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 7:34 am
  2. Amen, Kim! The Lord has been ministering this to me as well. I just watched/listened to a teaching from John Piper entitled "Don't Waste Your Life." Among other things, Pastor Piper referred to a plaque on the wall of his childhood home that said:

    Only one life
    T'will soon be past;
    Only what's done
    For Christ will last.

    (I'm not sure exactly what the plaque looked like, but I think those were the words.) It made an impression on me, as I know the Lord is trying to get me to stop wasting time and to have more of a vision for eternity and for winning souls and overcoming here on earth. What you shared confirmed all this! The time is short here on earth ... then, eternity!
    Ps. 90:12

    Blessings to you, Kim, and all the true women!
    posted by Leslie S.
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 8:28 am
  3. Kim,

    Thank you so much for this reminder. I have written Ephesians 5:16 at the top of my daily planner. I plan to write it on each page to remind me of what is important as I plan my days, weeks and months. I hope as I fill in the empty boxes, I will be filling in tasks with eternal value. Thank you again for this wonderful post.

    Tamara
    posted by Tamara Gordon
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 9:56 am
  4. This is such a good post. I think I will quote from it on my blog tomorrow to end 2009. I was reminded again of the brevity of life while watching the "Death Is Not Dying" video from earlier this year at deathisnotdying.com.
    http://hoperoadblog.com
    posted by Anna
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 10:55 am
  5. Thank you for this, I'm going to post this verse on my blog to end 2009 too. Praying that God will continue to help True Woman/ Revive Our Hearts 'redeem the time.'
    www.jodylynne.blogspot.com
    posted by Jody
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 11:01 am
  6. Thank you for the encouraging comment, Bonnie. I pray God grants your desire to share with others.

    May your new year usher in a fresh perspective of His glory!

    Blessings,
    posted by Kimberly Wagner
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 1:37 pm
  7. Dear Leslie,

    "Don't Waste Your Life" is one of my all time favorite books and messages (I have it on DVD :-))!

    Glad you reminded me of it. I need to pull it out and watch it again as I start the new year!

    Blessings to you dear sister!
    posted by Kimberly Wagner
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 1:38 pm
  8. Dear Tamara,

    What an awesome plan! Thanks for sharing with us! Let us hear how it goes this year as you use Eph. 5:16 to order your priorities in your daily planner.

    Blessings friend!
    posted by Kimberly Wagner
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 1:40 pm
  9. Dear Anna,

    Thank you for your kind words and you are free to quote from this article on your blog. Please include a link to our site. I hope your readers will be encouraged.

    May you have a year filled with opportunity to glorify God!
    posted by Kimberly Wagner
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 1:43 pm
  10. Thank you, Jody, for your prayers.

    We do desire to redeem the time here at ROH, and have a sense of urgency for the great need of women today. Please continue to lift up the team, especially as we prepare for the three TW 10 conferences this year!

    Blessings dear sister!
    posted by Kimberly Wagner
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 1:46 pm
  11. Thank you for this great blog post...God has been speaking to me this year very much about redeeming the time and using my days, hours, minutes, seconds wisely and for His glory. I find it very hard translate into real life though, but will continue to seek His help to work out what's of real eternal value and what's not.
    Blessings,
    Nina from Australia
    P.S. Do you think there will ever be a True Woman Conference down under??
    posted by Nina
    on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 8:56 pm
  12. I agree that sometimes it is possible to stay too focused on the "day to day demands" that eternity is out of focus. But sometimes, especially as women, it is in the "day to day demands" that we effect eternity. I tend to neglect the "day to day demands" and then my children, husband suffer although I have such "spiritual motives" to be involved in "eternal things". Doing both at the same time is definitely an art and requires constant communication from the Holy Spirit as to what "the next thing" is on a daily basis. The whole concept of "redeeming" and "time" being mixed is something to meditate on though. Thanks for the thoughts and the encouragement.
    posted by Susan McCurdy
    on Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 11:37 am
  13. Nina,

    So good to hear from a sister in Australia! A True Woman Conference down under sounds like an awesome idea! Put it on your prayer list this year and . . . who knows . . . it could happen!

    Glad you enjoyed the post! Hope to hear from you again.

    Blessings!
    posted by Kimberly Wagner
    on Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 11:43 am
  14. I am going to print this post and take it to our annual NY Eve celebration with our church group! This was so well said Kim, thank you soooo much! God has granted you great insight and wisdom. I am always uplifted and fed the spirtitual food of life when I read your posts. God uses you to speak right to our hearts so keep pressing on and know that you are in my prayers.. and I will be praying for the conferences this year, too!
    posted by Barbara
    on Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 11:44 am
  15. Susan,

    Good point. I definitely agree that the day to day activities should be performed in such a way that they have eternal merit and significance. Doing laundry as you serve your family for God's glory is redeeming the time in a manner which stores up heavenly treasure.

    Too often, we can approach our daily duties with an earthly mindset, however, and forget that all things can be approached as acts of service and worship to Him as we seek Him for His assignments for the day.

    Thanks for your insightful comment.
    Blessings!
    posted by Kimberly Wagner
    on Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 11:50 am
  16. Dear Barbara,

    Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement -- especially for your prayers!

    I hope you have a blessed New Year's Eve celebration with your church family tonight. I'm looking forward to ours as well. I'm hosting it in our home tonight, so I will need to get off this lap-top soon and finish preparing :-)

    May each of you dear ladies enter this new year with a fresh vision for God's glory and His purposes for you.
    posted by Kimberly Wagner
    on Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 11:55 am

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