Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

OCTOBER 20
Monday


DO SOMETHING
WITH NOTHING

READ:
Ephesians 5:15-21
______________________________________

Walk circumspectly,
not as fools but as
wise, redeeming the
time, because the
days are evil.
__Ephesians 5:15-21
_____________________________________

A newspaper ad showed three people waiting for a city bus. Two of them were bored and listless, while the third was happily playing a game on a small electronic device. "Do something with your nothing," the ad said. "That nothing time. The time in between everything else you have to do." The idea was to sell the portable player so people could use all those segments of wasted "waiting" tim.

I suspect that many of us already constructively use those small increments of waiting time to read a book, memorized a verse, or pray for a friend. It's our longer waiting periods filled with uncertainty and indecision that may leave us anxious and frustrated.

Paul challenged the Christians in Ephesus to "walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:5-15). The Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest suggests that this refers to time in its "strategic, opportune seasons" and means "making a wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good.

During those seasons when we wonder, "How did I get here and when can I leave?" it's best to look for our God-given opportunities instead of focusing on the obstacles. That's the way to do something with our nothing. __David McCasland
_____________________________________________________________

``````````````Wait, and in waiting, listen for His leading;````````````
```````````Be strong, thy strength for every day is stored.```````````
``````````Go forth in faith, and let thine heart take courage;``````````
`````````There is no disappointment with the Lord. __Anon``````````
_____________________________________________________________

When you find time on your hands
put them together in prayer.

*************Today's Bible Reading __ Ephesians 5:15-21***********

15 See then that yu walk
circumspectly, not as fools
but as wise, 16 redeeming the
time, because the days are
evil. 17 and do not be drunk with
wine, in which is
dissipation; but be filled
with the Spirit, 19 speaking
to one another inpsalms and
hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and makin melody
in your heart to the Lord,

20 giving thanks always for
all things to God the Father
in the name of our Lord
jesus Christ, 21 submitting
to one another in the fear
of God.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Jonathan Edwards was a colonial American preacher who is known
as one of the most profound of American theologians and revivalists.
Here is an excerpt from his sermon on "redeeming the time" (Eph.
5:16). "Time is very precious, because when it is past, it cannot be
recovered. There are many things which men posses, which if they
part with, they can obtain them again. If a man [has] parted with
something which he had, not knowing the worth of it... he often
can regain it, at least with pains and cost... But it is not so with
respect to time; when once that is gone, it is gone for ever; no pains,
no cost will recover it." __Dennis Fisher

[lizzie]

yep yep cimi sis

Idle minds, like hands, just provide open doors for the enemy to jump on in with suggestions and temptations and worry and all that icky stuff.

If we keep ourselves occupied with the right things, heavenly things, we keep the door shut on the devil and his evil devices.