One of the main reasons we waste so much time is we simply don’t have the motivation to do the things we know we ought to do. Perhaps you’ve seen motivation illustrated as a man on a donkey dangling a carrot in front of the donkey’s nose, with a whip in case the carrot doesn’t work. It’s a good picture of both positive and negative motivation, both of which we all need at times.
When you lack motivation to spend your time wisely, remember how large the stick and carrot become in light of eternity. The carrot is Heaven- spending all of eternity in the direct presence of God, in a perfect place free from sin, sadness, or pain. That’s powerful. But an equally powerful negative motivation is hell. It’s not politically correct in most churches to even mention hell today, but it’s still in the Bible and it’s still real.
Remembering that someone’s eternal destiny may depend on how carefully you listen to God gives motivation to redeem the time.
Rick Grubbs is best known as the host of “Redeeming the Time,” a one-minute radio program featured on hundreds of radio outlets around the world. He has spoken thousands of times on Biblical time management in all 50 states and 26 other countries. He is the author of the book “Morning Momentum: God’s plan for launching an unstoppable day”. He and his wife Carrie live in Salisbury NC with several of their 12 children.
