In the 1980 Boston Marathon a young lady crossed the finish line three minutes ahead of the next female runner. She was greeted with cheers, applause, and congratulations. But her fame and admiration quickly turned to shame and humiliation when it was discovered she had jumped into the race about 800 yards from the finish line instead of running the required 26 miles.
That gives us a picture of the way many people spend their time. They are focusing on things that will bring the short term applause from people, the 15 minutes of fame, without thinking about what happens when their moment of glory is passed.
The Bible emphasizes to us the importance of focusing on things that will endure for all eternity. As Christians, we all agree eternal things should be our priority. The problem comes in translating that idea into our daily schedule. That requires focus and effort. But focusing on activities with eternal results is the best way 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.
