MEligion, Part 7: MEdeeming the Time // Eric Robertson

Do you feel the weight of your past mistakes? Does thinking about the future make you anxious? In this message, Pastor Eric Robertson explains how we can "redeem the time."

Ephesians 5:15-16 " See that you walk circumspectly [carefully], not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

- MEdeeming the time is fixating on the future.

We are addicted to the future. Because by our own design, we are never living in the moment we are living for. 

We connect our happiness to a moment that never comes. 

The gospel gives us hope for the future and hope for now. 

Matthew 6:31-34

""So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."" NLT

Why would God equip you to do something that is outside of His will?

When we worry about what the future holds, it robs us of our present peace. 

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- MEdeeming the time is being preoccupied with the past. 

Condemnation, shame, and guilt anchor is to our past.  

God wants to do a new things in you. His mercies are new every morning. 

The only thin anchoring you to your past is a lie that you believe. 

Philippians 3:13-14

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." NLT‬‬

- How can you live in the present and Redeem the Time?

      - Treat time like a gift, not a guarantee.

James 4:14

"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone." NLT 

Psalm 90:12

"Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." NLT

       - Time is a limited resource. 

What you do on this planet has eternal weight. 

The things that you do to serve God will never be forgotten. The things of this world leads to nothing that lasts eternally. 

        - Learn Patience over Productivity.

Psalm 37:7, Colossians 3:12, James 1:4

        - Cultivate Contentment over Control

Luke 12:25-26, Hebrews 13:5

A lot of the running we do is to get things that we don't need. 

Don't let what you could have keep you from enjoying what you do have. 

         - Rest, Don't Rush

Hebrews 4:9-10,11

God wants you to rest. He created Sabbath for you.