Redeem the Time | Daily Devotion
“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 NKJV
God blesses us with moments in life to redeem the time. A sweet gift from the Most High. It’s a time when we can sit in His presence, enjoying His perfection – experiencing the fullness of joy – while heeding His direction. Nothing is wasted in the child of God. He loves us so much! He knows our works and what we are passionate about, for He created our heart – Psalm 33:15. We are His masterpiece created to do the good works He planned long ago – Ephesians 2:10. Seriously if we think about the love of God and how He has planned in advanced and prepared us for what we are passionate about – we would more readily see the blessings in being a child of God. He loves with an everlasting love.
The moment in life when we recognize Jesus Christ is the gift, is the moment we find our purpose and contentment – 2 Corinthians 9:15. He is our pleasure, He alone is our joy – the One in whom we find complete satisfaction. Nothing will ever surpass Him and the gift of His presence. But guess what? We are His pleasure also, for in Revelation 4:11, we are informed that He created whom He pleased. We were created for Him and He enjoys our presence just as much as we enjoy His.
One amazing blessing Jesus Christ bestows upon us is His constant presence. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus promises to be with us always even until the end of the age. We can walk confidently in that promise, knowing that no matter the sorrow or hardship we face, He is with us. We do not ever have to question His presence, for He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us – Hebrews 13:5. Unsettling circumstances do not mean He is not present, they simply show us our need to seek Him. And truly it is in His presence that we experience true joy, we experience complete satisfaction as He speaks to us, for He is our joy, as Psalm 16:11 says “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” Therefore, we can experience joy each and every day because He is with us each day and will walk with us through eternity. We simply need to lean into His presence, having the eyes to see and the ears to hear, communing with Him as we pray without ceasing.
When we relish in the truth that we are Christ’s joy, I believe that changes how we view life. For Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame because we were the joy set before Him – Hebrews 12:2. He paid the price for us because we completely satisfy Him.
So often in life, we forget that God loves it when we seek Him. He loves it when we sit in His presence. We are a consumer culture that says, “Give to me,” or “I want!” or “Do this for me!” We have expectations of others and often walk with a sense of entitlement to what we are not entitled to. This is selfish and burdensome and not the mindset nor heart attitude God desires for His people. It’s an eyes on self-mentality that often triggers insecurities, anxiety and depression, not a mind focused on Jesus Christ desiring the mind of Christ. When we are focused on Jesus Christ, meditating on His word, seeking to live it out in our everyday – we show to have the mind of Christ, behaving like Christ. And this is what God desires in every Christian.
Therefore, when we focus on Jesus Christ, giving unto the Lord our time, our mind, and our gifts – we experience satisfaction and contentment in our life and in our relationship with Him. There are so many different opportunities in this life to sit in God’s presence, using our gifts for His glory, redeeming the time. Seriously the moment you find your sweet spot, there’s no turning back. Trust me! You will know – and will say, “this is my calling. This was what I was made to do. This glorifies God and I love it.” Whatever you are doing for the Lord will fit, you will have a sense of purpose in life and you will enjoy it! It will not be a burden but a delight. It's never a burden living life for the King, heeding His will in everything, for He removes the burden of legalism. Jesus Christ satisfied the law held against us by His one offering – His death on the cross and His resurrection.
As Ephesians 2:15-16 says, “Be careful how you live in these evil days. Don’t live like fools but live like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity, redeeming the time.”
Will you pray with me?
Abba, thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ, as our endless blessings are found in Him. Please open our eyes today to how we can redeem the time, in Jesus’ name, Amen.