Grace Community Church, Arlington, TX

*Bucket illustration: We all have things that fill our tank and things that drain our tank. When our tank is full, life is wonderful. We are happy and content and find it easy to serve and to give freely. We walk with joy and peace, and loving others is easy. But when our output begins to exceed our input, after a while some trouble can start brewing.

There are three questions you need to ask yourself when you feel the most alive and fullest:
1. Who am I with?
2. What am I doing?
3. Where am I doing it?

The truth is you can handle all kinds of drain if you got plenty of fill.
Once you know what fills your tank, make sure you put it in your life.

The Bible passage that is worth revisiting every January is Eph 5:15-17.

This passage tells us that there are two things that a wise person does.
1. Wise people make the most of their time.
2. Wise people discern the will of God.

I want to propose to you that, according to this passage, it is wise to manage your time very carefully. But also, according to this passage it is wise to discern God’s will for your life. It is wise to know what God wants you to do. It is wise to make sure that your output, is the output that God is calling you to do.

Our schedules are a lot more about what we are becoming, what are marriages are becoming, and what our children are becoming, than what we are getting done.
And I’m not only talking about character; I’m talking about your dreams.

1. Wise people make the most of their time.
2. Wise people discern the will of God.
In contrast to that, A fool is someone who knows what he ought to do and doesn’t do it.

Now, why is it important that we are careful how we spend our time?
1. It will determine what we become.
2. Because how we live will matter for eternity.

As believers in Christ, we will all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. How we used our time will matter forever. Our eternal rewards, treasures, crowns, and assignments will be determined by how we used our time. The wise person lives their lives with eternity in mind.

3. If we aren’t careful in the use of our time by using it for what matters to God, we are likely to waste our time or even misuse it.

There is a great pressure against us using our time wisely. To use your time wisely will not be easy. You will have to be deliberate about it. You will have to go against the flow of the culture and the world.

That gravitational force of sin is the reason why so many procrastinate. It is the reason why so many undermine their own future and their own happiness.

We live in a fallen, sin-sick world, that pressures us to waste our time or to misuse it. We will have to be quite deliberate to go against that pressure.

So, what are you going to do?
If we aren’t deliberate about this, then it won’t happen. Life is such that something else will come along and fill that time. If we aren’t careful to redeem our time, to be deliberate about our schedules and what we do with our time, then the things that matter most will not be a part of our lives.

What will you do this year? The choice is yours. What will you choose?

Let me make some suggestions for your schedule for 2025.
1. Physically… Exercise, sleep enough, eat right, stop unhealthy habits like smoking, drugs, or drinking too much.
2. Emotionally…time with friends and family, time laughing, time off, Sabbath, vacations.
3. Financially… take FPU, avoid future debt, get on a budget, give and save regularly.
4. Spiritually… devotional life, church attendance weekly, GHOP, Life Group, Ministry.

So, what will you do in 2025? Don’t be foolish! Be Wise! Redeem the Time! Do things that fill your tank. And discern what God wants you to do when it comes to your output.