Redeeming the Time

I have this devotional that I like to use, it's Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry & Richard Blackaby.  I absolutely love this thing because it's like a magic devotional--it always seems to speak directly about what's going on with me currently.  I previously blogged about how discernment and discovering God's will are a major theme in my life right now.  This devotional is one of the sources of that.  I'm not saying it will speak so powerfully and directly to everyone, but it my case God is certainly using it as a megaphone for His voice. 

Ephesians 5:15-16 admonishes us to make wise use of our time.  While this is certainly good advice on any given day of the year, the fact that it was the topic of Sunday's devotional is another instance of my recurring themes these days.  The portion which spoke most directly to me is: "Multitudes are dying each year without hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Investing your life wisely is critical to you and to those around you.  Foolishly spending your time in sinful or wasteful pursuits can cost you and others dearly."  While it's easy to see how time invested wisely benefits ourselves and others, it's much harder to discern the good not done by inactivity and inaction. 

This struck a cord with me with regards to Wycliffe Bible Translators.  As I've considered bible translation as a possible ministry, I am more and more convicted of the importance of bringing Scripture to people groups who don't have it in their native language.  How important an investment of time is it for someone gifted in languages to use their abilities to do this?  The more I consider it, the more the idea thrills me!  And while this idea makes sense in and of itself, that doesn't mean that it's God's will for my life.  Were Ann & I to become Wycliffe members, it would mean HUGE changes for our family.  The more I think about this, the less it scares me.  The more I continue to think about it, the more I feel willing to endure dramatic life changes in order to be a part of a team that brings Scripture to a people group who have never had it before. 

So is this a call from God or a passing interest?  As the saying goes I guess, "that's for God to know and me to find out."