"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, (15) Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (16) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15 – 17
The words “redeeming the time” means - Buying up the opportunity or to taking advantage of the time – it means to make the best use of the opportunities God gives us. Time has three elements, past, present, and future. We always live in the present never tomorrow or the past. Once today becomes yesterday we cannot change it, but today is our present, our space of working, tomorrow many never get here. As Christians and churches, we always need to be aware of our time and use it for the Lord, with the salvation of the lost as our main goal. God said, “because the days are evil.” Today we know this, we live in advanced evil time, people are very evil in their hearts. We always believe eviler than before, but evil has been on the earth since Adam and Eve. Remember Cain very horribly killed his bother Able and was very presumptuous when God questioned him about it. “And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?” Genesis 4:9 We sometimes believe that evil is getting worse today than anytime in history, but the truth is while it may be more open, it is not. Evil in the world has always been very bad and anti-God and anti-Christian. There was a time in our history when tens of millions of Christians were absolutely slaughtered at the hands of people calling themselves “Christians” with the help of the governments. While we may not be able to declare today eviler than ever before, times are very evil, and more open that ever before. People today do not care about God, Jesus, the bible, or church, they are haters of God maybe more so than anytime before. Churches in America are shrinking to numbers that they are in jeopardy of closure. However, our focus needs to be steadfast on God, Jesus, the bible, church, and the salvation of the lost. The commission to the churches is to preach the gospel to the lost, and without concern to our times. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15 Until this has been accomplished (and it never will be) our mission that God has appointed to us is not complete. We are in this battle together, while every church has their commission, they are all the same. The gospel message is the greatest message to the world today and tomorrow, but today is more relevant because for some tomorrow will not get here. God said, “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (1) (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:” 2 Corinthians 6:1 – 3 Our redeeming the time is now, today, never tomorrow, because Jesus could come before tomorrow, they could expire before tomorrow, and we failed to redeem our time. A saved person is not permitted to sin because their sins are covered by the blood, and we are not to use God’s sovereignty of saving sinners as and excuse to not redeem our time to the lost. God told us in verse 15 “See then that ye walk circumspectly” circumspectly means – perfect or complete – the Lord has ordered us to walk according to the scriptures because in failing to do so makes us walk as fools. We cannot be good redeemers of time if we are walking as the lost, why would lost people want salvation if there is no change in us. God said in verse 17 “Wherefore be ye not unwise” that is mindless or stupid but walking in the purpose that God has for you. Remember If God saved you, He has a purpose for your life, and you should discover that purpose and then guide your purpose in life accordingly. If we fail, then we are not redeeming our time but walking unwise and as fools. Verse 17 concludes “but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” We are all to search for God’s will for us, if we seek, we will find, and when we find we should do. Let us not walk as fools wasting valuable time, let us all redeem our time as God has elected for us.
