| “See then that ye walk circumspectly [very carefully], not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:15-16). |
| Although we were created for eternity, we live in a world of time, and our minds are bounded by time. We can talk about eternity, and understand the concept, but no matter how hard we try, we cannot “wrap our minds around it.” This is because our minds are limited by time, and we cannot understand something with no beginning or no ending. |
| The Lord knows this, and has given us time in our lives on earth, to use in the right way. For this reason, Paul could tell the Ephesians to “redeem the time.” To redeem means to buy something back again. Satan wants to rob us of our time, and to get us to use it for wrong things. But the Lord wants us to use our time for Him. If we wish to do anything well in this world, we will have to give up a lot of other things we might have done. This is especially true in our Christian lives. We must “buy back” our time by giving up things of this world, in order to use our time for the Lord. |
| It is rather serious when we think that what we do in this world will have an influence for all eternity. We have only a few years in this world. We may live to be 70, 80, or even longer, but we may also die at a younger age. In 1 Peter 4:2, Peter speaks of “the rest of his time,” referring to the time left to each one of us. None of us knows how long that will be. But we can use our time for “the will of God,” and lay up treasure in heaven, or we can waste our time on the things of this world. If we do this, we may indeed experience what the Bible calls “the pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25), but it will be a loss for all eternity. Of course, as a young teenager, you may be planning for a career, and this is wise and good. The Lord will help you choose something according to the will of God. Surely it is worth it to use our time for the Lord’s glory down here, and live for eternity, not only for time. |
