When we were created, it was into a world that already had a concept of time. He’s eternal. We’re not. So we were created. And then we know our time is different than God’s time because He has appointed times. When He does things, He does things on the day, on the hour, on the minute always, because it has to be so in order to fulfill that which was spoken by this prophet or that prophet. But if you came to faith on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, not a big deal. Jesus said to the disciples, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.” You can always speak about the Lord. You can always worship God. You can always be a follower of Christ.
Some say, “There is no specific day of the week when I’m Christian. It’s Sunday, I’m Christian today. Tomorrow I don’t have to be.” But His time has to be, boom, on the day, on the hour. So there is going to be a time and we’re going to be out of here. And there is a day, there is an hour, there’s a minute, there is a second, and it’s none of your business. Ephesians says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.” So He’s giving you advice. Look, you’ve got all the days of your life. Redeem your time wisely because these days are evil. But in the evil world, you should be shining your light.
Its has been said that no one, no matter how wealthy or poor, ever wished they had more money, houses, or cars while lying on their death bed. The only thing they wish for is more time.
Ephesians 5:15-16
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Circumspectly means “exactly or accurately”, which, for Christians, obviously connects to the will of God. Redeeming means “to rescue from loss”, or, we might say, “to make it count.” Time is our most precious commodity because of all that is related to it. Serving God and loving family are primary, but there are a host of other things that vie for our time – jobs, school, sports, entertainment.
This is what Paul tells the church at Ephesus. They should make their time count and walk accurately in these evil days. “Evil days” would certainly be a fitting description of those in which we live, and walking accurately and making our time count is what we should be doing as well.
Romans 13:11-14
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
The other thing that makes time precious is that it is a limited commodity. We only have so much of it and it seems quite possible that the church is running out of it! The night is far spent and the day of the Lord is at hand. What Paul described in Romans 13 is what walking circumspectly looks like – properly, not in revelry and drunkenness, lewdness or lust, strife and envy.
The hour of church history is late. Time is running out. If there are things in your life that are not accurately reflective of what you believe, now is the time to bring them in line with the will of God and start walking properly.
Jesus is coming for us soon!
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,