Redeeming the Time

A lot of folks have “bucket lists” of things they would like to do, places they would like to go, before it’s too late. But there’s a difference between a list of things you’d like to do and a list of things you’d like to be.

This week, the church family I grew up with gathered to remember the life of a man taken much too soon, much too suddenly. He was only 49. Our lifelong friend, Donny McGinty, brought the Word at the service and I knew it was cultivating something in my heart that I would need to share.

He talked about “redeeming the time.” In Ephesians 5:15-16 we read,

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

If you read the verses just before these, you’ll see in verses 8-10,

“For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.”

Paul, the apostle, goes on in Colossians to write in chapter 4, verse 5,

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Make the most of every opportunity.

In the sudden loss of our friend last week, we were all reminded that only God knows the day and hour that our lives will end. Being one who has faced and considered death on perhaps a bit tighter timeline than many others gives me a little different perspective. For the past five and a half years, my outlook on life and on its day to day challenges has continued to change, deepen, and grow as I have learned to look for the better things and to “make the most of every opportunity.”

As Donny spoke about redeeming the time, he referred to it in several aspects. First was in respect to forgiveness. In Psalm 103:12, we read God’s example of forgiveness…

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our
transgressions from us.”

In Ephesians 4:31-32, He commands us,

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

To redeem the time in our lives, we need to make peace and settle issues within ourselves. Forgiveness starts in our own hearts…not with the other person.

Redeeming the time also involves a heart of service. The Bible has a great deal to say about service.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Galatians 5:13

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
1 Peter 4:10

“…and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:27-28

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Romans 12:1

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord.”
Colossians 3:23

Redeem the time in relationships and love.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Romans 12:9-13

“Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”
Luke 6:31

“The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:31

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Redeeming the time includes encouraging others.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up….”
1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we
ourselves receive from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Redeeming the time is realizing and appreciating God’s good gifts.

“How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.”
Psalm 31:19

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
James 1:17

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come, and let the one who wishes
take the free gift of the water of life.”
Revelation 22:17

So as we consider our own lives and the unknown days God grants us, may we redeem the time by living a life full of forgiveness, full of service, full of love, full of encouragement, and full of the understanding of God’s good gifts.

“Let your speech be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Colossians 4:6

How? Well, that’s for another day.