by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15–16
NKJV)
How many of us have looked back through the years and wished
our lives had been different in some way? Probably all of us.
What do you think Ephesians 5:15–16 means? We can’t go back
and live the past again. Time can’t be placed in a piggy bank and saved like
money. Hours can’t be earned like our salary.
Minutes are not retrievable like lost coins. Time passes and
disappears. Because of this we can look back and feel guilt and shame over unproductive
days or wrongs we have done.
Can time be redeemed?
Well, this verse tells us to redeem time so that must mean
God has made a way for us to do what He told us to do.
One way we can redeem time is to focus on the calling the
Lord has placed in our hearts. Paul, the Apostle, was victorious over his past
because he didn’t keep mulling over the sins he had committed. He lived in the
calling God gave him and pressed forward to make each day count for the Lord.
I love the way the Message Bible relates Philippians
3:12–16.
I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made.
But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached
out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an
expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning
us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s
keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If
any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment,
God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the
right track, let’s stay on it.
We redeem time by living in the present calling and goals
that the Holy Spirit has placed in our hearts. We waste days when we spend them
mulling over past mistakes and sins. These thoughts have no benefit and keep us
from abiding in Christ.
The Father sees us as righteous when we trust in His Son and
invite Him to cleanse us from sin. He doesn’t see or relate to us in the sinful
ways we were before we knew Christ.
These Scriptures can help keep your mind on who you are in
Christ now, and show you that the past has been redeemed.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the
old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our
transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12 NKJV)
So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has
eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my
great army which sent among you. (Joel 1:15 NKJV)
As the Message Bible tells us—God beckons us forward; we are
off and running; stay focused on the goal; don’t turn back.
God has redeemed our time so we can live in the truth that
overcomes the evil of the days we live in. Don’t let the devil take that away
by rehearsing regretful thoughts, or by living in bitterness and unforgiveness.
What are some other Scriptures that help you stay focused on
the prize Jesus has given you? Share your thoughts.
Is it possible to redeem time? (click to share on X)
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