Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:15-17

Ephesians 5:15-17

15 See then that you walk circumspectly [watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent; well-considered], not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

We can either embrace the present experience or allow fear to steal the awesome wonder of where we were and what we were seeing and lose the value of the experience altogether. Often, we're so trapped in thoughts of the future or the past that we forget to experience, let alone enjoy, what's happening right now. In fact, most of us seem to be very busy. We’re always in a hurry. We walk fast, talk fast and eat fast. And after we eat, all too often, we stand up and say, “Excuse me. I’ve got to run.”

The great Apostle Paul had an interesting philosophy of life. He says in [1 Corinthians 15:31], “I die daily”… “I die every day!” He is saying that every single day he gives up his life to a higher cause—a higher purpose. That every day he lays down his life, takes up the cross of Christ and lets Jesus Christ live in him. He no longer lives for himself. Every day he invests his life in something greater than himself.

Jesus said that Satan is a robber and a thief, and one of the things he tries to rob from us is our time because time is indeed a precious possession. Just think of the time wasted in sin. Most of you would say, “It seemed like a thing at the time, but it wasn’t worth it”. Think of the time wasted in bars, in clubs, in dubious places with dubious people; living in the moment does not mean living without concern for consequences and it is not an excuse for living selfishly and for self alone; gambling away your future in the shallow affairs of sin. Think of the time wasted in drama, gossiping or spreading rumors. Or think about all the time wasted worrying about the consequences of the sins we have committed. Satan is a thief and a robber!

It is not just sin that makes demands on our time. Sometimes good things can make demands too. In Luke 10:40-42 we have the story of Martha and Mary. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus soaking in the good Word of God; Martha is preparing the meal and serving the group. Martha was stressed out and her stress made her frustrated at Mary for not getting off of her little tutu to come and help. Martha was not making the best of that opportunity. Now was Martha committing a sin by fixing a meal in the kitchen? Of course not! But here’s the problem. She was so preoccupied with what she was doing that she failed to realize that God was in her living room…

That’s the same mistake you and I make almost every day. We get so caught up in the here and now that we fail to deal with the eternal, the things that will last forever and ever. We fail to be in Christ in this moment. We’re overloaded with commitments. We’ve committed ourselves to go here and there, to take part in this activity and that social function. As a result we soon begin meeting ourselves coming and going because we have overloaded ourselves in the area of commitments.

Learn how to live today. The two greatest enemies of time are regrets for things we did in the past, and anxiety about what will happen to us in the future. Many of us are living either in the past or in the future. Not the present In fact, many of us are engaged in the little game of, “I wish it were.” “I wish it were next week,” or “I wish it were next month,”

Help us Lord, to redeem the time. Romans 13:11-12 says, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”