Redeem the Time

by | May 3, 2020 | Uncategorized

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” ~Ephesians 5:15-16

I’m hearing that parts of the country are beginning to open up slowly but surely. I expect it will be a while until things get back to normal though. Some say that we will never return to life as we knew it, but that doesn’t make sense to me. For the Christian, however, I pray that we will use the remaining time of being out of our routines to seek God’s face and emerge stronger in the Spirit and more full of faith to the point that we will not go back to the way we were.

When things are going smoothly, it is easy to coast, to settle into a pretty comfortable life and routine. I have been guilty of this too at times, but I do not want to be this way.

Our pastor has been challenging us to use this time wisely, and at times I’ve wondered how to do that, but the problem is that I was thinking too hard. We often think of serving God as doing great things (witnessing, going on missions trips, etc.), but, for you, redeeming the time may be making the most of the time at home with your family, mowing the grass for a neighbor who is shut in, marking some things off of your to-do list in order to bless your wife, sending Grandma a card just to let her know you’re thinking of her.

I would also submit that the most important thing we can do is to draw near to the Lord. Life has a way of being filled to the point where our relationship with Him suffers but most of us have no excuse to allow that to happen now. Ask Him to show you how He desires to change you, and then allow Him to do that before you go back to work or become involved again in your myriad of activities. Even good things like group Bible studies should never take the place of personal fellowship with your best Friend.

I expect that God is asking something of each of His children right now, and I would also venture to say that His ultimate desire is quality time. As we shut out distractions and focus on Him, we will finally be able to hear Him speak. Maybe He has been trying to tell you to change jobs or to cut out some of your activities that are preventing you from being the mom or dad that your family needs. Maybe the people you’ve been hanging around are a bad influence on you and, instead of being a witness, you have been being pulled down to the point that no one outside of your church knows that you claim to be a Christian. Repent and ask God to give you boldness to be a better witness or else grace to remove yourself from that group of friends or co-workers.

Although I am hoping that life overall gets back to normal really soon, I do not want that to happen until God has taught me everything He desires to teach me during this time. If you have begun drawing closer to the Lord, don’t relax just because things are starting to ease up. Embrace the growth and move forward in a greater faith and love for the Lord. That should be the ultimate goal of every Believer.

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Sony Elise

Sony Elise

Sony has been an avid southern gospel fan since she first heard The Happy Goodman Family on a cassette in the mid-1980s. She is the co-founder of Family Renewal and the owner of Sony Elise Editing Services.

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