Redeeming the Time

      Paul offers us this reminder. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” As if we couldn’t tell! “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:15-20, ESV).
            The passage tells us how to stay in touch with our true identity even during these trying times. In a similar passage in Colossians 4:5-6, Paul deals with the same truth from the perspective of those around us.  “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside [the faith, unbelievers], redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
            The Chronos Lesson: How do we understand what the will of the Lord is? By studying His Word, with the Holy Spirit leading us into all truth. When the Ephesians passage says we’re to be filled with the Spirit, the verb tense actually means be being filled with the Spirit on a continual basis. As we draw from that reservoir of living water within our spirit, we need to make sure that the well doesn’t run dry.
        Spirit-led praise and worship is one of the most powerful resources we can use to stay in tune with God and the move of the Spirit. It’s also the quickest way to rebuke Satan’s strategies because he can’t stand to hear God being praised because that is what Satan longed for.
            Which brings us to the Colossians passage. Our words have power. We can release life—what Paul called grace and salt—or we can release death (Prov. 18:21). In the natural, there are plenty of negative circumstances and unjust situations to complain about. Grumbling comes naturally in the face of lawlessness. Social media gives us ample opportunity to voice those frustrations.
            What we must recognize is that we are in the final throes of the conflict of the ages. Because we are in Christ, we are to bring life and not curses. We may think that the worldly people deserve it. They do in one sense. But listen to what Paul says earlier in Ephesians 5.
            “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (vs. 8-11). In other words, we were in that place at one time in our lives.
            So how do we expose the darkness? By releasing light. By walking in the fruit of the spirit rather than the fruit of Satan. Berating, name-calling, and arguments that bring division do not constitute light. That is equivalent to speaking curses, which only allows Satan more entrance into their lives—and possibly even our own. Jesus came full of grace and truth (John 1:14, 17). That is why Paul said our speech or responses to those in the world should be seasoned with grace and light.
          Grace means to give something that is not earned and is undeserved. Mercy, on the other hand, is not giving something that is deserved. The world’s lawlessness deserves to be punished. That includes our sinful ways as well as the world’s. Thankfully, Jesus took that punishment on behalf of all mankind. That is the good news of the Gospel. All that is required for each individual to receive God’s mercy is to accept Jesus as the Savior and Lord so that God, in turn, can then give them grace to receive all that Jesus is.
            When we understand the times, it is easier to deal with the injustices and deception because we know that all evil will be avenged at the appointed time. Our purpose now is not to avenge evil in our midst, but to speak life and be light to people who are deceived, broken-hearted, and hopeless. It’s not about nations; it’s about people. How much more glorious is it to bring someone into the Ark of Christ than to chastise them for drowning in the turbulent waters of the mystery of lawlessness?
            Our choices always have consequences—not just for ourselves but also for those around us. Everything we say and do releases either God’s power or Satan’s power in our life and in the lives of others. Which will you choose?