Hal Chaffee Ministries

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

Time is a precious commodity. Many things are replaceable and recoverable, but time is not. Each moment that passes is a moment that will never come again. Life often continues as it always has been, and a false sense of permanence lulls many to sleep or to embrace fruitless amusements. If one isn’t careful, it is easy to waste the time away, with life passing on quickly. Many people do not realize the brevity of life until they are older, wondering how everything slipped by so fast. Truly, life is ‘a vapor that appears for a little time and vanishes away’ (James 4:14). All our lives in this world will indeed vanish away. When that time comes, will we be able to say that we redeemed the time we had or squandered it away? I pray earnestly that all of us will be able to rejoice in that we used our time in a way that matters for eternity.

Redeeming the Time

What does it mean to ‘redeem the time?’ In English, the word ‘redeem’ means to buy something back, like one would buy back an item they had pawned at a pawn shop. It also, more generally, means to regain something that was lost. For example, if a man does something that soils his reputation, he may seek to redeem himself in some way. Perhaps he will engage in charity work or something similar. If his reputation is improved, one might say of him: “I once considered him a worthless man, but through his charity work, he has redeemed himself.”

In the Biblical language, the meaning is generally the same. However, it is also used to refer to rescuing one from trouble. For example, Jacob, when blessing his grandchildren, spoke of how the Lord rescued him from all evil, saying, “The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads…” (Genesis 48:16). And the Lord, speaking to the people of Israel, uses the word ‘redeem’ as a synonym for rescue when He said: “I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments” (Exodus 6:6). The Lord did not literally buy anything back, but the idea of purchasing the freedom of the Israelites is there, for the payment was His labor in rescuing them, not with money, but an ‘outstretched arm.’

With this in mind, we can understand what it means to ‘redeem the time.’ It is an action that we are to take to rescue our time from being wasted away. This can be done with money to some degree, but money is not the currency that is referred to in our text. Instead, wisdom is the currency that is used to rescue our time. Wisdom is the time redeemer. A parallel passage in the book of Colossians supports this:

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. – Colossians 4:5

How to Redeem the Time

Our text (Ephesians 5:15) states that walking ‘circumspectly’ is the proper method of redeeming the time. Circumspectly means to look around carefully. It is what you would tell someone who is about to walk through a yard normally occupied by dogs. If they do not walk circumspectly, they will likely step into waste. In a similar way, it is wise for us to look carefully at how we live and use our time. Time is to be used carefully. If we are not thoughtful about how we use our time, it will be a waste.

There are things in life that are time wasters. Many amusements that we consume are nothing but time wasters. Amusements are not evil, per se, but overused in our culture. In general, there should always be some redeeming factor to the amusements that we engage in. Does it contribute to our health in some way? Does it contribute to our learning? Does it encourage community and fellowship? Does it provide us with the ‘recharge’ that we need to get us back to productive work? Often, when someone is considering a certain amusement, they will say to themselves, “There is nothing wrong with this.” This is the wrong attitude to have, for if there is no redeeming aspect to it, it violates the command to redeem the time. Instead, when considering amusements or entertainments, we should ask ourselves: “Does this contribute to my health, learning, mental well-being, piety, community, etc.?” Much of the amusements and entertainments consumed today do the opposite of this. They not only waste our time but are detrimental to us, filling our minds and hearts with garbage.

We also must look carefully at what we allow our minds to think. Time is redeemable if we choose to begin to live in wisdom. Some of us have wasted so much time in our lives that we have despair. We groan over all the time we have wasted in our lives, thinking that it is too late for us to become the person that we desire to be or accomplish the things that we desire to accomplish. However, I believe the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use the word ‘redeem’ when it comes to time for a reason. Walking in wisdom will not just redeem the time we have left but also the time we may have thought has been wasted. God is the master of all things. Time may seem like an enemy to us, but God is Lord over time. “My time is in Your hands,” the scripture says (Psalm 31:15). God knows the beginning and the end. He can redeem the time you think you have lost.

In Joel 2:25, the Lord says, “I will restore to you the years the locusts have eaten…”

God has a way of using even a broken past for His glory. He can work all things together for good, even a past that seems wasted (Romans 8:28). To dwell on that past and beat yourself up about it is not wise. First, it is wrong to think that God cannot redeem those lost years in some way. Secondly, it is certainly wrong to use our precious time to wallow in our own self-pity. Instead, as difficult as it is sometimes, we must forget the past and press on in the time that we have, redeeming as much of it as we possibly can.

…but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13-14

Never think it is too late to live a life that pleases God and bears fruit for His glory. All things are possible with God.

Wisdom is the Principal Thing

We need wisdom if we wish to redeem the time. Wisdom is different than knowledge and understanding. Knowledge is the accumulation of information; understanding is knowing the why behind that information; wisdom is the ability to apply those things toward a good result. Knowledge comes first, then understanding, then wisdom. You can’t understand what you don’t know, nor can you apply what you don’t understand. Wisdom is essential, and better is wisdom with a little knowledge and understanding than knowledge and understanding without wisdom. This is why children have guardians until they are adults. Children begin by accumulating knowledge. As they grow older, they gain understanding. However, they think knowledge and understanding is enough. In their teen years, they often think themselves superior to their parents and other ‘old fuddy-duddies,’ especially if they possess greater amounts of knowledge and understanding. Little do they know that knowledge and understanding are useless weights if a man does not possess wisdom.

Wisdom comes from God. There’s a lot of pseudo-wisdom in this world, but true wisdom comes from God alone. It comes as a gift. You can’t study the Bible to get wisdom. You can get knowledge that way, but not wisdom. Nor does wisdom come by the instruction of the Holy Spirit; only understanding comes that way. For the most part, wisdom comes as a gift, an impartation, from God in answer to prayer.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. – Proverbs 2:6

If we are to obtain wisdom, we must ask for it, as Solomon did.

“Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” – 2 Chronicles 1:10

This is a prayer that God will answer for any who approach Him in faith:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. – James 1:5-8

Wisdom is the principal thing, the Bible says (Proverbs 4:7). This means that it is first in importance. If we are to redeem the time, we must be diligent in our prayers to receive it.

The Days Are Evil

Why must we redeem the time? The answer given to us in our text is because the ‘days are evil.’ What does this mean?

The apostle does not say that the days are short or that our time is limited. These things are undoubtedly true, but the Holy Spirit inspired him to write that the days were ‘evil.’

How are the days evil? They are evil because they are against us. Each day is a march towards decay. And each day is full of temptations and troubles that seek to derail us. Each day we must fight the good fight of faith, enduring difficulties as our bodies grow weaker and our minds less able. We have no time to waste, for soon we will be gone, with only what we do for the kingdom of God remaining. Souls need to be saved. How can we waste precious time when there’s a lost world that needs Christ?

Conclusion

Redeeming the time is a command of God. Woe to anyone who reads this message and continues wasting away the precious little time that he has doing useless things. He shall be judged by God and the pain of regret will gnaw upon his mind for all eternity. I greatly fear that many people piddle away their lives thinking that they have plenty of time later to serve the Lord. They are greatly mistaken.

However, it would also be a mistake to get in an anxious hurry. God is never in a hurry. Hurry implies lack of wisdom, and God lacks no wisdom. So, instead of hurry, we should seek to gain a heart of wisdom. God will give us this wisdom if we seek Him for it. With wisdom we redeem the time, making the most of what little on earth that we have, preparing ourselves an abundant future when time is no more.

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