Notes of Faith July 31, 2023
Our mission is to redeem the time, because prophecy will be fulfilled no matter what. But we need to redeem the time. Ephesians 5 – see that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise redeeming the time, because the days are evil. I don’t have good news about how the world is going to be. The world is not going to be better. The days are evil. We live in a very evil world. The mystery of lawlessness is already at work. We are watching the birth pangs in the global scale but we’re watching even in the local scale a growing sheer portion of evil everywhere, all around us. And we must redeem the time. Every day counts, every minute that we live here. This is a minute that God gave you to live for Him and to share about Him. Redeem the time.
Amir Tsarfati: Redeem the Time
There are many things in life that come and go and others that are for a season. Fortunes, for some, are gained and lost and, later, gained again. People will move in and out of our lives, as we traverse the seasons of life. Friends often change, surroundings and jobs change, and one thing moves into our lives as another moves out.
But there is one commodity of life that cannot be replaced or renewed once it is gone, and that is time. When a moment in time is gone, it is gone forever.
Ephesians 5:15-16
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
The Greek word translated as “circumspectly” means “exactly”. It can also be translated as “diligently or perfectly”. The contextual meaning of the word is established by the previous verses, which tell us:
Ephesians 5:8-11
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.
As children of the light, we need to watch our step and walk exactly as the Lord has prescribed – in goodness, righteousness, and truth rather than in fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. The Holy Spirit then speaks through Paul advising us to redeem the time even in evil days.
The Greek word exagorazō, translated as “redeeming”, is interesting. It means “to buy up, to rescue from loss”, and it can also mean “to improve the quality”. This means that when the days are evil and full of darkness, we can improve the quality of our lives and the lives of those we encounter. How? By walking exactly the way the Lord want us to, which is not in fellowship with the world of darkness.
As the days grow darker and more evil in the perilous times of the last days, God has a plan for us to follow. His plan is not simply how to survive, but also how to thrive as the birth pang like the progression Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24 advances. It is no mistake that you are alive right now, and, for such a time as this, God has a plan and purpose for your life.
Psalm 37:23-25
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.
While it is true we may not always have all the things we “want”, it is equally true that we will never be without “who” we need. He orders our steps in a delightful direction, and, when we stray from it, He upholds us with His hand. David said, in paraphrase, I’ve been at this for a while and have yet to see God forsake anyone who is righteous through belief in Him. That includes all who believe in these dark days.
Psalm 1:1-6
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, qnd in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
In a time when Christians are surrounded by the counsel of the ungodly and scorners who want us to walk the same path they are on, God has ordained that we walk in His ways no matter what the rest of the world is doing. There has never been a time in history when the word of the Lord should not be our delight, for there is never a time when it will not keep us feeling like a tree planted by rivers of water. His word will always bear fruit in our lives no matter what season of history we may be living in.
So let’s not waste time walking in ungodly counsel or standing in the path of sinners or sitting with the scorners. The Lord has something much better for us! His counsel, His paths, His rest.
If you feel like you’re in a dry season right now and need to “improve the quality” of life in perilous times, make sure you’re on the right path all the time because any other path is a waste of time.
God’s way is always best! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,
Doing nothing of value is what we spend most of our time doing. Okay, I may not be talking about you, but I am speaking of myself. All too often time is wasted. And we all only have so much left to use. Let us strive to make every moment valuable to God. The reward is unimaginable and overwhelming! Give God glory for your life . . . every moment!
Pastor Dale