Redeeming the Time (October 15, 2025)

 ^“…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)

Each day that God graciously blesses us to live is a gift that we cannot afford to take for granted or to squander. Yesterday is a memory that cannot be relived and tomorrow is a hope that no one is guaranteed. As Christians seeking to minister to others, we do ourselves a disservice and waste our time when we unduly focus on a past over which we have no control or become consumed by dreams of a future that we might not have the opportunity to realize. While applying life lessons learned in days gone by and planning for the years that may be ahead are important, our focus should be squarely on living today fully and in faithfulness to the LORD! The most productive use of our time is to walk in trusting obedience to God, loving and serving each other.

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

Time is a fixed and fleeting commodity that can evaporate before we realize it is gone, never to be relived or reclaimed. In two of his church epistles, the apostle Paul warned early Christians to seize each precious moment, making the most of the limited time that they had been granted by the grace of a loving God. Given the brevity of life and the fact that time cannot be bought back, the only means of “redeeming the time” with which we’ve been gifted is to use every minute wisely and prudently before it vanishes and opportunities are lost. God has numbered our days, expecting us to be good stewards of our time, as well as the talents and other personal resources He has given us to use faithfully and fruitfully according to His timeless perfect will!

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)