Redeeming The Time

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

We are to walk circumspectly. The word “circumspectly” means diligently or carefully. Walking circumspectly can be illustrated by the way a cat walks upon a building’s high garden walls which are surmounted with pieces of broken glass to prevent break-ins. The cat would ponder very carefully where it puts its paw, almost with a contemplative air, so that it does not touch the broken glass lest it should be wounded. If a cat takes this much care about where it places its paws, how much more should we walk circumspectly and take great care to ensure that we place our feet on the path of righteousness.

If we are not careful with our spiritual walk, we can become wounded by the contamination of sin, just as the cat could be wounded by the shards of glass on top of the wall. Paul says that we need to redeem the time, because the days are evil. This is a truth that should govern our lives. There is a battle for the time that we have been allotted here on earth. The devil provides all kinds of distractions that are carefully designed to steal from us the precious commodity called time. Once we have lived a day, we can never get it back.

Every person on earth has 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week and 365 days a year. An average person may only live 29,200 days. Yet why is it that some people can make such valuable use of their time while others don’t accomplish anything in the same amount of time? Those who make wise use of their time are the ones who prosper in life. Moses says in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” We need to number or count our days so that we use them wisely, for none of us knows how long we will live.

Paul tells us to redeem (or to get back from the devil’s grasp) our God-given privilege of deciding minute by minute what we are going to do within the life span accorded us. As Christians, there are untold opportunities each day to serve the Lord. Let us make the most of our opportunities and our time.