GETTING THE MESSAGE/Spend your time wisely
We have entered into a new year, and it is a good time to review our spiritual lives from the last year, as well as what areas we would like to make improvements for this year. The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:14 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time for the days are evil.”
Paul is instructing Christians to be mindful of how they spend their time. When we spend money, we decide to part with one thing to obtain another. Time is a more precious commodity, and it is imparted to us by God. How we spend it is indicative of what we value.
The apostle is directing Christians as those who used to walk in darkness but are now children of the light (verse 9-10). So, if we are to use our time wisely, we must remember our redemption. The price of our redemption is of infinite value. Jonathan Edwards said: “I am bold to say that the work of God in the conversion of one soul is a more glorious work of God than the creation of the whole material universe.”
The value of salvation is implied in the phrase “the days are evil.” The wrath of God is upon the world and the souls of those who have not been redeemed in Christ. Knowing this, the Christian should be careful how he lives and spends his time. We will look this at a couple of ways.
The first is that he is redeemed to spend his days glorifying God. Men were created to glorify and to enjoy God, but sin turned all men into seeking their own glory and to trying to obtain their happiness in the creation rather than the Creator. Christ was sent by God not only to take the guilt of our sin away, but to give us new hearts that desire to see the living God honored.
Jesus said to his Father: “I have glorified you on earth: I have finished the work that you gave me to do.” It was grave work, a suffering work for him, but a redeeming work for us. Now, as Christians, we have our own work to do. Paul said God made us new creatures so that “that we should be to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12).
The second reason we strive to spend our time wisely is to make our calling and election sure (2nd Peter 1:7). In whatever vocation we have, or whatever we do, we are to be mindful of doing it in a godly manner. Remember the warning Jesus gave concerning the fig tree that a man had been coming to for three years to find fruit but found none. The three years coincided with the time of Jesus’ ministry. If we do not bear fruit from Christ’s work for us and word to us, then we are not his.
On the other hand, all we do for Christ is of eternal value: “Wherefore my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; for you know your labor is not in vain for the Lord” (1st Corinthians 15:58). Nothing we do as Christians merits our salvation, but we have been given the opportunity (and obligation) to do good in Christ’s name.
The saints who are above in heaven spend their time glorifying God without difficulty, strife, and danger; but we must glorify him on earth in the midst of opposition from our sinful nature, and from the world, and from the devil. So, we must expect to have to overcome obstacles in our striving to glorify God with our time. The poor in spirit, our Lord said, will inherit the kingdom of heaven. To be poor in spirit is to be thankful and zealous to follow your Lord.
The 17th century minister Thomas Brooks wrote: “The more any poor heart acts contrary to flesh and blood, the more he pleases God; the more any poor heart denies himself, the more he pleases God; The more any poor heart acts against the stream of sinful examples, the more he pleases God; the more difficulties and discouragements a poor heart meets with in the discharge of his duty, the more love he shows to God; and the more love a poor heart shows to God, the more he pleases God.”