Eph 5:15-17 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
Having been blessed by God to be light in the Lord (Eph 5:8), we are cautioned to take heed (see Strong’s definition for the word rendered “see”) to how we live. It is expected that once we have tasted of the goodness of God that our walk (manner of living) should change. Rather than living from day-to-day without any continuity of purpose, we now have a mark (goal) to press toward. There is a high calling in our lives that requires us to walk (live) diligently after wisdom. We are to put aside foolish behavior.
As professing Christians, we need to understand that foolish behavior is especially uncomely in us. Like Paul, we should only encourage people to follow us as we follow Christ. We should take heed to our lives and not be seen facing life’s problems like people who don’t have any hope or help. Our lives should reflect righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom 14:17). This is what the kingdom of God is; a circumspect walk will manifest this. Living a life of diligence in Jesus Christ will enable us to redeem the time.
Strong’s gives the Greek word translated as “redeeming” in verse 16 as “to buy up, that is, ransom; figuratively to rescue from loss (improve opportunity).” Clearly, we are not being told to ransom time in the same light that Christ ransomed us from sin and death. However, in taking heed to our manner of living in the light of Jesus Christ we are able to rescue the time remaining to us from loss. Instead of wasting our time in vain pursuit of ungodly things, we use our time to glorify God and encourage His people. Rather than dreading the fact that the days are evil (filled with hardship and things that do not honor God) we can rejoice in the fact that our God is greater than the evil that is in the world. We are to quit wasting our time talking about all that is wrong with the world and concentrate on all that is right in Jesus Christ. It is time for God’s people to stop being unwise; we should be declaring at every opportunity that our God reigns. We need to profess it with our lips and live it with our walk.
We are told to do this by understanding what the will (or purpose) of the Lord is. I realize that His will may manifest to and in each of us differently depending on our circumstances. At the root of His will is this underlying principle; “as I have loved you, love ye also one another.” The Lord’s will is that we should come to repentance (2 Pe 3:9). While the specifics of repentance may not be exactly the same for us, we are all called by God to abandon darkness and walk in light. We know that this is not in our ability to do without the grace of God first being present in our lives.
May we, by His grace, stop wasting the time we have walking in the despair of the world and instead understand that the will of God is that we live in joy and peace to His glory!
