Ransoming Time Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 We investigated the meaning of the phrase “the days are evil” in Ephesians 5:16. We saw that it’s not so much that literal spans of time are evil as that they are in the clutches of evil. The days in which we live are dominated by sin and the powers of darkness. Thus, in a manner of speaking, the days are evil because they are imprisoned by iniquity. But the days can be rescued from evil and turned to good. That’s the sense of verse 16. In our translation it reads, “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” The Greek could be rendered more literally, “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” ... Of course, we don’t rescue the days by literally paying some sort of ransom. Rather, when we are careful about how we live, when we use our time wisely rather than foolishly, then we are redeeming time from its diabolic prison. Ironically, Ephesians 5:16 speaks of redeeming or buying time where we would speak of spending it well. But the thought is similar. To use our English idiom, if we spend our time well, not wasting it on trivia, not to mention outright sin, then time itself will be invested in good, rather than evil. I wonder what would happen today if you and I thought about time in the way of Ephesians 5:16. The day before us is held captive by evil. But if we live thoughtfully, if we use well the opportunities given to us, then we can set a bit of time free today. We can ransom it from evil into the goodness of God’s kingdom. That’s something I’d like to try. How about you? PRAYER: Gracious God, thank you for giving me the opportunity to ransom today from the prison of evil. This is certainly a different way for me to think about the day before me. Help me to act wisely, to use well every opportunity, so that I might redeem this day from evil and claim it for your kingdom. All praise be to you, God of time, God of history, God of all goodness. Amen. --The High Calling
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 18:37:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015