Jesus was diligent about keeping to His mission. Jesus taught His disciples the necessity of redeeming the time: “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4). We must overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). Why are we to live this way? “Because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). And we avoid empty, harmful activities such as getting drunk. We think through our plans and make sure they align with God’s will. We seize every opportunity and use it for God’s glory. We seek out and employ wisdom (see Proverbs 2:1–15). Redeeming the time means that we are careful in how we live. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life” (Ephesians 5:15–18, NLT). Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. The context of the command to redeem the time helps us understand what redeeming the time looks like and why it’s important: “Be careful how you live. Rather than waste our days on frivolous pursuits that leave no lasting imprint, Scripture instructs us to be diligent about doing good (Titus 3:8). In fact, the NIV’s translation of Ephesians 5:16 uses the phrase making the most of every opportunity instead of redeeming the time. When God says we should be “redeeming the time,” He wants us to live in constant awareness of that ticking clock and make the most of the time we have. Only God knows how much time each of us has on this earth to make decisions that will impact eternity (Psalm 139:16). Time is a gift from God, and none of us know how much of it we are allotted. To redeem something means to buy it back, to regain possession of it. In both passages, redeeming the time is related to wisdom in how we “walk,” that is, in how we live. Ephesians 5:15–16 in the King James Version says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The phrase redeeming the time is also found in Colossians 4:5: “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (KJV).

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