Somebody once said, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what should be done today because procrastination is the thief of time.” What he meant by that I think is that we usually procrastinate when we have the time to do what’s needed but we’d rather not, thus we put off to another time which may never come what we had the time to do today and in this way procrastination robs us of time.
In the Ephesian
letter Paul calls the days that they were living in evil; he said, “Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil.”
What’s Paul saying? Well, without
denying God’s sovereignty over all of His creation I think that Paul is drawing
our attention to the fact that we live
in a delicate world.
Men still choose to do evil instead of good. Sometimes their choices just affect themselves, and sometimes they affect others, sometimes many others. On 9/11 several men boarded planes which crashed into the Trade towers, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field, killing thousands out of hate. And on any given night someone carelessly chooses to drink and drive, wrecks and kills someone; or another gets angry and takes another man’s life, etc.; wars and rumors of war, famines, pestilence’s, earthquakes in various places (Matthew 24:6-8), hurricanes, typhoons, tornado’s, blistering heat, freezing cold, ‘global warming’, hate, greed, injustice, etc. – we live in a delicate world.
We are obviously not in full control of our time here on earth. You
could avoid people, traffic, cities and still be a victim of
someone else’s careless or violent act. You may live a morally pure life and still contract AIDS from a blood transfusion during surgery
(all though that is less likely today than in
recent years). You could drive carefully and cautiously and still be a party in
a fatality
wreck because of ‘the other guy’ – and so on.
It should alarm us
that life isn’t nearly as predictable as we would like it to be. Likewise, it should be just as alarming to understand that the threads that moor each
of our lives in time can be easily broken by any one of a number of things. It
should alarm us that life can end at any moment, ours or someone else’s, and that
their eternal destiny hangs in the hope that someone tells them about Jesus, and that they believe. These alarms should move us to act, to listen,
to care, and to get involved in the lives of others; they should stir us to
urgency regarding the sharing of the gospel.
When panic is prevailing in the hearts of people all around us, what should the followers of Christ do? In Paul’s letter to the churches of Colossae and Ephesus twice he uses the expression – “redeem the time;” in fact these are the only two instances of the phrase in the entire New Testament. One man suggested that in redeeming the time you and I are to take ownership of it and if we take ownership of it, if we treat it as the precious gift that it is – we will also make the most of it. We all know what that means in simple human terms: life is short; cherish the moments; spend time with those you love – make the most out of today because tomorrow doesn’t always come; we know what it means in general terms – what does it mean for the follower of Jesus Christ?
Redeem the Time for
the Lord’s Purposes…
In his letter to the Ephesians Paul adds something to the expression “redeeming the time” in [v.17] taking it all together, [v.15-17] read like this:
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
If we are to understand how we as believers are to make the most of our time on earth we must first understand what God wants us to do with the time He has given us – what is His will? The simplest answer to the question of God’s will pertains to His primary purpose in sending His Son among us – His Son came to redeem us. Therefore we make the best use of our time as believers – we redeem time best when we use it to share the message of God’s redeeming love with those who have yet to trust in Jesus themselves. It is in this context that we might best understand the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ as read in [Matt. 28:18-20]:
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
God’s
will is also clearly expressed in [2 Peter 3:9]:
“The Lord is not slack concerning His
promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing
that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
And in [1 Corinthians 5:9-10]:
“I wrote to you in my epistle not to
keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with
the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or
extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.”
Clearly
God’s will according to these verses alone is that as we live our lives we are
to strive to lead as many people (regardless of their background as unbelievers)
as each of us can to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
In light of the fact that the will of the Lord is redemptive in nature and that as the redeemed the use of our time must be redemptive as well, there are two other points that we should consider:
The world is on a collision course with God’s wrath. (2 Peter 3:10-18)
Life is short.
Redeem the Time for
the Lost’s Sake…
Paul not only instructed believers to consider and understand what the will of the Lord was and is but also to “walk circumspectly.” That expression means to live in such a way as to consider the consequences before hand of what you might do or say. The writer of Proverbs wrote in [Prov. 12:18];
“There is
one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise
promotes health.”
That’s a hard one; most of us are not that measured in our speech. For most of us, we say what comes to mind as soon as it does and we are nearly as spontaneous in our actions as well. If we’re wronged, for example, often our first response is to pay it back. But Paul’s instruction leads us to understand that there are consequences to consider in terms of accomplishing God’s will which are dependent on what we say and do before the lost. Will your actions and or deeds bring the unbeliever closer or push him or her further away from faith in Jesus Christ?
Paul instructed the Colossians (Col. 4:5) to “walk in wisdom toward those who are outside” (outside the faith). In other words, believers should be careful how they live before unbelievers, choosing to live holy lives on a daily basis (to practice what we preach), pursuing the will of God, and striving to do good at every opportunity rather than pursuing the evil that lurks in every day. Paul’s words in (Ephesians 5: 8–13), especially, (vs. 8) shed additional light on his instruction in (vs. 15) to conduct our lives wisely and carefully before a watching world – in (vs. 8) he said, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”If we are followers of God, who is described metaphorically in the Bible as “light” (light being synonymous with God’s pure and holy character, and His integrity) we should ourselves conduct our lives as children of light – every moment of the day should be lived with God and His will as the driving force behind every choice we make and every word we say.
Listen, the gravest
consequence of all is that unbelievers will face the full wrath of God in hell
and I think that it is in light of this truth that we must double our efforts
to make the most of our time with the people that we meet as we live our lives.
How are you
redeeming the time for the lost’s sake?
The call of the Christian is to rescue the perishing; the consequence of not heeding the call, the consequence of not casting the “gospel” net or reaching out to the lost is the unbelievers eternal doom.
It is easy to offer advice to people going through trying
times, just say a few words and “bam” you feel that you’ve done your
part and hope that they feel encouraged. Such an approach to the suffering of others
reminds me of what the half-brother of Jesus said in (James 2:15-16):
“If a brother
or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them,
“Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things
which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”
Am I saying that we really can’t help others until “we’ve
walked a mile in their shoes?” No, but the reality is that our words of
empathy, understanding and compassion can lack a certain authenticity – it is
often as the words of the bereaved state to the one who says “I know how you
feel” – “no, you don’t.”
The Lord has been working on me regarding this subject lately
and He used a well-known quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Rainy
Day” to start it off:
The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.
My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all, INTO EACH LIFE SOME RAIN MUST FALL,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
Rain, as you may know, is sometimes a blessing and sometimes
a curse. So as to not keep what I mean veiled behind the word, by rain I mean
to point to the challenging moments in our lives that change our life’s
trajectory either permanently or for a season and which, if allowed, cause us to
lose track of our identity and purpose.
With regard to the rain, we don’t get to chose when it comes,
whether it drops from the clouds or it takes the form of an unwelcome diagnosis
or announcement; it comes as it pleases with the permission of the Lord and the
best any of us (especially those who trust in the Lord) can do in advance of
the rainy day or the storms of life is to remain focused on Jesus Christ and
the promises found in His word.
Well, as I said, the Lord has been dealing with me on the subject of dealing with the rainy days of life by taking me through my own and reminding me that the rainy days of life DO NOT have the last word; He used the following Biblical passages to bring me back to the right perspective:
When you want to give in to hopelessness, “Be STRONG in the Lord, in the power of His might!” Ephesians 6:10 (emphasis mine)
LEARN “to be content in whatever state you are in…” (Philippians 4:11)
ACCEPT adversity from God: “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10)
BELIEVE that: “God shall supply all your NEED according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
When you think you’re alone REMEMBER that “…He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Because the Lord IS with you, keep the faith: “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” (Matthew 8:23–26)
The word of God contains multitudes more encouragement for those experiencing an extended season of difficulty. I offer these because it is easy to get caught in the rain (so to speak) and to become so overwhelmed and inwardly focused that we may fail to worship God for who He is; praise Him for what He is doing and serve Him in the work He has for us.
The rut of hopelessness and despair only gets deeper if we fail to recall to mind the Lord’s word and heed it when the rainy days come.
Several months ago I read a book by Jared Wilson titled, “The story of Everything.” One of the things that stuck with me from the second chapter is that in essence all of us are narcissists at heart, meaning that everyone of us considers ourselves to be the most important person in our own lives.
What do you think? is that a fair and accurate statement?
As you ponder the question I’d like you to consider how you respond when someone arriving after you gets served before you at a restaurant, at an automotive service department, at the deli counter or at the doctors office. In addition, how do you respond when you’re cut off in traffic, at an exit, or in a parking lot or garage when someone takes the parking space you’ve been waiting for?
Now consider these words from (Philippians 2:3-4):
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Recently, I suffered a traumatic head injury and was in need of urgent treatment. Life Flight was grounded because of the weather and I ended up being transported by ambulance the 140 miles or so to University hospital in San Antonio where the trauma team there took great care of me and takes great care of EVERY patient brought to them – they put me on the road to recovery.
A few days ago I had to return again by ambulance for what I thought was nothing but what doctors thought might have been a stroke. Thankfully, it was not. But on that occasion I became angry and frustrated because I was still there and was no being so urgently tended to; to be honest I became inconvenienced. Then it dawned on me that the team, which weeks earlier had been doing everything to get me on the road to recovery was doing the same for others who were like I had been and worse and in urgent need of help.
They were helping others and I began to deeply regret my attitude.
In reality, that team of interns, doctors, surgeons and nurses were doing what every believer is called to do – they were esteeming others as greater or more important than themselves.
Jesus, our great Physician did that too!
In (Luke 5:31-32) we read that Jesus said: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Were the Pharisees – is anyone righteous? No, but some people in their sin and self righteousness don’t know how urgent their need is of our great Physician. I bring the passage up however because of the lengths that Jesus went to in order to make sin sick souls well: Jesus laid His life down for the sake of sinners and enemies of God – for our sake (see John 10:11) and in obedience to His Father’s will (see Luke 22:42, John 4:34). In a sense, Jesus esteemed us better than Himself (see Philippians 2:5-11); His Father was the most important person in Jesus’ life and fulfilling His Father’s mission was all that mattered to Him.
The most important mission for the EMT’s neurologists, neurosurgeons, doctors and nurses at University hospital is saving the lives of others. Likewise, the most important people in our lives ought to be those in urgent need of forgiveness, grace and abundant life made available to them through our great Physician Jesus Christ; and our greatest mission is to care enough about them to point them to Him, to love them like He loves us John 13:34, 15:12) and to esteem them – to put them before ourselves.
Who and what is most important to you? Will you join me in moving self out of the way for the sake of others?
Lord, help us move from being focused on ourselves, our lives and our to-do lists that we might become focused on the needs of those around us instead.
I received a make-up kit at a family Christmas party the other day. The party was themed “white-elephant” which is a kind of gift game where people bring a gift, draw a number, pick a gift and then the laughs begin. Needless to say – I re-gifted the make-up kit that I had received.
No one re-gifts something they treasure of course; we re-gift things we either don’t like, don’t need or already own often with the intention of not injuring the relationship we have with the one who gave the gift in the first place. The previous comment is true in nearly EVERY situation but one in my mind – no one re-gifts something they treasure…no one that is, but the one who has received Jesus Christ by faith.
In Acts chapter 3 we read of Peter and John entering into the temple in Jerusalem to pray. Peter and John were among the first of those called by Jesus Christ to follow Him; they were not present when He was born but they were with Him as He taught about the Kingdom of God and as He healed the sick and delivered the demon possessed. These men were with Jesus when He was arrested, they saw Him tortured and humiliated – John saw Him hanging on the cross and both men, three days later saw Him alive again.
As Peter and John approached the temple they encountered a man lame, literally cripple from birth who was daily set beside the gate called Beautiful where he begged for alms (help or charity) from those passing by. As Peter and John passed by, he cried out to them for help; what happened next was a miracle.
Peter and John fixed their eyes upon the man and told him to look at them, which the lame man expecting to receive something from them did; then Peter spoke and said (v.6): “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
The beggar knew what he wanted but not what he needed. Peter and John didn’t have what he wanted but offered him what they had – THAT was exactly what he needed. You see Peter and John did not have money but they had faith in Jesus Christ and they offered the man a chance for a brand new life in Jesus name and the man, by faith in Jesus’ name (v.16) rose up and walked for the first time in his life!!!
Can you imagine the joy?! The man (v.8) lept “up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.”
Peter wasn’t done though; you see the people marveled at the mans healing but Peter wanted them to know that it was the one which the Jews rejected – that it was Jesus Christ who healed Him and he called those people to (v.19-21) : “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”
Listen, we were ALL born spiritually lame, cripple from birth and unable to walk with God but by faith in Jesus’ name those who have believed in Jesus have received new life! Now we CAN walk with God in newness of life!
But the gift we’ve been given is meant to be shared.
During this season of giving and getting you may not really be sure what to give the people in your life. We may not know what they want but we know what every soul needs. Share your faith. Tell them about Jesus Christ.
One of the greatest and most whimsical stories of the season is the Dr. Seuss classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Who HASN’T heard the story about the grumpy green grouch living above the city of Whoville?
While the story seems to focus on the restoration of the main characters maniacally twisted, depraved and ever so tiny heart through the kindheartedness of a little girl named Cindy Lou Who, I think that most of us have missed the more subtle moral of the story.
Have you ever considered that Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Suess might have been railing on the flamboyant, over the top consumerism and materialism that seems to drive our own keeping of the season from before Halloween through our New Year celebrations?
What IS this season REALLY about?
As I see it, its about love.
It’s about the love of God who at just the right time, “sent forth His Son, made (born) of a woman, made (born) under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4) It’s also about WHY God the Father sent Him: “God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16) God loved the world – the kosmos in the Greek; He loved the world and especially its inhabitants. He loved you and me when we were green with envy, when we were grouchy and complaint filled; He loved us, the Bible says in (Romans 5:8) “while we were yet sinners.” He loved the sinner while hating their sin – a fact not written out in so many words in the pages of scripture and yet made evident by the actions He undertook on behalf of us all.
It’s also about the love of Jesus who died to reconcile us to God while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:10). Did He love God or each of us more, when He suffered unspeakable hate and torture and as He bore our sins on the cross and exchanged them for His own righteousness? The answer seems clear from the Bible that out of love and especially obedience toward His Father, Jesus endured all of those things (Luke 22:42, John 4:34,5:30, 6:38 ) nevertheless, love kept Jesus on the cross.
At His incarnation or birth into human flesh, the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ was given as an expression of God’s love toward the world in order to make us what none of us ever could be on our own – right with God. By His crucifixion and resurrection Jesus Christ made His Father’s love a literal reality for every person who has believed or ever will.
Christmas isn’t about Jing Tinglers, Flu Floopers, Tar Tinkers or Who Hoovers no matter how wonderful the music played on these can be! It isn’t about finding and giving the most amazing (and amazingly expensive) gift from the list of someone we love. While love is the only debt the Bible says we ought to owe each other (Romans 13:8), expressing it shouldn’t put us in the poor house. Christmas IS about the greatest expression of love ever known among men – God’s love toward sinners.
So this Christmas, if all you have is time to give – give it; your time given to the one forgotten is a priceless loving gesture to them. By the way, love the unbearable grouch at the end of your block or next to you in your work place or couch – do for them what Jesus did for you; who knows if it won’t just change their lives too.
When I was just a boy, my dad asked me a mind blowing question; he asked me, “What is love?” I defined it the only way I could at that age – by how I had experienced it; I replied, “Love is caring for a friend.”
Love is a lot of things but in my mind before it’s anything else it is a verb, in other words, it is the act of a person or persons which evokes an intellectual, emotional and sometimes sentimental response from the recipient(s).
The Bible says that love is patient and kind; it bears, believes, hopes and endures all things and is never failing; that is, in part what Paul said about it in (1Corinthians 13:4-8). It bears with people, believes the the best about them, hopes the best for them and NEVER gives up on them.
The Apostle Peter added in (1Peter 4:8) that love covers:
“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “’love will cover a multitude of sins.'”
Love won’t make public another persons sin by way of gossip or conversation rather it comes alongside and restores the errant brother or sister (Galatians 6:1); it believes, bears, covers and one more thing…it speaks truth. That’s actually how the church is grown and strengthened, by “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15)
In other words, loving people tell the truth, even critical and perhaps even controversial, unpopular and maybe even unwelcome truth… love tells the truth for the good of the other person. It doesn’t tolerate, overlook or otherwise accept and validate falsehood or sinfulness it lovingly confronts it.
Love is a command. Jesus said in (John 13:34) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (see also John 15:12, 15:17)
The Bible says that love is not only the only debt we ought to owe anyone (Romans 13:8) but that it is also a fulfillment of the law in the same verse.
Let me leave you with a thought from Josh McDowell:
“Tolerance says, “You must approve of what I do.” Love responds, “I must do something harder: I will love you, even when your behavior offends me.”
Tolerance says, “You must agree with me.” Love responds, “I must do something harder: I will tell you the truth, because I am convinced the truth will set you free.’ ”
Tolerance says, “You must allow me to have my way.” Love responds, “I must do something harder: I will plead with you to follow the right way, because I believe you are worth the risk.”
So love your neighbor, brother, the one who loves you and the one who doesn’t; love your friends and your enemies… love acts ~ love does the harder thing.
Last Sunday at Parkway Church Pastor Mike Hurt reminded us from the words found in (1 John) that “God’s love for us shapes all of our relationships:” (https://parkwaychurch.tv/sermon/relational-change) the section we dialed down on (1 John 4) concludes with these words in (v.20): “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
Those words, as powerful and convicting as they are can lead the proud among us to ask the same question posed to Jesus by a lawyer in (Luke 10:29): “And who is my neighbor?” As if trying to find some way out of the prime directive of love found in both the Old and New Testaments (Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18 Luke 10:27): “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself; ” we ask , “who is my brother and who is my neighbor – do I really have to love him or her like that?”
In so asking aren’t we really asking “is there anyone I don’t
have to love?”
It’s an honest question and a believer might ask it but asking
it may also indicate a far greater area of concern in the life of the person
asking. Jeremiah wrote in (Jer. 17:9):
“The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
Before we met Jesus, our hearts were incurably sick; our
hearts were full of the wrong things. Jesus said that “out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false
witness, blasphemies.” (Matthew 15:19, NKJV) In short, we didn’t
and couldn’t love others or God because we loved ourselves too much. Think
about it – why do we lie; for our sakes or for others? Why do we steal – to benefit
others or ourselves?
The heart is tricky. It so cloaks its true intentions and
condition that the one in whom it beats may not even know how wicked it really
is – but God knows. He searches the hearts of men (Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 8:27)
and while others are making distinctions based on appearances, God looks deeper
(1 Samuel 16:7) – “He looks at the heart.”
Does what He perceives in our hearts repulse and repel God from us? No, Paul told us in (Romans 5:8) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This was the mission of the Savior who said in (John 3:16):
“For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Far from shrinking back from, hating or condemning us, God, in His love made a way for all of us, since all of us suffer from this incurable heart condition, to be made well. The writer of (2 Samuel 14:14) made it clear that God, in His mercy, “…devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.”
When a person believes in Jesus, he is born again (John 3:3) in this sense – God gives him or her “a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26). Because of that new life, he who once upon a time only loved himself can now love God and others because of the NEW condition of his heart.
When we consider the lengths that God went to in order to express His love toward us and what He had to both overlook and endure in terms of our sin to draw near enough to us so as to forgive us the penalty due for our sin by dying in our place and rising again victorious AND that nothing will EVER separate us from His love (see Romans 8:38-39); when we remember that He did THAT for US and believe it, we will then be able to also see and hopefully treat our fellow man with a similar kind of love.
Is there anyone you don’t have to love? The question might be better put like this – is there anyone you just can’t love? Mankind spit in Jesus’ face – He loved them anyway. Mankind beat Jesus to a pulp – He loved them anyway. Mankind hung Jesus on a cross and mocked Him there – He died for their sins anyway. If anyone had a reason to hate it was Jesus. If anyone had a reason to withhold grace and mercy it was Jesus. What stood between you and the Lord that in love He forgave you of even after you first believed? What now stands between you and those who are like you were “without Christ…having no hope and without God in the world?” (Ephesians 2:12)
May the Lord’s enduring love for you inspire you to love those around you for their sake and to His glory…without exception.
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