Redeeming the Time

"Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." -Colossians 4:5 (KJV)

In the above exhortation, the apostle Paul is closing out his letter to the church with a sobering exhortation: redeem the time. An exhortation is a strong encouragement to do something. This word used for redeem is only used four other times in the New Testament, twice for the blood of Jesus redeeming mankind and twice in reference to time. We have all had moments where we wish that we could stop time like a sunny day by the ocean or a lovely day in the Mountains. We all receive 24 golden hours with 60 diamond studded minutes in each hour. We are being encouraged to seize every opportunity that is covered in precious time. Here are a few observations I would like to share about this passage:



1. The nature of redeeming the time.

This command is written to those who know the Lord. Time was given to us by God to use/invest wisely or correctly. The call of scripture is to exercise the use of time wisely. We must not spend our time consumed with mindless entertainment. We live in an age in which we are surrounded by apathy to the Lord. We must awake and arise where our life is concerned. Time is something that is given by God while we live on earth because, there is no time in heaven. We must live in the present, walking wisely in this age. We must not be in love with days gone by when certain kinds of ministries worked, but with what God is doing now!

2. The necessity of redeeming the time.

We are suppose to determine what we are to do with the time we have been given. In college football, time is a very important element in how you play the game. How a coach uses the clock could determine if the game is won or lost. We are not just playing a game here! We have people at stake: our families, our churches, and our obedience to Jesus Christ. If you found out today that you only had 12 months to live, would you change how you spent the next 12 precious months? Could you justify your behavior or priorities? Every day we wake up there may be 10 or more things we want to do, but only three or four may get done, based on our priorities. Do we let our calendars set the priorities or do we let the priorities set the calendar?

3. The neglect of redeeming the time.

Many people long for a pastor who will tell people what makes them feel good about themselves. I have always found it interesting that this same principle is not used when it comes to physical health. No one in their right mind wants a doctor who will make them feel good, they want a doctor who will be honest and tell the truth. Do not neglect the following exhortations that Paul gives around redeeming the time:

• Continue to pray (Col. 4:2)
• Pray for the preacher (Col. 4:3)
• Speak to those who are lost so that you will not be misunderstood (Col. 4:4)
• Give an answer to people who are critical or skeptical of your faith (Col. 4:6)
• Let all your speech towards those who don't know Christ be seasoned with grace. (Col. 4:6)