Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. – Colossians 4:4

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:16

Would you like your very own time machine?

You will have to invent one because  it is yet to be  invented.

We cannot adequately manage time.

Time is beyond us and God is beyond time. Yet, He has given us the power and responsibility to redeem time in such a way that all time is dedicated to His glory and the good of others.

There are two challenges in these two verses.

The first challenge is that of the outsider. We are to act wisely toward the person who has not yet come to faith in Christ. Much is at stake in how we treat people outside the church. Not the least of which is our witness to that person and his or her eternal destiny.

The second great challenge is the downward drag of evil days. Satan cannot destroy eternity for the believer, but he can steal our time, influence, and effectiveness. He can utterly devastate our joy in service and he uses some very potent tools such as procrastination, distraction, laziness, diversion, and the lure of lesser things.

Both challenges require wisdom to activate and guide the process of time redemption. The scriptures enlighten us with the very wisdom of God in this matter as we test every goal, priority, and choice in the light of His great purpose and His calling for our lives.

Check your clocks and redeem the time.

Time has eyes.

In this case, it is I-Z-E:

The eyes of time view us with a squint that is relentless in judgment and measurement of consequences. They watch us and sound alarms when opportunities are past, never to come again.

For Paul, time was something to be redeemed for two reasons. One was the precarious nature of the days in which mankind live and the other was the call of wisdom. There are five words that end in “ize” that emphasize the “eyes” of time. If we master the wisdom of these, we will redeem our time.

Sanitize

We need to clear out the debris from our lives, all that is unnecessary and unhelpful, and especially that which is sinful. Evil days tend to corrupt our own use of time.

Prioritize

Not everything can be done, but that which is most essential can. We must seek God’s wisdom to sort through time’s demands.

Optimize

If we embrace God’s wisdom, we can make the most of every moment, squeezing out more from time than anyone could imagine.
We like to think we can control time by managing our calendars and setting our clocks backward and forward.

Strategize

If we plan ahead, we will get more done.

Energize

Our big enemy is fatigue. When we reach the end of ourselves and all of our own strength is gone, we rely on the Holy Spirit’s strength and power. We can energize our bodies with rest and healthy food, our emotions with good relationships, and our spirits with the Word of God, but our real energy to redeem the time will come from God as we walk in faith with Him.

I could throw in a few more just to be cute and thorough, but these may do. We can revisit categorize, synthesize, and scrutinize later.