Redeeming the Time

"Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." - Colossians 4:5

Several years back, Bro. David Nix preached a message at our church on "Redeeming the Time". While he pulled his text from another passage, his definition of this phrase has stuck with me through the years. He said that "Redeeming the Time means that we use the minutes that others throw away." What a statement! If we examine our lives, how much idle time would find? Do any of us feel convicted every time the iPhone "Screen Time Report" pops us each week at how much time we spend on social media or games? While those things are fine in moderation, are we using them to throw time away that we could use effectively elsewhere?

You can ask my wife, the mental contents of my head falls somewhere between chaos and a squirrel that has consumed a pallet of energy drinks. I'm very easily distracted, so I have to be very vigilant of how much time I waste in a day on random things. The Apostle Paul is telling us here that not wasting our time will help us be wise to them that are lost. The term "without" means those that are not part of the church, or the lost world. It has been said that if you want to know a man's love, look at his check book and his date book. What we spend our time and money on speaks volumes as to who we are! What do you spend on the things of God? Does it even compare closely to other things in our life? I encourage you to set aside specific time for God. Mute the phone, turn the TV off, and spend some quality time with God. You won't regret it!