Eph 5:15-17 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, (16) making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (17) Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

In the United States on average, corporations spend over $165 million on training and employee development per year. As a large part of this money being spent, much of it is for time management tools and training. We seem to have an obsession to stay on task and to be productive. We create to-do lists, day planners, Google calendars that sync from one device to another… We all want to make the best use of our time. Even the apostle Paul exhorts us to make the best use of our time, because the days are evil.

However, Paul isn’t talking about being efficient with our time so we can be more productive, but that we shall redeem our time for the use of glorifying God. Since we are living in evil times, how we spend our time is of great importance. How we walk our walk should be in all wisdom and understanding and not as those who are foolish. And to do this we need to understand the will of the Lord.

I was recently in a group of friends and the topic of conversation became about their favorite television shows. Since I have not had cable TV for many years, I could not relate to very much of the conversation. As they talked about the shows there were times I actually began to wonder how a person who loves the Lord could watch some of the shows they were describing. Now I am not saying that a bit of time in front of the tube is wrong, but what Paul says to me here is that I need to purchase my time from the foolish things of the world because all the world does is produce evil. We are living in evil times… For me, I would rather spend time with a friend discussing what the Lord is doing in our lives than watch the next sitcom, awards show, or Super Bowl commercial, not to mention the outright blatant sin and worship of the Devil in these shows…

How we use our time is key to what Paul says in the previous verses. Walk in love, be imitators of God, be children of light, flee from immorality, and so on. It isn’t simply limit or censor our entertainment time, we need to make the best use of our time for the benefit of the Kingdom of God. The Devil has come to steal, kill, and destroy and we are often sitting back on the couch allowing it to happen to our family, our friends, and our loved ones. Like the frog in the pot, when the water temperature is gently increased, the frog eventually dies because he doesn’t realize that it is now at a boil. That is what happens to you and me when we stop seeing the urgency of the moment and simply kick back and coast through life with no regard to the time the Lord has given us.

Each one of us has a set number of days and how we use those days is a pretty good indicator of how much we believe the words of Christ to be true. When I read over what He commands, I have to ask myself if I am walking in the Spirit and fulfilling the will of God in my life. Often I spend more time on my Google calendar planning my day than I do in the Word allowing the Holy Spirit to direct my path. Paul tells us in Romans that the hour has come to wake from our sleep because salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

There is a lost and dying world out there and our commission is to go and reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My work, my money, my pursuits, and my time should all be for this aim, to make disciples of all the nations. That doesn’t mean everyone becomes a missionary, but it does mean that my time needs to be spend wisely so when I get to the place of my face to face with the Almighty, I will be able to account for my time and how much of it was spent on me. God doesn’t concern Himself with the things I do that aren’t eternal, but those things that are eternal. As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Lord, help me today to invest in you and your kingdom work. Give me the vision to see how I can make the best use of my time in this evil age. You redeemed me from the pit of hell and I know that as your adopted child I have a call on my life to lead others to the path of righteousness through Jesus Christ. Forgive me today for my selfish use of time and thank you Lord for giving me the opportunity to redeem the time that you have allotted me. Your grace Lord is amazing. Amen