CONDUCT
YOURSELVES WITH WISDOM: en sophia peripateite (2PPAM):
(Col 3:16; Ps 90:12; Matt
10:16; Ro 16:19; 1Cor 14:19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25; Eph 5:15, 16, 17;
Jas 1:5; 3:13,17)
Conduct
(4043)
(peripateo
[word study]
from peri = about,
around + pateo = walk, tread) (Used in
Col 1:10; 2:6; 3:7; 4:5)
means literally to go here and there in walking, to tread all
around and most commonly in the NT is used figuratively meaning to
conduct one's life ("the Christian walk"), to order one's
behavior, to behave, to make one's way, to make due use of
opportunities, to live or pass one’s life (with a connotation of
spending some time in a place). In Col 1:10
Paul had prayed that the saints at Colossae would
"walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in
every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Col
1:10 -note)
Comment: Note the
benefits of a worthy walk (of wise conduct) - (1) pleasing to God, (2)
fruitful for God and (3) growth in the knowledge of God.
Peripateo
- 95x in 88v - Matt 4:18; 9:5; 11:5; 14:25f, 29; 15:31; Mark 2:9;
5:42; 6:48f; 7:5; 8:24; 11:27; 12:38; 16:12; Luke 5:23; 7:22; 11:44;
20:46; 24:17; John 1:36; 5:8f, 11f; 6:19, 66; 7:1; 8:12; 10:23; 11:9f,
54; 12:35; 21:18; Acts 3:6, 8f, 12; 14:8, 10; 21:21; Rom 6:4; 8:4;
13:13; 14:15; 1 Cor 3:3; 7:17; 2 Cor 4:2; 5:7; 10:2f; 12:18; Gal 5:16;
Eph 2:2, 10; 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15; Phil 3:17f; Col 1:10; 2:6; 3:7; 4:5;
1 Thess 2:12; 4:1, 12; 2 Thess 3:6, 11; Heb 13:9; 1 Pet 5:8; 1 John
1:6f; 2:6, 11; 2 John 1:4, 6; 3 John 1:3f; Rev 2:1; 3:4; 9:20; 16:15;
21:24. NAS renders peripateo = behave(2), conduct
ourselves(1), conduct yourselves(1), leading...life(1),
leads...life(1), prowls around(1), so occupied(1), walk(50), walk
about(1), walk around(2), walked(7), walking(21), walking around(1),
walks(5).
Conduct is in the
present tense (continual action)
and
imperative mood (command not a suggestion) which calls for
believers to continually walk with wisdom. This is to be the habit of
our new life in Christ and His life in us making it possible for us to
"strive according to His power which mightily works within" us.
In other words, Paul is not commanding us to do anything that God's
power has not provided the potential for us to obey. Our part is to
continually work out this salvation truth in fear and trembling.
Paul
is writing here about the practical aspect of how we walk the talk. He
explains how we are to "walk" before others, how we conduct ourselves.
The old saying is true "People don't care how much you know until they
know how much you care"! (Convicted?
I am!)
S Lewis Johnson comments that
It is said that Lord
Melbourne once remarked in Parliament, after divine principles
were injected into the midst of a lively debate, “Things have
come to a pretty pass when religion has to affect our daily
lives.” I fear that this absurd attitude is more prevalent in
the genuine Christian community than we realize or care to
admit. We are quite often pious and reverent on the Lord’s Day,
but what a different person we become on Monday
morning—especially behind the wheel of our automobiles when we
are just a little late for work and the traffic is heavy and
slow-moving! It is remarkable how often the Word of God stresses
the fact that there should be daily exercise in spiritual things
on the part of the Christian...The Christian’s week, in a sense,
ought to be a week of Sundays, because all of the days are His
days." (Bibliotheca Sacra : A quarterly published by Dallas
Theological Seminary. Dallas TX: Dallas Theological Seminary.
J Vernon McGee adds the practical comment that
Walking is not a balloon
ascension. A great many people think the Christian life is some great,
overwhelming experience and you take off like a rocket going out into
space. That’s not where you live the Christian life. Rather, it is in
your home, in your office, in the schoolroom, on the street. The way
you get around in this life is to walk. You are to walk in Christ. God
grant that you and I might be joined to Him in our daily walk. (McGee,
J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
(Listen to his Mp3 -
Colossians 4:5-6)
Ray Stedman writes...
I like that figure
because a walk, of course, merely consists of two simple steps,
repeated over and over again. It is not a complicated thing. In
the same way, the Christian life is a matter of taking two
steps, one step after another. Then you are beginning to walk.
Those two steps follow in this passage. Paul describes them as,
"Put off the old man" (see Col 3:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) and "put on the
new." (see specific attitudes and actions in Col 3:12-25
thru Col 4:1-6) Then repeat them.
That is all. Keep walking through every day like that. That is
how Scripture exhorts us to live." (True
Human Potential)
With wisdom
(en sophia) - More literally this is rendered "in wisdom"
and this phrase is placed first in the Greek
for emphasis. Literally "in wisdom conduct yourselves".
Wisdom (4678)
(sophia
[word study]) (6x in Colossians = Col 1:9, 28; 2:3,
23; 3:16; 4:5) is mental excellence in its highest
and fullest sense and includes the ability to judge correctly and
to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and
understanding. In simple terms Biblical wisdom can be defined as
skill for living. Wisdom is being
able to take what God has revealed to your heart and applying it in
given situations in a practical way.
Wisdom is the
ability to properly apply the knowledge (which God has already
revealed to their heart in answer to Paul's prayer in Col 1:9-note) to
each given situation. Biblical wisdom does not allow for separation
between learning and living. The wisdom which Paul speaks of is not
simply a head knowledge of deep spiritual truths. True spiritual
wisdom must affect our daily life. Biblical wisdom is practical, not
theoretical.
Sophia -
51x in 49v - Matt 11:19; 12:42; 13:54; Mark 6:2; Luke 2:40, 52; 7:35;
11:31, 49; 21:15; Acts 6:3, 10; 7:10, 22; Rom 11:33; 1 Cor 1:17, 19ff,
24, 30; 2:1, 4ff, 13; 3:19; 12:8; 2 Cor 1:12; Eph 1:8, 17; 3:10; Col
1:9, 28; 2:3, 23; 3:16; 4:5; Jas 1:5; 3:13, 15, 17; 2 Pet 3:15; Rev
5:12; 7:12; 13:18; 17:9. NAS = cleverness(1), learning(1), wisdom(49).
The aspect of wisdom in view is
that which buys up every opportunity to lead a lost soul to the Lord.
Thus the Colossian's walk in wisdom is to have in view their Christian witness.
S. Lewis
Johnson quipped that
Often the only version of the Bible the world reads is that of the
believer's life, and, if that is true, in the light of the weakness of
the church's testimony today surely the world could use a revised
version!
Warren Wiersbe reminds us that
Practical obedience means pleasing God, serving Him, and getting to
know Him better. Any doctrine that isolates the believer from the
needs of the world around him is not spiritual doctrine. Evangelist D.
L. Moody often said, “Every Bible should be bound in shoe-leather." (Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor
or
Logos)
Eadie writes that Colossians 4:5-6...
refer to the outer aspects of
Christian conduct or such aspects of it as present themselves to the
world. While they were to set their affections on things above, and
mortify their “members which are upon the earth;” while they were to
put off certain vices, and assume certain virtues, culminating in
love; while they were to be exemplary in every social relation—as
husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants; and
while they were to be instant in prayer for themselves and for the
apostle, all this ethical code referred to personal and mutual
spiritual duties within the church. They must, however, in ordinary
circumstances, come in contact with unbelieving heathenism around
them. If they shrank entirely from such company, the inference of the
apostle would be realized—“for then must ye needs go out of the
world.” But they were not to go out of the world because it was bad,
they were to remain in it for the purpose of making it better. And
that their conduct might exercise such a beneficial influence they
were thus enjoined" to conduct themselves in truth and communicate the
truth to a world steeped in lies and bound tight in sin. (A
Commentary on the Greek Text of Colossians - Online)
TOWARD
OUTSIDERS: pros tous exô:
(1Co 5:12,13; 1Th 4:12; 1Ti 3:7; 1Pet 3:1)
Toward (4314)
(pros from pro = in front of) can express
motion or direction and thus "to" or "toward". Pros
can convey the idea of nearness, of being or remaining near by or at. Pros can refer to a position near another location or
object, often with the implication of facing toward the object. It is
as if our lives are place toward or before the lost, that they might
observe and examine and determine whether there is a difference in the
way we conduct ourselves.
APPLICATION: If you
were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough
"evidence" to convict you?
Outsiders (exo) means
literally out (as being outside a door and so out of doors).
Figuratively as in this verse, exo speaks of those not belonging to
one's society and specifically non-believers or non-Christians.
Literally Paul says "those outside" (tous exo) an expression which
is equivalent to the rabbinical
term denoting those who belong to another religious group
and in the present context refers to those
outside the church, those who are not regenerate or born
again.
The unsaved are outside the family of God, and
God has assigned us the privilege to be His ambassadors to proclaim
the gospel of the kingdom to
them. Effective witness involves walking wisely, being alert to
every opportunity, and being careful in what we say and how we say it
(1Pe 3:15-note).
Paul uses the same phrase toward
outsiders (pros tous exo - literally toward those outside") in his
letter to the Thessalonians writing that the believers should...
make it your ambition to lead a
quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands,
just as we commanded you; so that you may behave properly toward
outsiders and not be in any need. (See notes
1Thessalonians 4:11;
4:12)
What a sad thing to be those
outside, those who are “without”...without Christ, without hope,
without peace, without forgiveness! (cp Ep 2:12-note)
It is important that believers live wisely among the lost, for unsaved
people are looking at our lives and trying to find things to
criticize.
We are to first speak the gospel
clearly with our lives, which may open a door for us to speak the
gospel with our lips.
This story has often been told about Dr. Will H. Houghton, who
pastored the Calvary Baptist Church in New York City and later served
as president of Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute till his death in
1946. When Dr. Houghton became pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle in
Atlanta, a man in that city hired a private detective to follow Dr.
Houghton and report on his conduct. After a few weeks, the detective
was able to report to the man that Dr. Houghton’s life matched his
preaching. As a result, that man became a Christian.
MAKING THE
MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITY: ton kairon exagorazomenoi (PMPMPN):
Making the most
(1805)
(exagorazo
[word study]
from ek = out or from. If
something is in something else, then ek describes
separating it in respect to place, time, source or origin +
agorazo [word study]
= buy, acquire possessions or services in exchange for
money with the result that whatever has been bought is the buyer's by
right of possession <> from agora = market place where
things were exposed for sale, a forum, a place in which the
people assemble and where public trials were held) means literally to buy out of
(the preposition "ek" = out of) the market place. The idea
is not just to redeem but to
completely redeem.
Exagorazo is used 4 times in
the NT (Gal 3:13; 4:5; Eph 5:16; Col 4:5)
and is translated: making the most, 2; redeem, 1; redeemed
|
THE
FIRST MEANING
OF EXAGORAZO |
There are two basic uses of exagorazo
in the NT,
the first speaking of the believer's redemption from slavery to sin.
Paul uses
exagorazo twice in Galatians with this meaning, writing that
Christ redeemed us (bought us out and out or fully from)
from (ek = out of) the curse of the Law
(which is death, the penalty for breaking the Law), having become a curse
for (on behalf of ~ substitution) us-- for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE" (Gal
3:13)
The Welsh translation of this verse says that “Christ hath wholly
purchased us from the curse of the law.” The Galatians
imagined that Christ only half purchased them, and that they had to
purchase the rest by their submission to circumcision and other Jewish
rites and ceremonies. Hence their readiness to be led away by false
teachers and to mix up Christianity and Judaism. Paul says in essence
"No, you have been wholly purchased from the curse".
In the second similar use in of exagorazo in Galatians Paul explains that
when the fulness of the
time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the
Law, in order that He might redeem (exagorazo) those who were
under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
(Gal 4:4, 5)
Comment: Those who under the
law are no better than slaves (cp Gal 4:1) will receive full and
complete adoption as sons. It is worthy of noting that God's purpose
in redemption is not just to rescue sinners from bondage to the power
of Sin but to adopt them as His sons. Amazing grace indeed.
Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.
And Can It Be That I Should Gain
Those who believe in Christ are bought
out from their slavery to Sin,
the payment price He paid being the only one high enough to redeem all
of mankind, the
precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of
Christ (1Pe 1:19-note),
context 1Pe 1:18).
Since Christ has purchased men out of the slave market of sin
(sin caused us to be under the curse of the Law) by His own blood,
believers now are His bondslaves and He has the right of possession.
Paul using the root verb (agorazo) writes that believers "have
been bought with a price (agorazo - a past completed
transaction never to be repeated).
Therefore glorify God in your
body." (1Cor 6:20-note)
Stated another way, the redeemed are never again to be put up for sale
in the slave market.
The root verb from which
exagorazo is derived (agorazo
- word study) is used
frequently in the Septuagint (LXX, Greek of the Hebrew OT) with the
idea that such deliverance involves cost of some kind, effort,
suffering, or loss to the one who effects the deliverance.
|
THE
SECOND MEANING
OF EXAGORAZO |
The second meaning of
exagorazo is to "buy up" and is the meaning here in Colossians
and the parallel passage in Ephesians. It means to to gain something,
especially an advantage or opportunity. To make the most of.
Exagorazo is used to
translate the Aramaic in Daniel 2:8
where Nebuchadnezzar saw
through his seers trickery (to entice him to tell them the dream, upon
which they would tell him the interpretation) and answered
“I know
for certain that you are bargaining for time, inasmuch as you
have seen that the command from me is firm." (Daniel 2:8)
The phrase "bargaining
for time" is translated in the Greek with exagorazo
and kairos (see below) just as in Colossians and
Ephesians.
BDAG notes that
"the king’s oneiromancers
(interpreters of dreams) face an hour of peril in which there are
no options except to deliver what the monarch requests. The middle
voice (ton kairon exagorazomenoi) in Col 4:5; Eph 5:16 appropriately
expresses choice in perilous times"
(Arndt,
W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament and Other Early Christian Literature)
Making the most of the
opportunity means to take advantage of any opportunity that
comes your way, and in the context of this section in Colossians
refers to an opportunity to speak the gospel.
In Ephesians Paul exhorts the
saints to
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men,
but as wise, making the most of (exagorazo - buying
up each opportunity) your time (kairos) because the
days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will
of the Lord is." (Ep 5:15, 16, 17-see notes
Ep 5:15;
16;
17)
MacArthur commenting on this verse
writes that exagorazo
"has the basic meaning of buying, especially of buying back or buying
out. It was used of buying a slave in order to set him free; thus the
idea of redemption is implied in this verse. We are to redeem, buy up,
all the time that we have and devote it to the Lord. The Greek is in
the middle voice, indicating that we are to buy the time up for
ourselves—for our own use but in the Lord’s service.
(MacArthur,
J: Ephesians. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)
Hodge adds that (Eph 5:16)
can be translated
"availing yourselves of the occasion,” i.e. improving
every opportunity for good." (Hodge, C. Commentary on Ephesians)
In both (Eph 5:16) and here in (Col 4:5) Paul uses the
middle voice which
conveys a "reflexive" sense to the verb - the idea then is of buying up for
oneself, of buying up the opportunity, the season, the
space of time in which something is seasonable, and of turning each
opportunity to the best advantage for oneself.
Thayer says that
exagorazo as used in (Eph 5:16) and (Col 4:5) means to
"Buy up, buy up or out of
for one's self and so to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity
for doing good, so that zeal and well doing are as it were the
purchase money by which we make the time our own."
The UBS Handbook Series adds
that
"The readers are being told to
seize and use every opportunity to carry on their Christian witness,
because these are evil days, In some languages it is necessary to
specify what is involved in every opportunity. Accordingly, it may be
necessary to translate make good use of every opportunity you have as
“every time you can do something good you should” or “you should use
every chance to do good”. (The
United Bible Societies' New Testament Handbook Series
or
Logos)
The idea then is turning each season
(kairos) to the best advantage
since none can be recalled if missed.
Every time you can do
something good you should.
Kenneth Wuest translates
Col 4:5
"buying up for yourselves the strategic, opportune time."
He translates Eph 5:16
similarly as
buying up for yourselves
the opportune time,
because the days are pernicious.
The idea is to be habitually, continually ''buying up'' all that is
anywhere to be bought and not allowing the moment (THE KAIROS) to pass
by unheeded or unused but to make it one’s own.
Ironside said...
Time is given us to use in view of eternity.
As someone else has said
Beware
of wasting the present. Instead of killing time, redeem your spare
moments today. Wasting the gift of time insults
the Giver of time.
Redeem
the time! God only knows
How soon our little life may close,
With all its pleasures and its woes,
Redeem the time!
— Anonymous
God
set a goal, yet gave the choice
To mortals how time may be spent,
Admonishing that worth, not length,
Values time's accomplishment.
— Mortenson
The idea is not to make best use
of time as such (although that is certainly advisable), which is what we should do in the sense of not
wasting it, but of taking advantage of the opportunities that present
themselves. God is a God of providence and He providentially
gives/allows opportunities for which we must be spiritually alert and
ready to redeem.
THE
OPPORTUNITY
("the opportune season"): ton kairon:
Opportunity
(2540)
(kairos
[word study])
refers to a strategic point of time. Kairos is distinct
from the Greek chronos, which refers to time in general. Kairos on the other hand refers to a
specific period of opportunity which when it passes by is irretrievable.
Our English word opportunity comes from the Latin and
means “toward the port.” It suggests a ship taking advantage of
the wind and tide to arrive safely in the harbor. The brevity of life
is a strong argument for making the best use of every
opportunity God gives us.
Kairos then does not
emphasize a point of time but rather a space
of time filled with possibilities and opportunities. Paul tells the
saints at Colossae and Ephesus to buy up every one of these
opportunities for yourselves and ultimately for God's glory.
All believers are presented with opportunities to redeem. Paul exhorts
us to go into the open market and buy up those opportunities by using
them rightly. Remember that
interruptions can be opportunities to serve.
As someone has accurately stated, the three most difficult things to
do are : keep a secret, forget injury, and make good use of your
leisure time (it's really not yours anyway but His...He's just
"loaning" it to you.)
Many biblical texts stand as warning beacons to
those who think they will always have time to do what they should.
When Noah and his family entered the ark and shut the door, the
opportunity for any other person to be saved from the flood was gone.
Because King Ahab disobeyed God by sparing the life of the wicked Ben–hadad,
he was told by a prophet,
“Thus
says the Lord, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom
I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his
life, and your people for his people’ ” (1Ki 20:42).
Peter said,
If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to
each man’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of
your stay upon earth (1Pe 1:17-note).
(This is a "kairos" opportunity we dare not miss!)
In his farewell remarks to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Paul said,
I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order
that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from
the Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:24).
Paul’s course was prescribed by God, and
within that course he would minister to the utmost until his last
breath. He was determined to run with endurance the race that was set
before him (He 12:1-note). At the end of his life he therefore could
say,
I
have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept
the faith (2Ti 4:7-note).
APPLICATION: Your
entire life should be built around looking for opportunities to
present Christ, seizing the time and using it wisely. Evaluate all of
your activities and determine how they affect your testimony for
Christ. Ask yourself --
"Will
any particular activity provide an opportunity to present Christ or
will it make it more difficult for me to present Him?"
Grant Richison notes by way of application that...
Time means
opportunity. The Greek word here means a time in which something
is seasonable. Evangelism is seasonable! We need to seize on the
season! God wants us to take advantage of the opportunity when
it comes along. We cannot recall the opportunity if we miss it.
Are we making the most of every opportunity? There is a
favorable time to preach the gospel. We can mark time, waste
time and kill time. Only a Christian who walks in wisdom can
redeem time. In sharing our faith, God wants us to "Strike while
the iron is hot" or "Make hay while the sun is shining." We
squander so many opportunities. God places opportunities at our
disposal but we waste the moment." (Notes
on Col 4:5)
Ray Stedman adds this interesting thought...
It is interesting how Paul
describes the opportunities. They do not just fall into our laps, but
we must buy them up. This means we must look for them and use them. We
are to make opportunities, humanly speaking. Our opportunities are the
result of the Spirit working, but it is the Spirit working as we are
willing to be biblical. As we approach our neighbors, friends and
people we work with on our jobs, are we looking for opportunities to
present Christ to them? Such an approach will affect our conduct. We
would not want to say or do anything that would detract from the
Gospel of Jesus Christ." (Colossians
4:2-6: Living the Life)
Wayne Barber's comments on
Ephesian 5:16 (from
his sermon on Eph 5:15-17
"Walking as Light in a World of Darkness") are apropos to Colossians 4:5. He writes that...
"Look at
verse 16: "making the most of your time, because the days are
evil." Now the word for "time" is an interesting word. It
is the word kairos. It means season or opportunity. Now we know
something about a season. A season comes in, but we also know
something else about a season. A season goes away. There is
going to come a summer time. But we are going to move out of
that season into a time of barrenness. All of a sudden the
leaves fall off the trees and it is just brown and dry. A season
begins but a season ends.
Paul is saying, "Make the most of your time. If the season
started when we received Christ, it is going to end when He
comes for us. We only have one season. We only have one
opportunity. You don’t get those choices over again." Many of us
have made unwise choices. Many of us have not applied truth in
our life. Already we are feeling it because we are getting
older. Paul is trying to tell these Ephesians, "You had better
wake up and get going, because you may not have that much
longer. You only have one shot at it. Learn to make proper,
biblically influenced choices in your life so that you can make
the most of the time."
Making the most of the time means to redeem the time. To redeem
the time means to purchase it. That is one thing that we all
have in common. Every one of us has exactly the same amount of
time. You’ve got 24 hours, and what you do with it is your
business. You’ve got to make choices. But now wait a minute. He
says, "Redeem the time." What do you mean, "redeem the time"?
Purchase it. To purchase it, I have to have the collateral.
Not only do you have to have the collateral, you have to have
the right kind of collateral if you are going purchase anything.
So what is the collateral to purchase time? It is my choices. We
have to understand this. Life is filled with one choice after
another choice after another choice. It is not putting the
garment on in the morning and thinking it is going to stay on
you all day. You have to continue all day long to make those
choices. What are those choices motivated by? They are motivated
by what the Word of God has taught us. They are motivated by our
respect of who God is. Now to be the right choice it has to be a
choice that honors Christ and what His Word has to say. That is
the way I purchase time. I have only got one time around, and I
have to learn to make proper choices. How many choices did you
make yesterday?
We have to learn that time is short. We only have one season. We
only go around one time. Make those choices. Why? Because every
time you choose, you are going to do something. That is called a
deed and one day we will answer for those deeds at the Bema Seat
of Christ. Are they wood, hay and stubble? What is wood, hay and
stubble? They are stupid, fleshly, religious choices. Sometimes
they are not even religious. What are precious stones? They are
choices that were made based on God’s Word and my willingness to
do what He tells me to do. We are making those choices, moment
by moment by moment.
Kefa Sempangi
(whose story is told in the book A Distant Grief, Regal Books)
was a national pastor in Africa and barely escaped with his family
from brutal oppression and terror in his home country of Uganda. They
made their way to Philadelphia, where a group of Christians began
caring for them. One day his wife said, “Tomorrow I am going to go and
buy some clothes for the children,” and immediately she and her
husband broke into tears. Because of the constant threat of death
under which they had so long lived, that was the first time in many
years they had dared even speak the word tomorrow. Their terrifying
experiences forced them to realize what is true of every person: there
is no assurance of tomorrow. The only time we can be sure of having is
what we have at the moment. To the self–satisfied farmer who had
grandiose plans to build bigger and better barns to store his crops,
the Lord said, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of
you” (Lk 12:20). He had already lived his last tomorrow.
There is a
tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
Julius
Caesar, 4.3.217 --Shakespeare
Napoleon illustrates
the idea inherent in "kairos" (opportunity)
noting that
"There is in the midst of every great battle a ten to
fifteen minute (this would equate with the idea inherent in the
Greek word kairos) that is the crucial point. Take that period and
you win the battle; lose it and you will be defeated."
Charles E. Hummel said...
Our greatest danger in life is in permitting the urgent things to
crowd out the important.
The writer of Hebrews called
these "urgent things" "encumbrances" or "weights" the
Christian runner needs to cast aside, in order to be able to pursue
the best.
The 16th-century reformer Philip Melanchthon kept a record of
every wasted moment and took his list to God in confession at the end
of each day. It is small wonder that God used him in such great ways.
An ancient Greek statue depicted a man with wings on his feet, a large
lock of hair on the front of his head, and no hair at all on the back.
Beneath was the inscription:
"Who
made thee? Lysippus made me. What is thy name? My name is OPPORTUNITY.
Why hast thou wings on thy feet? That I may fly away swiftly. Why hast
thou a great forelock?
That men may seize me when I come.
Why art thou bald in back? That when I am gone by, none can lay hold
of me."
We need to live in such a way that we get the most for our time. We
are to live as if every minute counts— because it does. We can always
make more money, but we cannot make more time. Once it is gone, it is
gone forever. And when our time on this earth is over, we will give an
account to the One who gave us our allotment of this precious
commodity. The Lord Jesus was sensitive about time. He began His
ministry at age thirty and ended it a mere three years later. His life
was jammed with people with immediate needs. Sick. Dead. Scared.
People pushed through crowds to touch Him. In Mark 1:35, 36, 37, before
sunrise, Christ spent time with the Father. Peter and his friends
“searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, ‘Everyone is
looking for You.’ ”In Matthew 14:23, He spent time with the Father in
the evening. In Luke 6:12, 13, He spent the night in prayer. And in
Luke 5:15, 16, we see that He slipped away into the wilderness to spend
time with the Father. He had three short years to teach, preach, heal,
and lead. But the most important thing in His life was the time He
spent with the Father. If it was that important for Him, as the
God-man, what about you?
Consider praying a pray like
that uttered by Moses the friend and servant of God who said
So
teach us to
number our
days, that we may
present to Thee a
heart of
wisdom. (Ps 90:12)
(See
Spurgeon's note)
><> ><> ><>
Buying Up the Time -
Consider
this: “If we had to buy time, would there be any difference in
how we would spend it? Would the days of our lives be used
more wisely?” That’s what time management consultant Antonio
Herrera asked the participants in a seminar he conducted on
the subject. Then Dr. Herrera became more specific. He asked,
“What if you had to pay in advance $100 an hour for the time
allotted to you? Would you waste it?” The answer should be
obvious. Of course, we can’t put a price tag on the minutes
and hours we possess. They are given to us freely. But that
doesn’t excuse us from using them conscientiously, carefully,
and wisely. The giver of time is God Himself, and that places
a far greater value upon it than any monetary figure could
suggest. We must therefore use our time intelligently, taking
advantage of opportunities it provides for us to serve the
Lord and to do His will. - R W De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
><> ><> ><>
If we live 65 years, we
have about 600,000 hours at our disposal. Assuming we are
18 when we complete high school, we have 47 years, or
nearly 412,000 hours to live after graduation.
If we spend 8 hours a day sleeping, 8 hours for personal,
social, and recreational activities, and 8 hours for
working, that amounts to 137,333 hours in each category
When we think of the time we have to work and play in
terms of hours, it doesn't seem like much. And when seen
in the light of eternity, it's but a fleeting moment. How
important, therefore, that we spend our waking hours
wisely!
D. J. De Pree, a former member of the RBC Board of
Directors always calculated his age in terms of days. If
you asked him, "How old are you?" he answered immediately
with the number of days.
He based this practice on Psalm 90:12, "Teach us to
number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Literally counting his days reminded him of the swift
passage of time and the need to live with eternity's
values in view. —R W De Haan
Future prospects bring
present joys.
><> ><> ><>
Time:
Handle With Care -
Of
course,
we can't put a price tag on the minutes and hours we possess.
They are given to us freely. But that doesn't excuse us from
using them carefully and wisely. The giver of time is God
Himself, and that places a far greater value on our time than
any monetary figure could suggest. We must therefore take
advantage of the opportunities time provides to serve the Lord
and to do His will. This doesn't mean that we have to be
working every single moment. It's necessary to take a break
every so often, to stop and smell the roses along the way, or
to enjoy the beauty of a sunset. We use our time wisely when
we combine the appropriate "stops" with the proper "steps."
According to Solomon, there is a time for all of God's
purposes to be accomplished (Ecc 3:1). I'm so grateful that the
Lord doesn't sell time. He provides it as a gift of His grace.
So let's spend our days "redeeming the time," using the
opportunities to live for God (Colossians 4:5). Yes, time is
precious. Handle with care! To spend time wisely, invest
it in eternity —R W De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
We do
not know how long we have
Till time for us is past,
So let us live as if this day
Is going to be our last. —D. De Haan
To spend time wisely,
invest it in eternity
><> ><> ><>
BEE POLLEN AND THE
GOSPEL
April 21, 1995
Nellie Pickard loves to tell people about Jesus Christ.
She does it so often that she's written a series of books
describing how she witnesses in everyday situations. In
Just Say It! she tells about her phone call to a
health-food store. She had noticed that bee pollen was on
sale, so she asked the manager about the benefits of using
it. "You'll live forever," he replied.
To Nellie, the words live forever were an open invitation.
"I know you're joking," she said, "but I know I'm going to
live forever, and not because I buy your bee pollen."
His response was encouraging. "I'd like to hear about it.
I'm really interested in why you think you're going to
live forever." Although he did not trust Jesus as Savior
at that time, Nellie had planted the seed by being wise
"toward those who are outside" (Col. 4:5).
Our opportunities are endless, yet our words are often
powerless. Instead of directing our conversations with
unbelievers toward
spiritual matters, we tend to stay in the safe zone. Doing
as Nellie does is a skill we need to develop and a
challenge that comes straight from God's Word.
We must look for those openings. With sincere kindness and
genuine concern we can turn most conversations to eternal
matters-even if the subject is bee pollen. -J D Branon (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Take control of my
words today,
May they tell of Your great love;
And may the story of Your grace
Turn some heart to You above.-Sees
The best place to witness is where God has placed you
><> ><> ><>
Author and lecturer
John Erskine (1879–1951) declared that he learned the most
valuable lesson of his life when he was 14 years old. His
piano teacher asked him how much he practiced. He replied
that he usually sat at the instrument for an hour or more
at a time.
"Don't do that," warned the teacher. "When you grow up,
time won't come to you in long stretches like that.
Practice in minutes wherever you can find them—5 or 10
before school, a few after lunch. Sandwich them in between
chores. Spread the practice throughout the day, and music
will become a part of your life."
Erskine stated later that by following this advice he was
able to live a fulfilled life as a creative writer, in
addition to his regular duties as an instructor. He wrote
nearly all of Helen of Troy, his most famous work, on
streetcars while commuting between his home and the
university.
Use your spare moments to read the Bible, or to pray, or
to write a note of encouragement to a needy soul. —H G
Bosch (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Wasting time insults
the Giver of time.
