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Ephesians 5:15 Therefore
be careful
*
how
you
walk,
not as
unwise
men
but as
wise,
(NASB:
Lockman) |
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Greek:
Blepete
oun
akribos
pos
peripateite,
me
os
asophoi
all'
os
sophoi,
Amplified: Look
carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and
accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible,
intelligent people) (Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
KJV: See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools,
but as wise,
NLT: So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who
are wise. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Phillips: Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility,
not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as
those who do. (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: Be constantly taking heed therefore how accurately
you are conducting yourselves, not as unwise ones but as wise ones (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: See, then, how exactly ye walk, not as unwise,
but as wise |
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THEREFORE
BE CAREFUL
HOW YOU WALK: blepete (2PPAM) oun akribos pos peripateite, (2PPAI): (Eph
5:33; Mt 8:4; 27:4,24; 1Th 5:15; He 12:25; 1Pe 1:22; Re 19:10) (Ex
23:13; Mt 10:16; 1Co 14:20; Php 1:27; Col 1:9; 4:5)
Note:
All verbs in
bold red
indicate commands, not suggestions!
Also
hold mouse pointer over
underlined links for pop up of Scripture which stays open and can
be copied.
Be as careful and wise
as Jonathan Edwards was when he wrote in his diary at age
twenty
Resolved, never to lose one moment
of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.
(I would add the prayer Ps 90:12)
Therefore (3767)
(oun) introduces a logical result or inference from what precedes
(so, consequently, thereupon, then). Therefore is a
term of conclusion draws us back to the immediate context, in which
Paul has just given the command to be continually awake. But it
undoubtedly also goes back to the beginning of this practical section
where Paul implored his readers to "walk in a
manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called." (Eph
4:1-note)
adding that they were to "walk no longer just as the Gentiles also
walk" (Eph 4:17-note).
In chapter 5 Paul continued to emphasize the importance of the
believer's walk giving the command to continually "Walk
in love" (Eph 5:2-note)
like Christ and to continually "Walk
as children of Light"
since they are now light in the Lord (Eph 5:8-note).
And so here in verse 15, Paul picks up the theme of a worthy walk, emphasizing that it
is to be a careful walk, a circumspect walk (redeeming time) and a
controlled
walk (filled with the Spirit).
Moule has some great
introductory comments to Ephesians 5:15-21 writing that...
THE Ephesians have learnt much now
of the details of the holy life, and the last words which they (and
we) have heard about it have pointed the thought full upon an element
in it which is vital to its health—holy action, holy service. The
believer, "light in the Lord," is to shed the light which he receives.
There is to be a warm hearth-fire in his own soul's chamber, and a
lamp fed with heaven's own sunshine is to hang from its ceiling. But
it is also to be a radiant point in the dark world, finding way for
its searching beneficent brightness through the windows of the soul,
from the beacon-tower of the life, The range of penetration may be
vast, or it may be very small. It may command a great region of the
earth, or many regions; it may fill an age of time, it may affect all
the ages; such was the range of St Paul's radiation, for example. Or
it may light up one small neighbourhood, one poor home, the visitors
to one sick-room; it may be limited in time by only a fragment of the
disciple's one short life; such was no doubt the range of radiation
for many an Asian saint then, as it is for many an English saint now.
But the point is that there is intended to be radiation outward where
there is light within. The Master's service is to be the dear object
of the redeemed life. The sacred light is given indeed for the being's
own bliss, rich and large; but it is never given to terminate there.
And they best meet the Master's will who most willingly and most
continually so keep the windows clear that the light within may
radiate around, for conviction, and for gladness, just as freely and
as far as may be.
Happy they who, by His grace, so
serve Him. Do we not know
such lives? They "cannot
be hid"—not because they advertise themselves; that is the very last
thing they do. But it is unmistakable that they are enjoying a great
light within, and it "will out." Such (to keep close to our own time,
and to no very extended circle) were William Pennefather, Arthur
Blackwood, Frances Havergal. Such was that great light-bearer so
recently called from us, D. L. Moody. Such are cherished names still
among us, known to thousands who owe them more than they can ever
tell, for the light brought by them into the thick darkness of
worldliness, sin, doubt, and fear. But there have been, and there are,
countless others whom no Christian history will ever name, but who
live in transfigured hearts on which they have shone. Their "record is
on high."
The Apostle comes now to a few more
lines of general caution and precept, before he approaches his final
topic, the Christian Home. He has to appeal again for a grave
remembrance that the "walk in the light" is no mere promenade, smooth
and easy, but a march, resolved and full of purpose, cautious against
the enemy, watchful for opportunity for the King, self-controlled in
every habit, and possible only (if it is to be a reality) in the power
of the eternal Spirit. It is to be a walk, onward and upward, of
holy and habitual praise, of fellowship in spiritual help, and of a
mutual submission which means forgetfulness of self in the
recollection of others, in the Lord. (Rev. Handley C. G. Moule, D.D.
Ephesian Studies: Expository Readings on the Epistle of Saint Paul to
the Ephesians)
Be careful how
you walk - carries the idea of looking around carefully so as
not to stumble, which Paul explains equates with walking intelligently
and not in ignorance.
Bishop J C Ryle
alluded to a careful...walk when he said...
We may depend upon it as a certainty
that where there is no holy living there is no Holy Ghost.
A W Tozer
echoed this same thought when he said...
The filling of the Holy Spirit (see
Ep 5:18) brings a sharp
separation between the believer and the world.
John Stott introduces this
section writing that...
Paul’s next little paragraph is based
upon two assumptions, first that Christians are sophoi,—wise people, not
fools—and secondly that Christian wisdom is practical wisdom, for it
teaches us how to behave. His word for to ‘behave’ throughout the letter
has been a Hebrew concept, to ‘walk’. Our Christian walk or
behaviour, he has written, must no longer be according to the world, the
flesh and the devil (Ep 2:1, 2, 3), or like the pagans (Ep 4:17).
Instead, it must be ‘worthy’ of God’s call, ‘in love’, and ‘as children
of light’ (Ep 4:1; 5:1; 5:8). Now he adds a more general exhortation to
us to behave like the wise people he credits us with being: look
carefully how you walk, he writes. Everything worth doing requires care.
We all take trouble over the things which seem to us to matter—our job,
our education, our home and family, our hobbies, our dress and
appearance. So as Christians we must take trouble over our Christian
life. We must treat it as the serious thing it is. ‘Be most careful then
how you conduct yourselves: like sensible men, not like simpletons’
(neb). (Stott, J. R. W. God's New Society : The Message of Ephesians.
Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press)
The KJV
provides a more literal translation than the NAS rendering it as...
See
(NAS = be careful) then that ye walk circumspectly (akribos)
(KJV)
Be careful
(991)
(blepo)
means to look at, behold, discern
mentally, observe, perceive, consider, contemplate, look to in the
sense of taking care, take heed. It
means perceive with your eyes. Have
your eye on so as to beware of.
Blepo generally denotes simply a voluntary observation or taking
notice of something or someone.
The
present imperative
is commands one to continually
pay especially close attention to
how they walk. “Be constantly taking heed how accurately you are
conducting yourselves.” We need to remember that our heart is more
deceitful than all else and that the enemy of our soul constantly prowls
around and his desire is for our soul.
Blepo - 117v in NT - Matt.
5:28; 6:4, 6, 18; 7:3; 11:4; 12:22; 13:13f, 16f; 14:30; 15:31; 18:10;
22:16; 24:2, 4; Mk. 4:12, 24; 5:31; 8:15, 18, 23f; 12:14, 38; 13:2, 5,
9, 23, 33; Lk. 6:41f; 7:21, 44; 8:10, 16, 18; 9:62; 10:23f; 11:33; 21:8,
30; 24:12; Jn. 1:29; 5:19; 9:7, 15, 19, 21, 25, 39, 41; 11:9; 13:22;
20:1, 5; 21:9, 20; Acts 1:9, 11; 2:33; 3:4; 4:14; 8:6; 9:8f; 12:9;
13:11, 40; 27:12; 28:26; Rom. 7:23; 8:24f; 11:8, 10; 1 Co. 1:26; 3:10;
8:9; 10:12, 18; 13:12; 16:10; 2 Co. 4:18; 7:8; 10:7; 12:6; Gal. 5:15;
Eph. 5:15; Phil. 3:2; Col. 2:5, 8; 4:17; Heb. 2:9; 3:12, 19; 10:25;
11:1, 3, 7; 12:25; Jas. 2:22; 2 Jn. 1:8; Rev. 1:11f; 3:18; 5:3f; 9:20;
11:9; 16:15; 17:8; 18:9, 18; 22:8.
NAS renders blepo as -
be on guard(1), behold(1), beware(5), careful(1), careful*(1),
consider(1),facing(1), keep on seeing(2), look(7), looking(5), looks(1),
partial(2), saw(12), see(54), seeing(8), seen(8), sees(8),sight(2), take
care(5), take heed(5), watch(1).
Jesus used blepo in a similar
sense of contemplating in order to beware...
And Jesus answered and said to them,
"See to it
(blepo =
present imperative)
that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am
the Christ,' and will
mislead many. (Mt 24:4-5) (Comment: He is speaking of the times
especially preceding His return.)
And He was giving orders to them,
saying, "Watch out!
Beware
(blepo =
present imperative)
of the leaven of the
Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." (Mark 8:15)
And in His teaching He was saying: "Beware
(blepo =
present imperative)
of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like
respectful greetings in the market
places... (Mark 12:38)
Paul used blepo with a similar
meaning in Colossians writing...
See to it (blepo =
present imperative)
that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception,
according to the
tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world,
rather than according to Christ. (Col 2:8-note)
The apostle John uses blepo to
warn the believers to...
Watch
(blepo =
present imperative)
yourselves, that you might not lose
what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
(2John 1:8) (Comment: All believers will receive praise at the judgment
or
bema
seat of Christ according to 1Cor 4:5,
but some believers shall suffer loss of their rewards as described in
1Cor 3:11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
In Hebrews the writer warns...
Take care (blepo =
present imperative),
brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving
heart, in falling away from the living God. (Heb 3:12 -
note)
Wuest adds that you are to...
see to it that your conduct
is accurate with respect to the demands of the Word of God. It is like a
motorist accurately following on
the right side of the center line dividing traffic.
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)
To reiterate,
Paul's command in this passage is calling for continual attention to how
we walk. Why?
For we are continually in
danger of walking down the wrong path, for our mortal enemies (Sin
[flesh], Satan, System [of the fallen world]) are continually bombarding
us with "fiery missiles" in an attempt to tempt us to doubt the goodness
and sufficiency of God's way and try the errant way. (Pr 14:12, 16:25,
12:15)
Circumspectly
(KJV) = this word is not directly translated in the NAS.
Circumspectly
(199)
(akribos)
means characterized by exactness, thoroughness, precision, accuracy in
addition to the associated idea of looking, examining, and investigating
something with great care and alertness. Akribos
pertains to strict conformity to a norm or standard, involving both
detail and completeness, with focus on careful attention. In context
akribos refers to ethical behavior with a
focus on careful attention especially regarding the dangers and
deceptions that continually assault us from our mortal enemies, the
world, the flesh and the devil.
See to it that you walk circumspectly
(akribos - accurately, diligently, carefully). Walk warily, exactly or
diligently. Our English word circumspect is from the Latin
circum- = around + specere = look and conveys the literal
picture of looking around or figuratively being cautious. One who is
walking circumspectly is one who is surveying all circumstances and
possible consequences before acting or deciding. A great word picture!
The idea of
akribos is that our walk is in strict conformity to a standard, and
as such calls for carefulness against any departure from what is proper
to a believer's walk. How does one accomplish this charge to be careful
how we walk? By not walking unwisely, but wisely, as those who are
continually redeeming for themselves the precious time God gives,
by understanding His good and acceptable and perfect will and by not
being filled with wine but being filled with His Spirit.
Note that the NAS
translates the adverb akribos (199)
somewhat vaguely. Here are other translations that translate akribos
more literally...
Be constantly taking heed therefore
how accurately (akribos) you are conducting yourselves... (Wuest)
See, then, how exactly
(akribos) ye walk
(Young's Literal)
See then that ye walk
circumspectly (akribos)... (KJV)
See to it that you walk carefully,
with circumspection and not carelessly
There are 5 uses
of akribos in the NT...
Matthew 2:8 And he (Herod in
seeking to kill the newborn Jesus) sent them (magi) to Bethlehem, and
said, "Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you
have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and
worship Him." (Comment:
God warned them in a dream not to return to Herod, Mt 2:12)
Luke 1:3 it seemed fitting for
me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the
beginning, to write it
out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;
Acts 18:25 This man had
been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in
spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things
concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John;
Ephesians 5:15 Therefore
be careful (see
discussion above) how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, (YLT:
See, then, how exactly ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise)
1Thessalonians 5:2
(note) For you
yourselves know full well
that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the
night.
Walk (4043)
(peripateo
from peri = about,
around + pateo = walk, tread) (Click
word study on
peripateo)
means literally to walk about here and there or to tread all around.
Peripateo then came to mean, to make one’s way, to make progress, to
make due use of one’s opportunities and finally (as used by Paul in
Ephesians), to live, to regulate one’s life, to conduct one’s self.
Most of the NT uses refer to the daily conduct of one's life or how one
orders their behavior or passes their life.
Peripateo -
90v in NT (Meditate
[see also
Primer on Biblical Meditation]
especially on the figurative uses of peripateo in the Pauline
epistles) - Matt. 4:18; 9:5; 11:5; 14:25f, 29; 15:31; Mk. 1:16; 2:9;
5:42; 6:48f; 7:5; 8:24; 11:27; 12:38; 16:12; Lk. 5:23; 7:22; 11:44;
20:46; 24:17; Jn. 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; 8:1, 4;
13:13; 14:15; 1 Co. 3:3; 7:17; 2 Co. 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
Jn. 1:6f; 2:6, 11; 2 Jn. 1:4, 6; 3 Jn. 1:3f; Rev. 2:1; 3:4; 9:20; 16:15;
21:24.
NAS renders
peripateo as - behave(2), conduct ourselves(1), conduct yourselves(1),
leading a life(1), leads a life(1), prowls about(1), walk(50), walk
about(1), walk around(2), walked(7), walking(21), walking
about(1),walks(5), were thus occupied(1).
To walk
circumspectly is to walk in the light of our exalted position and
privilege as beloved children of God. To walk in an unwise manner means
to descend from the high plane and privilege to the profane practices of
the fallen world. To walk wisely is to redeem each day, "buying up"
every precious moment God gives.
The Amplified
Version conveys the thrust of Paul's command rendering it...
Look carefully then how you walk!
Live purposefully and worthily and accurately... (Ed note: Good advice.
God's formula for real success!)
Jonathan Edwards in his
resolutions wrote...
5. Resolved, never to lose one moment
of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
6. Resolved, to live with all my
might, while I do live.
7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it
were the last hour of my life.
17. Resolved, that I will live so, as
I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolved, to live so, at all
times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest
notions of things of the gospel, and another world.
19. Resolved, never to do any thing,
which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an
hour, before I should hear the last trump.
28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures
so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly
perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the
end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly, in any
respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.
52. I frequently hear persons in old
age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over
again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I
had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.
56. Resolved, never to give over, nor
in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however
unsuccessful I may be.
Wayne Barber writes that...
Ephesians 5:15 tells us we are to be
very careful as we walk. When we put on this new garment and walk out
into a world penetrated by darkness, this garment, Christ in us (cp Col
1:27), has the
power to first of all refuse the deeds of darkness, secondly
reprove the deeds of darkness, and thirdly remove the deeds
of darkness. Light puts out darkness. Folks, when you put on the
garment, when you are living what you have in Jesus Christ, it is a
powerful weapon against the darkness that is residing in this world. (Ephesians 5:15-17 Walking as Light in a
World of Darkness)
NOT AS UNWISE MEN BUT AS WISE:
me os asophoi all' os sophoi,:
(2Samuel 24:10; Job 2:10; Psalms
73:22; Proverbs 14:8; Matthew 25:2; Luke 24:25; Galatians 3:1,3;
1Timothy 6:9; James 3:13)
Now Paul explains
what he means by walking carefully...first the negative, then the
positive.
(Not wise) Unwise
(781)
(asophos from a = without + sophos = wise) (used
only in Ep 5:15) means without wisdom and so unwise, silly or
foolish. This adjective describes one who lacks the power of proper
discernment.
To walk any way
except in the path of holiness, the ancient paths, turning neither to
the left or the right, is to walk as a fool!
The NKJV has a
good rendering...
See then that you walk
circumspectly, not as fools but as wise
To walk
circumspectly and thus wisely is to live in the light of our position as God’s
children. To walk as fools means to descend from this high plane
to the conduct of worldly men.
Wise
(4680)
(sophos) is the practical application of acquired knowledge. It
describes the ability to use knowledge for correct behavior (1Co 6:5).
Sophos describes understanding that results in wise conduct.
The wise
walk of wisdom in context calls for each of us to redeem the time, "buying up" every
(spiritual) opportunity presented to us by God (Eph 5:16). Wisdom is revealed in
godly living. It calls for us not to be controlled by wine but to be
continually controlled by the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18)
There are 20 uses
of sophos in the NT - Mt. 11:25; 23:34; Lk. 10:21; Ro 1:14, 22;
16:19, 27; 1Co 1:19, 20, 25, 26, 27; 3:10, 18, 19, 20; 6:5; Eph. 5:15;
James. 3:13
In short we are to
be walking as God expects (His will) and enables (by His indwelling
Spirit) believers to walk. To
walk circumspectly is to live in the light of our position,
privilege and power as
God’s children. It's to attain to our potential as men and women who are
in Christ (see
in Christ
and
in Christ Jesus). To walk as fools means to descend from this high
plane to the conduct of worldly men.
John Eadie
writes that...
If the Ephesian Christians walked
without taking heed to their ways, then they walked as fools do, who
stumble and fall or miss the path. Wisdom, not in theory, but in
practice—wisdom, and not mere intelligence — was to characterize them;
that wisdom which preserves in rectitude, guides amidst temptations, and
affords a lesson of consistency to surrounding spectators.
And if there be any allusion to Eph
5:11, then the inferential meaning is—it would be the height of folly to
rebuke that sin which the reprover is openly committing; to condemn
profane swearing, and barb the reprimand with an oath; or exemplify the
vices of wrath and clamor in anathematizing such as may be guilty of
them. It is strange infatuation to be obliged, in pointing others to
heaven, to point over one's shoulder. And one peculiar proof and
specimen of wisdom is now given (in Eph 5:16) (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The
Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians).
><> ><> ><>
Check Your Work-I'm getting pretty good at math. That's because every day my son
Steve and I have a little math session. He does his 30 junior high math
problems, and I help him check them over. Sometimes we even get them all
right.
As I go over Steve's math, I notice that he understands how to do his
problems. In fact, in some areas he's better at it than I am. But
occasionally, despite knowing how to do the problem, he gets the wrong
answer. He either gets a little sloppy in using the right formula or he
just doesn't check his answers carefully.
Aren't we all a little like that in our Christian life? We know what we
should do. We have a good understanding of how to live the Christian
life, but we get careless or lazy. We know better, but we fail.
For instance, we know we aren't supposed to gossip. But before we know
it, we're roasting a fellow Christian. Or this: We know God wants us to
keep our mind and heart pure, but we let down our guard and watch a TV
program or movie we know is not edifying.
It's true, isn't it? We all get a little sloppy in how we live for God.
Let's be more careful and pay closer attention to our Christian walk
(Ephesians 5:15). Let's make sure we're doing quality work for our
heavenly Father. —J D Branon (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Lord, help me to
apply Your Word
And move it from my head
To actions that won't shame your Name
But honor You instead. —Sper
Give your all for Jesus,
He gave His all for you. |
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MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIME:
exagorazomenoi (PMPMPN) ton kairon: (Romans 13:11; Galatians
6:10; Colossians 4:5)
Redeeming
the time (KJV)
There's always enough time to do
God's will.
Instead of counting the days, make
your days count.
To spend time wisely, invest it in
eternity.
The wise know God's limits—fools know
no bounds.
ETERNITY will be appreciated only in the measure that we have
rightly handled TIME!—F. King
God can turn any difficulty into an
opportunity.
Wasting the gift of time insults the
Giver of time.
Solomon gives an excellent
parallel thought from the Old Testament...
Whatever your hand finds to do,
verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or
planning or knowledge or
wisdom in Sheol where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
How does a believer walk wisely
and not walk foolishly?
Paul says one way is by making the most of your time. In other
words the first sign that a person is wise is that he is sensitive to
how he uses his time. He makes a disciplined use of his time. (cp Moses'
prayer Ps 90:12 - see Spurgeon's notes below) We all understand that time is valuable, for even the
lost world says "time is money". We all have the same amount of time,
but in this context as explained more fully below, Paul is not speaking
so much of time in general but of the opportunities that are placed
before us. In the next segment Paul explains that wise people discern
the will of God (Ep 5:17).
Redeeming the time calls for a sense
of "supernatural (Spirit controlled) sense of urgency", for the time is
short for each of us (see Jn 9:4, 12:35, Ro 13:11, 1Co 7:29, 30, 31).
Someone once wrote a wise saying
which is so apropos in regard to the opportunities God gives each
believer...
Lost, yesterday, somewhere between
sunrise and sunset,
two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes.
No reward offered, for they are gone for ever.
Making the most (1805)
(exagorazo
from ek = out or from --
If something is in something else, then ek describes separating
it in respect to place, time, source or origin + agorázo = 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 (ek = out of) the market
place. It means to
completely redeem.
Click
for word study on
exagorazo.
Believers are to take advantage of every spiritual opportunity
because we know that the night is coming when no one can work. There is
an open window in time for the gospel. We must seize the moment!
Exagorazo - 4v in NT - Gal.
3:13; 4:5; Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5, translated (NAS) as making the most(2),
redeem(1), redeemed(1).
Eadie writes that...
The “unwise” allow the
propitious moment to pass, and it cannot be recalled. They may eulogize
it, but they have missed it. The “wise,” on the other hand, who
walk correctly, recognize it, appreciate it, take hold of it, make it at
whatever sacrifice their own, and thriftily turn it to the best
advantage. They redeem it (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul
to the Ephesians)
Pastor Ray Pritchard writes
that exagorazo...
is a word from the market place.
You go down to your supermarket and look for bargains because
you know they will not last long; they are passing, changing. Therefore,
make the most of them and buy them up. This is exactly the word he
employs here. Buy up the opportunities which are created constantly by
the evil days. (Ephesians 5:15-20:
Watch How You Walk)
Warren Wiersbe laments...
How foolish to stumble
along through life and never seek to know the will of the Lord! Instead
of walking “accurately” (which is equivalent to “circumspectly”), they
miss the mark, miss the road, and end up suffering on some detour. God
wants us to be wise and understand His will for our lives. As we obey
His will, we “buy up the opportunities” (redeem the time, v. 16) and do
not waste time, energy, money, and talent in that which is apart from
His will. Lost opportunities may never be regained; they are gone
forever. (Wiersbe,
W. W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.:
Victor Books)
Thomas Brooks has these
devotional thoughts on time as it applies to a believer...
A jewel more worth than a world!
("The Hypocrite Detected")
"Redeeming the time, because the days
are evil." Ephesians 5:16
Time is a jewel more worth than a
world!
Time is not yours to dispose of as you please; it is a glorious
talent, which men must be accountable for--as well as any other
talent. Of all talents, time is the hardest to improve well. Ah,
beloved, have not you need to improve your time--who have much work to
do, in so short a time:
your souls to save,
a God to honor,
a Christ to exalt,
a hell to escape,
a race to run,
a crown to win,
temptations to withstand,
corruptions to conquer,
afflictions to bear,
mercies to improve, and
your generation to serve!
"Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do
it with all your might; for in the grave, where you are going, there is
neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." Eccl 9:10.
Your time is short, your task is
great, your Master is urgent, and your reward is sure. The devil makes
all the haste he can to outwork the children of light—in a speedy
dispatch of deeds of darkness, because he knows his time is short. He
will not let slip any opportunity whereby he may do mischief. Oh may you
not let slip any opportunity wherein you may honor a good God, and be
serviceable to your generation.
Puritan Thomas Watson...
Make spending your TIME a
matter of conscience. "Redeeming the time" (Eph. 5:16).
Many people fool away their time,
some in idle visits, others in recreations and pleasures which secretly
bewitch the heart and take it away from better things. What are our
golden hours for—but to attend to our souls? Time misspent is not
time lived—but time lost!
Time is a precious commodity. A piece
of wax in itself is not worth much—but when it is affixed to the label
of a will and conveys an estate, it is of great value. Thus, time simply
in itself is not so considerable—but as salvation is to be worked out in
it, and a conveyance of heaven depends on using it well—it is of
infinite concern!
Think of your SHORT STAY in the
world. "We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the
land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a
shadow, gone so soon without a trace!" (1Chr. 29:15). There is only a
span between the cradle and the grave. Solomon says there is a time to
be born and a time to die (Eccl. 3:2)—but mentions no time of living—as
if that were so short it was not worth naming! Time, when it has once
gone, cannot be recalled. "My life passes more swiftly than a runner. It
flees away, filled with tragedy. It disappears like a swift boat, like
an eagle that swoops down on its prey." Job 9:25,26. This Scripture
compares time to a flying eagle. Yet time differs from the eagle in
this: the eagle flies forward and then back again--but time has wings
only to fly forward --it never returns! "Time flies irrevocably."
The serious thoughts of our short stay here would be a great means of
promoting godliness. What if death should come before we are ready? What
if our life should breathe out before God's Spirit has breathed in?
Whoever considers how flitting and winged his life is—will hasten his
repentance! (The
Godly Mans Picture)
REDEEM THE TIME
"NOW"
James
Montgomery Boice, the great Christian pastor and writer, who
redeemed the time well until his untimely death at age 61 (June 15,
2000) wrote that there are...
a
number of biblical words for time and contrasted kairos,
which deals with the significant moment or opportunity, and
chronos, which deals only with time's duration. There is another
biblical word which I did not mention then but which I turn to now as an
appropriate closing: the word nun. It means "now,"
and it occurs in verses which show that the kairos in
which we live, the pregnant present moment, is eternally
significant. "Once you were not a people, but now you are the
people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have
received mercy" (1Pe 2:10- note).
"Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are
you who weep now, for you
will laugh" (Lk 6:21). "Now is the time of God's favor,
now is the day of salvation" (2Co 6:2).If you and I are going to
redeem time, as wise men and women, we had better do it now,
because there may be no opportunity tomorrow. If we are to understand
the will of God, now is the moment that counts. If we are going to be
filled with God's Spirit, now is when we need filling. (Bolding and
italics added for emphasis) (Commentary on Ephesians)
In Ephesians 5:15
and the parallel passage in Colossians 4:5 (note)
Paul uses the
middle voice which conveys a
"reflexive" sense to
exagorazo
- the idea then is of buying up for
oneself, of buying up every opportunity (kairos), turning each
opportunity to the best advantage for oneself.
Conduct (present
imperative) yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders,
making the most (exagorazo
=
present tense
= continually) of the opportunity. (See note
Colossians 4:5)
Comment:
Wuest translates it
"buying up for
yourselves the strategic,
opportune time." The idea is to be habitually, continually ''buying up''
all that is anywhere to be bought and not allowing the moment to pass by
unheeded or unused but to make it one’s own.
Thayer adds 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 venerable
Pastor Harry Ironside wisely reminds us that
Time is given us to
use
in view of eternity.
MacArthur 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)
Hodge adds that Ephesians 5:15 can
be translated
availing yourselves of the occasion,
i.e. improving every opportunity for good. (Hodge, C. Commentary on
Ephesians)
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. ( Bratcher,
R. G., & Nida, E. A. A Handbook on Paul's letter to the Ephesians. UBS
handbook series. New York: United Bible Societies)
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.
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
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.
What are you living for? What are you working for?
Beloved the hard working farmer should be the
first to receive his share of the "wages" even now [2Ti 2:6-note]
and yet even better he is storing up wages in the "bank of heaven"
(cp 1Ti 4:8-note,
Mt 6:20-note,
cp Mt 19:21, 1Ti 6:17, 18, 19, He 10:34-note,
He 11:26-note;
1Pe 1:4-note).
Are you working for this life or the life to come? Do not lose heart as you labor [Gal 6:9, 10], striving according to His
power which mightily works within you [Col 1:28-note,
Col 1:29-note;
He 13:20, 21-note],
for your "payday" awaits eternity and the
bema seat [word study] seat of Christ
[2Cor 5:10, 1Co 3:11, 12, 13, 14, 15], the Lord
of the harvest. Redeem the work days you have [Ep 5:16-note,
Ro 13:11-note,
Ro 13:12-note]
for the days are evil and our life is but a vapor - cp Ps 90:12-note,
Jas 1:10, 11-note,
Jas 4:14, Ps 102:3-note,
Ps 102:11-note,
Ps 103:15, 16-note,
Ps 144:4-note,
Isa 40:6, 7, 1Pe1:24, 25-note,
Job 7:6)
Expositor's Greek Testament sums up the
essence of Paul's charge in this section writing that...
"The sense comes to be this --
the character of wisdom by which their walk was to be distinguished was
to show itself in the prompt and discerning zeal with which they made
every opportunity their own, and suffered no fitting season for the
fulfilment of Christian duty to pass unused." (Nicoll, W Robertson, Editor:
Expositors Greek Testament: 5 Volumes. Out of print. Search Google)
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.”
Buying 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.
Only one life
Twill soon pass
Only what's done for (in) Christ will last
So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.
-- Moses - Ps 90:12-note
Life is too short for us to do everything we want to do; but it is
long enough for us to do everything God wants us to do. - Anon.
Spend your time in nothing which you know must be repented of; in
nothing on which you might not pray for the blessing of God; in nothing
which you could not review with a quiet conscience on your dying bed; in
nothing which you might not safely and properly be found doing if death
should surprise you in the act. - Richard Baxter
Time should not be spent, it should be invested in the kingdom of
God. -John Blanchard
Time is not yours to dispose of as you please; it is a glorious
talent that men must be accountable for as well as any other talent. -
Thomas Brooks
There is nothing puts a more serious frame into a man's spirit than
to know the worth of his time. -Thomas Brooks
We are to redeem the time because we ourselves are redeemed.-Richard
Chester
Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time
we have rushed through life to save. -Will Rogers
TIME: 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.)
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
Solomon wisely exhorted his readers...
Whatever
your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is
no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are
going. (Eccl 9:10)
Shakespeare wrote,
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)
Time
(2540)
(kairos)
(Click
word study on
kairos)
means a point of time or period of time, time, period, frequently with
the implication of being especially fit for something and without
emphasis on precise chronology. It means a moment or period as
especially appropriate the right, proper, favorable time (at the right
time). Kairos speaks of a limited period of time, with the added
notion of suitableness ("the suitable time", "the right moment", "the
convenient time"). Kairos refers to a distinct, fixed time
period, rather than occasional moments.
Kairos - 80x in NT - Matt. 8:29; 11:25; 12:1;
13:30; 14:1; 16:3; 21:34, 41; 24:45; 26:18; Mk. 1:15; 10:30; 11:13;
12:2; 13:33; Lk. 1:20; 4:13; 8:13; 12:42, 56; 13:1; 18:30; 19:44; 20:10;
21:8, 24, 36; Jn. 7:6, 8; Acts 1:7; 3:20; 7:20; 12:1; 13:11; 14:17;
17:26; 19:23; 24:25; Rom. 3:26; 5:6; 8:18; 9:9; 11:5; 13:11; 1 Co. 4:5;
7:5, 29; 2 Co. 6:2; 8:14; Gal. 4:10; 6:9f; Eph. 1:10; 2:12; 5:16; 6:18;
Col. 4:5; 1 Thess. 2:17; 5:1; 2 Thess. 2:6; 1 Tim. 2:6; 4:1; 6:15; 2
Tim. 3:1; 4:3, 6; Titus 1:3; Heb. 9:9f; 11:11, 15; 1 Pet. 1:5, 11; 4:17;
5:6; Rev. 1:3; 11:18; 12:12, 14; 22:10. NAS renders kairos
as - age(1), epochs(2), for a while(1), occasion(1), opportune time(1),
opportunity(3), proper time(5), right time(1), season(1), seasons(4),
short*(m)(1), time(55), times(10).
In a sense kairos alludes to the brevity of
life, which begs one to pause and ponder his or her life like flowering
grass, here today, gone tomorrow and in light of this truth to take a
sincere, possibly sobering inventory of our daily activities of thought,
word and deed!
Kairos
is not so much a
succession of minutes (Greek
chronos
5550), but a
period of opportunity.
Chronos refers to chronological time, to clock time or calendar
time, to a general space or succession of time. Kairos, on the
other hand, refers to a specific and often predetermined period or
moment of time and so views time in terms of events, eras, or seasons.
In other words, kairos defines the best time to do something, the
moment when circumstances are most suitable, the psychologically "ripe"
moment.
In rhetoric kairos is "a passing instant when
an opening appears which must be driven through with force if success is
to be achieved." (E. C. White, Kaironomia p. 13)
Kairos is a season, an opportune time, an opportunity
("window of opportunity"). It is a fixed and definite time. It is a
period possessed of certain characteristics. For example, a "season" is
a time characterized by a particular circumstance or feature. Thus the
time for bringing forth fruit [karpophoros] is the season (kairos) in
which the tree bears fruit, in contrast to late autumn, when there is no
more fruit.
Kairos does not emphasize a point of time but rather
a time space filled with all kinds of possibilities. And so Kairos
characteristically means an "opportunity" (and is so translated
in some versions -- in
in the NIV and NASB) which represents the best time to do something, the
moment when circumstances are most suitable.
From the Moody Bible Institute's "Today in the Word"
we read that the idea of kairos...
is not
clock time but what one writer calls “kingdom opportunities,” those
openings for ministry that often
come at inconvenient times; a friend who wants to talk, a child
with a problem, the chance to lend a hand to someone in need. Paul
is encouraging us to keep our lives uncluttered so that we can respond
when the need arises—because kingdom opportunities can get squeezed out
of an overly tight schedule. (September, 1989)
Paul uses
kairos in a manner similar to his use her in Ephesians in the
following examples...
So then, while we have
opportunity (kairos) let us do good to all men, and especially to
those who are of the household
of the faith. (Galatians 6:10)
Conduct
(present
imperative)
yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of (exagorazo)
the opportunity (kairos). (See note
Colossians 4: 5)
In Romans
Paul uses kairos exhorting the saints that there is an urgency in
regard to the instructions he has just given writing...
And this do, knowing the time
(kairos) that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for
now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. (See note
Romans 13:11)
MacArthur writes that kairos...
denotes a
measured, allocated, fixed season or epoch. The idea of a fixed period
is also seen in the use of the definite article in the Greek text, which
refers to the time, a concept often found in Scripture (cf. Ex. 9:5;
1Pe 1:17- note). God
has set boundaries to our lives, and our opportunity for service exists
only within those boundaries. It is significant that the Bible speaks of
such times being shortened, but never of their being lengthened. A
person may die or lose an opportunity before the end of God’s time, but
he has no reason to expect his life or his opportunity to continue after
the end of his predetermined time. Having sovereignly bounded our lives
with eternity, God knows both the beginning and end of our time on
earth. As believers we can achieve our potential in His service only as
we maximize the time He has given us.
(MacArthur,
J: Ephesians. Chicago: Moody Press)
Webster's defines "opportunity" as a favorable
juncture of circumstances or a good chance for advancement or progress.
Study the following verses and see if you can
discern the "window of opportunity" aspect in each verse to help give
you a "feel" for the meaning of Kairos
(Mt
13:30, 21:34, Mark11:13,13:33, Lk 4:13,19:44, Lk 21:24, Acts 1:7, 17:26,
2Co 6:2, Gal 6:9, Eph 2:12, 2Th 2:6, Rev 1:3).
There is no good English equivalent to kairos, and when it
it plural with chronos it is translated “seasons,” or times at which
certain foreordained events take place.
Wayne Barber gives us some practical advice on
how we can redeem the time writing...
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 for God. Now to be the right choice it
has to be a choice that honors Christ and His Word. 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....(In
summary) From the time I got saved to the time I die I have an
opportunity. I am to make the most of that opportunity. How do I do
that? By redeeming the time. How do you purchase time? By the choices
that we make. We have to suffer the consequences of wrong choices. Paul
says, "You only have from the time you are born again until the time you
die. Now make the most of that time. Redeem the time. Make wise
choices." (Ephesians
5:15-17 Walking as Light in a World of Darkness)
The idea is not to make best use of time as such,
which is what we should do in the sense of not wasting it, but of taking
advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. One who lives
life carelessly and without forethought would be walking foolishly. One
who doesn’t use his time wisely obviously would be unwise. Finally, one
who isn’t following God’s will would be most foolish.
Adoniram Judson alluded to
making the most of your opportunities when he wrote that...
A life once spent is irrevocable. It
will remain to be contemplated through eternity...the same may be said
of each day. When it is once past, it is gone forever. All the marks
which we put upon it, it will exhibit forever...each day will not only
be a witness of our conduct, but will affect our everlasting
destiny....How shall we then wish to see each day marked with
usefulness...! It is too late to mend the days that are past. The future
is in our power. Let us, then, each morning, resolve to send the day
into eternity in such a garb as we shall wish it to wear forever. And at
night let us reflect that one more day is irrevocably gone, indelibly
marked.
Many years ago when the great
missionary Adoniram Judson was home on furlough, he passed through the
city of Stonington, Connecticut. A young boy playing about the wharves
at the time of Judson’s arrival was struck by the man’s appearance.
Never before had he seen such a light on any human face. He ran up the
street to a minister to ask if he knew who the stranger was. The
minister hurried back with him, but became so absorbed in conversation
with Judson that he forgot all about the impatient youngster standing
near him. Many years afterward that boy—who could never get away from
the influence of that wonderful face—became the famous preacher Henry
Clay Trumbull. In a book of memoirs he penned a chapter entitled: "What
a Boy Saw in the Face of Adoniram Judson." That lighted countenance had
changed his life. Even as flowers thrive when they bend to the light, so
shining, radiant faces come to those who constantly turn toward Christ!
Over 3000 years ago Moses prayed a prayer (see Ps 90:12 in next note
below) that is reflected in the life of Adoniram Judson and might well
be an appropriate prayer of every saint who loves "His (Christ's)
appearing" (see note
2 Timothy 4:8) (Spurgeon's
devotional)...
This is Coram
Deo living before the face of God, Carpe Diem seizing the
day, because Tempus Fugit, time flies and so our daily prayer
should be
So
teach
(an imperative) us to number our
days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom. (Psalm
90:12)
Spurgeon commenting on Psalm 90:12 writes:
So teach us to number our days. Instruct us to set store by time,
mourning for that time past wherein we have wrought the will of the
flesh, using diligently the time present, which is the accepted hour and
the day of salvation, and reckoning the time which lieth in the future
to be too uncertain to allow us safely to delay any gracious work or
prayer. Numeration is a child's exercise in arithmetic, but in order to
number their days aright the best of men need the Lord's teaching. We
are more anxious to count the stars than our days, and yet the latter is
by far more practical.
That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Men are led by
reflections upon the brevity of time to give their earnest attention to
eternal things; they become humble as they look into the grave which is
so soon to be their bed, their passions cool in the presence of
mortality, and they yield themselves up to the dictates of unerring
wisdom; but this is only the case when the Lord himself is the teacher;
he alone can teach to real and lasting profit. Thus Moses prayed that
the dispensations of justice might be sanctified in mercy. "The law is
our school master to bring us to Christ", when the Lord himself speaks
by the law. It is most meet that the heart which will so soon cease to
beat should while it moves be regulated by wisdom's hand.
A short life should be wisely spent. We have not enough time at our
disposal to justify us in misspending a single quarter of an hour.
Neither are we sure of enough life to justify us in procrastinating for
a moment. If we were wise in heart we should see this, but mere head
wisdom will not guide us aright.
The great sixteenth-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.
Handley C. G. Moule comments that...
buying up the opportunity, as it evermore occurs, "buying it
out" from alien ownership, from the mere use of self, securing it for
your Master at the expense of self-denying watchfulness. [The same
phrase occurs (Aramaic and Greek) Da 2:8: 'I knew of a
certainty that ye would buy the time'; where the meaning plainly is,
'that ye would get your desired opportunity at the expense of a
subterfuge.'... In Col. 4:5 [ note]
the special thought is of opportunities in intercourse with 'them
that are without.'" Here surely it is the same. The thought of seizing
occasions to let in "the light" upon "the darkness," that it may
become "light," is still in view.] Do this, remembering that you
will need to do it if you are to be really serviceable to Him; it will
not do to let things drift, as if circumstances would take care of
themselves, and automatically serve the Lord's servant; because the
days are evil; the "days" of your human life in a sinful world do not
lend themselves to holy uses where the man who lives them does not
watch for opportunities.
This precept is for all time. No doubt there were special conditions
in Asia at that date which may have led St Paul to write it down with
a heart centred upon peculiar and acute difficulties. In many respects
the "days" at Ephesus were "evil" as they are not now,
at least for those of us whose lot is cast in lands which bear the
Christian name, and are full on their surface of the Christian
tradition. But then, to the age, as to the day, "sufficient is the
evil thereof." We have our characteristic obstacles, here and now, to
the active doing of the Master's work, and to the silent diffusion of
His light; among them is the Christian tradition itself, where it
exists along with spiritual death in men's wills and affections. So
now, as distinctively as then, "the days are evil" for
the full Christian enterprise. And the "evil" must be reckoned
with, now as ever, by the merchants of the King, "seeking goodly
pearls" (cp Matthew 13:46); they must be on the watch, and "buy up
the opportunity" at a real cost.
We may be sure on the other hand that St Paul does not mean, for in
the wisdom of the Spirit he could not mean, that we are enjoined to
force occasions for our witness or appeal. The imagery of purchase
looks just the other way; it points to a lawful acquisition, though at
a real cost. We have need to ask as earnestly for wisdom as for
courage and persistency in life and work for Christ. But then, that
thought is not to be the miserable excuse for a contented silence.
Rather, it is to be our deep motive for such a close personal walk
with God, such a readiness, through the prayer of faith, to spend and
be spent for Him, such a maintained consciousness that His holy
service is our true raison d'étre as Christians, that when the
opportunity is ready for us we shall be ready for it. (cp 1Pe
3:15- note)
More than half the price of the "purchase" will thus be paid by our
own secret watching and prayer over our own unhindered communion with
God.
To usefulness and power
There is no royal road;
The strength for holy service
Is intercourse with God.
(Rev. Handley C. G. Moule, D.D. Ephesian Studies: Expository Readings
on the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians)
><> ><> ><>
Redeeming the Time - A Tragic Illustration - We missed him. Our chance to change things came and
passed and we did not know it was there. A dark-skinned little boy sat
through Sunday School classes for three years at a great Baptist Church
(First Church, San Antonio) but someone missed him. His name was Sirhan
Sirhan, and at age 24 he shot and killed Senator Robert Kennedy. In a
welter of words and the shudder of grief throughout our nation, the
persistent thought keeps recurring—someone missed him. (Dr. Jimmy Allen,
former pastor of First Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas in Pulpit Helps,
May, 1991, from
10000 Sermon Illustrations. Dallas:
Biblical Studies Press)
Life Application Commentary writes that...
The believers
should carefully use their time, making use of opportunities for doing
good (see Galatians 6:10). This implies that we should not allow ourselves
to be controlled by our circumstances; rather, we should make use of time
as a valuable commodity or resource, as a master does with his servant. We
should not read into this verse that God expects or condones workaholics.
God has given us periods of both work and rest. We must never find in
Scripture an excuse to neglect our physical needs or the needs of our
families.
Make a quick
mental list of the things you really value. Undoubtedly your list would
include your loved ones, your home, your church, and perhaps a few other
possessions. Would it also include your time? Paul's admonition to live
carefully, "making the most of every opportunity," is a reminder of the
preciousness of time.
Harry Ironside writes that...
Just as
people go out bargain hunting and say,
"There, if I
buy that today, I can get it at a good price, much better than if I have
to let it go until another time. It is worth my while to buy these
bargains up at this rate."
Let the
Christian be just as eager, just as earnest, to obtain opportunities to
witness for Christ, to serve the blessed Lord, and to be a means of
blessing to others with whom he comes in contact. Buying up the
opportunities, seeking to use them to the glory of our Lord Jesus,
realizing that the days are evil and the time for serving Christ is
slipping fast away, and that opportunities once lost will never be found
again. Therefore, the importance of buying them up while we have the
chance. (Amen!)
BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL: hoti
ai hemerai ponerai eisin. (3PPAI): (Eph 6:13,15; Ps 37:19;
Eccl 11:2; 12:1; Amos 5:13; John 12:35; Acts 11:28,29; 1Corinthians
7:26,29, 30, 31)
What should be
a powerful motivator to believers to buy up the time? As Paul
explains, the day are evil. referring to moral evil (especially
to the moral evil he has described earlier in Ephesians 5). The fact
that the times in which they lived were morally so corrupt was a strong
reason for making every opportunity for good their own.
Are you buying up the opportunities
for spiritual good which the Lord is graciously giving you?
Days
(2250)
(hemera) is used figuratively of the times in which we live. They
are characterized by a propensity to active evil.
Evil
(4190)(poneros
from pónos = labor, sorrow, pain) defines that which is evil in
active opposition to good. The days are pernicious. It speaks of that
which is actively harmful, hurtful, evil in effect or influence. From
the root derivation we see the sense of that which is full of or
oppressed by labors.
Poneros -78xin the NT - Matt. 5:11, 37, 39, 45; 6:13, 23; 7:11, 17f;
9:4; 12:34f, 39, 45; 13:19, 38, 49; 15:19; 16:4; 18:32; 20:15; 22:10;
25:26; Mk. 7:22f; Lk. 3:19; 6:22, 35, 45; 7:21; 8:2; 11:13, 26, 29, 34;
19:22; Jn. 3:19; 7:7; 17:15; Acts 17:5; 18:14; 19:12f, 15f; 25:18;
28:21; Rom. 12:9; 1 Co. 5:13; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 5:16; 6:13, 16; Col. 1:21;
1 Thess. 5:22; 2 Thess. 3:2f; 1 Tim. 6:4; 2 Tim. 3:13; 4:18; Heb. 3:12;
10:22; James. 2:4; 4:16; 1 Jn. 2:13f; 3:12; 5:18f; 2 Jn. 1:11; 3 Jn.
1:10; Rev. 16:2
John Eadie
writes that...
The apostle...does not adduce the
fewness of the days to inculcate in general the diligent use of time,
but he insists on the evil of the days for the purpose of urging
Christians to seize on every opportunity to counteract that evil...
furnishes a strong argument. Their days were evil. All days have
indeed been evil, for sin abounds in the world. But the days of that
period were characterized by many enormities, and the refining power of
Christianity was only partially and unequally felt. If these days so
evil afforded any opportunities of doing good, it was all the more
incumbent on Christians to win them and seize them.
The very abundance of the evil was a powerful argument to redeem
the time, and the apostle writing that letter in a prison was a living
example of his own counsel...The Greek fathers are careful to remark
that the apostle calls the days evil, not in themselves...as they are
creatures (creations) of God; but on account of the events with which
they are connected. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the
Ephesians)
Pastor Ray Pritchard writes
that...
These are evil days, not only
because of the widespread fears and tension and violence, but also
because of the materialism that creates such hollowness and emptiness
within. But what is the result? It is the evil days that make people
want to know the truth about God. It is the evil days that give us
opportunity to demonstrate Christian life. Therefore, buy up the
opportunities. Understand, as you look at life, that this is the way
life is. (Ephesians 5:15-20:
Watch How You Walk)
Vance Havner
says that this evil day is one of
Anarchy in the world
Apostasy in the church
Apathy in the individual believer
MacDonald
offers an insightful explanation of "evil days" writing that...
What lends special urgency to this
matter is the evil character of the days in which we live. They remind
us God will not always strive with man, the day of grace will soon
close, the opportunities for worship, witness, and service on earth will
soon be forever ended. (MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)
><> ><> ><>
Spurgeon on "time" in Ps 90:12-note-
So teach us to number our days. Instruct us to set store by time,
mourning for that time past wherein we have wrought the will of the
flesh, using diligently the time present, which is the accepted hour and
the day of salvation, and reckoning the time which lieth in the future
to be too uncertain to allow us safely to delay any gracious work or
prayer. Numeration is a child's exercise in arithmetic, but in order to
number their days aright the best of men need the Lord's teaching. We
are more anxious to count the stars than our days, and yet the latter is
by far more practical.
That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Men are led by
reflections upon the brevity of time to give their earnest attention to
eternal things; they become humble as they look into the grave which is
so soon to be their bed, their passions cool in the presence of
mortality, and they yield themselves up to the dictates of unerring
wisdom; but this is only the case when the Lord himself is the teacher;
he alone can teach to real and lasting profit. Thus Moses prayed that
the dispensations of justice might be sanctified in mercy. "The law is
our school master to bring us to Christ", when the Lord himself speaks
by the law. It is most meet that the heart which will so soon cease to
beat should while it moves be regulated by wisdom's hand. A short life
should be wisely spent. We have not enough time at our disposal to
justify us in misspending a single quarter of an hour. Neither are we
sure of enough life to justify us in procrastinating for a moment. If we
were wise in heart we should see this, but mere head wisdom will not
guide us aright.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT
SAYINGS
(All from Spurgeon's Note on Ps 90:12)
Ps 90:12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our
hearts unto wisdom. Moses who was learned in all the sciences of the
Egyptians (among which arithmetic was one) desireth to learn this point
of arithmetic only of thee, O Lord; and why? Is it because, as Job
speaketh, thou hast determined the number of his days? Would Moses have
thee reveal to every man the moment of his end? Such speculations may
well beseem an Egyptian, an Israelite they do not beseem. Thy children,
O Lord, know that it is not for them so to know times and seasons which
thou keepest in thine own power, and are a secret sealed up with thee:
we should not pry into that counting house, nor curiously inquire into
that sum. It is not then a mathematical numbering of days that Moses
would be schooled in, but a moral; he would have God not simply to teach
him to number, but to number "so"; and "so" points out a special manner,
a manner that may be useful for the children of God. And indeed our
petitions must bear this mark of profitable desires, and we should not
ask aught of thee but that by which (if we speed) we may become the
better; he that so studies his mortality learns it as he should, and it
is only thou, O Lord, that takest him out such a lesson. But what is the
use, O Moses, that thou wouldst have man make of such a knowledge? "Even
to apply his heart unto wisdom." O happy knowledge, by which a man
becomes wise; for wisdom is the beauty of a reasonable soul. God created
him therewith, but sin hath divorced the soul and wisdom; so that a
sinful man is indeed no better than a fool, so the Scripture calleth
him; and well it may call him so, seeing all his carriage is vain, and
the upshot of his endeavours but vexation of spirit. But though sin have
divorced wisdom and the soul, yet are they not so severed but they may
be reunited; and nothing is more powerful in furthering this union than
this feeling meditation -- that we are mortal. -- Arthur Lake.
Ps 90:12 So teach us, etc. Moses sends you to God for teaching.
"Teach Thou us; not as the world teacheth -- teach Thou us." No meaner
Master; no inferior school; not Moses himself except as he speaks God's
word and becomes the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ; not the
prophets, not apostles themselves, neither "holy men of old", except as
they "spake and were moved by the Holy Ghost." This knowledge comes not
from flesh and blood, but from God. "So teach Thou us." And so David
says, "Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and I will walk in Thy truth." And
hence our Lord's promise to his disciples, "The Holy Ghost, He shall
teach you all things." --Charles Richard Summer, 1850.
Ps 90:12 Teach us to number our days. Mark what it is which Moses
here prays for, only to be taught to number his days. But did he not do
this already? Was it not his daily work this, his constant and continual
employment? Yes, doubtless it was; yea, and he did it carefully and
conscientiously too. But yet he thought he did it not well enough, and
therefore prays here in the text to be taught to do better. See a good
man, how little he pleaseth himself in any action of his life, in any
performance of duty that he does. He can never think that he does well
enough whatever he does, but still desires to do otherwise, and would
fain do better. There is an affection of modesty and humility which
still accompanies real piety, and every pious man is an humble, modest
man, and never reckons himself a perfect proficient, or to be advanced
above a teaching, but is content and covetous to be a continual learner;
to know more than he knows and to do better than he does; yea, and
thinks it no disparagement to his graces at all to take advice, and to
seek instruction where it is to be had. --Edm. Barker's Funeral Sermon
for Lady Capell, 1661.
Ps 90:12 Teach us to number our days.
"Improve Time in time, while the
Time doth last.
For all Time is no time, when the Time is past."
--From Richard Pigot's "Life of Man,
symbolised by the Months of the Year", 1866.
Ps 90:12. Teach us to number our days. The proverbial
oracles of our parsimonious ancestors have informed us that the fatal
waste of fortune is by small expenses, by the profusion of sums too
little singly to alarm our caution, and which we never suffer ourselves
to consider together. Of the same kind is prodigality of life: he that
hopes to look back hereafter with satisfaction upon past years, must
learn to know the present value of single minutes, and endeavour to let
no particle of time fall useless to the ground. An Italian philosopher
expressed in his motto that time was his estate; an estate, indeed, that
will produce nothing without cultivation, but will always abundantly
repay the labours of industry, and satisfy the most extensive desires,
if no part of it be suffered to lie waste by negligence, to be overrun
by noxious plants, or laid out for show rather than for use. -- Samuel
Johnson.
Ps 90:12. To number our days, is not simply to take the
reckoning and a measurement of human life. This has been done already in
Holy Scripture, where it is said, "The days of our years are threescore
years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet
is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly
away." Nor yet is it, in the world's phrase, to calculate the chances of
survivorship, which any man may do in the instance of the aggregate, but
which no man can do in the case of the individual. But it is to take the
measure of our days as compared with the work to be performed, with the
provision to be laid up for eternity, with the preparation to be made
for death, with the precaution to be taken against judgment. It is to
estimate human life by the purposes to which it should be applied, by
the eternity to which it must conduct, and in which it shall at last be
absorbed. Under this aspect it is, that David contemplates man when he
says, "Thou hast made our days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as
nothing before thee", Psalms 39:5; and then proceeds to include in this
comprehensive estimate even those whose days have been the longest upon
earth: "Verily, every man at his best estate is altogether vanity."
--Thomas Dale, 1847.
Ps 90:12. To number our days. Number we our days by our
daily prayers -- number we them by our daily obedience and daily acts of
love -- number we them by the memories that they bring of holy men who
have entered into their Saviour's peace, and by the hopes which are
woven with them of glory and of grace won for us! --Plain Commentary.
Ps 90:12. Apply our hearts unto wisdom. Sir Thomas Smith,
secretary to Queen Elizabeth, some months before his death said, That it
was a great pity men know not to what end they were born into this
world, until they were ready to go out of it. --Charles Bradbury.
Ps 90:12. Apply our hearts unto wisdom. St. Austin says,
"We can never do that, except we number every day as our last day." Many
put far the evil day. They refuse to leave the earth, when the earth is
about to take its leave of them. --William Secker.
Ps 90:12. Apply our hearts unto wisdom. Moses speaketh of
wisdom as if it were physic, which doth no good before it be applied;
and the part to apply it to is the heart, where all man's affections are
to love it and to cherish it, like a kind of hostess. When the heart
seeketh it findeth, as though it were brought unto her, like Abraham's
ram. Therefore God saith, "They shall seek me and find me, because they
shall seek me with their hearts", Jeremiah 29:13; as though they should
not find him with all their seeking unless they did seek him with their
heart. Therefore the way to get wisdom is to apply your hearts unto it,
as if it were your calling and living, to which you were bound
apprentices. A man may apply his ears and his eyes as many truants do to
their books, and yet never prove scholars; but from that day when a man
begins to apply his heart unto wisdom, he learns more in a month after
than he did in a year before, nay, than ever he did in his life. Even as
you see the wicked, because they apply their hearts to wickedness, how
fast they proceed, how easily and how quickly they become perfect
swearers, expert drunkards, cunning deceivers, so if ye could apply your
hearts as thoroughly to knowledge and goodness, you might become like
the apostle which teacheth you. Therefore, when Solomon sheweth men the
way how to come by wisdom, he speaks often of the heart, as, "Give thine
heart to wisdom", "let wisdom enter into thine heart", "get wisdom",
"keep wisdom", "embrace wisdom", Proverbs 2:10, 4:5, 8:8, as though a
man went a wooing for wisdom. Wisdom is like God's daughter, that he
gives to the man that loves her, and sueth for her, and means to set her
at his heart. Thus we have learned how to apply knowledge that it may do
us good; not to our ears, like them which hear sermons only, nor to our
tongues, like them which make table talk of religion, but to our hearts,
that we may say with the virgin, "My heart doth magnify the Lord", Luke
1:46, and the heart will apply it to the ear and to the tongue, as
Christ saith, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh",
Matthew 12:34. --Henry Smith.
Ps 90:12. -- Of all arithmetical rules this is the hardest --
to number our days. Men can number their herds and droves of oxen
and of sheep, they can estimate the revenues of their manors and farms,
they can with a little pains number and tell their coins, and yet they
are persuaded that their days are infinite and innumerable and therefore
do never begin to number them. Who saith not upon the view of another,
surely yonder man looketh by his countenance as if he would not live
long, or yonder woman is old, her days cannot be many: thus we can
number other men's days and years, and utterly forget our own, therefore
this is the true wisdom of mortal men, to number their own days.
--Thomas Tymme.
Ps 90:12. -- Observe here, after that Moses had given us a
description of the wrath of God, presently his thoughts are taken up
with the meditation of death. The wrath of God thought on makes us think
of death ... Let us often think of the wrath of God, and let the thought
of it so far work upon us, as to keep us in a constant awe and fear of
God (see notes on
phobos);
and let this fear drive us to God by prayer, that fearing as we ought,
we may pray as we are commanded, and praying, we may prevent the wrath
of God. If our present sorrows do not move us, God will send greater;
and when our sorrows are grown too great for us, we shall have little
heart or comfort to pray. Let our fears then quicken our prayers; and
let our prayers be such as are able to overcome our fears; so both ways
shall we be happy, in that our fears have taught us to pray, and our
prayers have made us to fear no more. -- Christopher Shute, in "Ars pie
moriendi: or, The true Accomptant. A Sermon", etc., 1658.
Ps 90:12. It is evident, that the great thing wanted to make men
provide for eternity, is the practical persuasion that they have but a
short time to live. They will not apply their hearts unto wisdom until
they are brought to the numbering of their days. And how are you to be
brought, my brethren? The most surprising thing in the text is, that it
should be in the form of a prayer. It is necessary that God should
interfere to make men number their days. We call this surprising. What!
is there not enough to make us feel our frailty, without an actual,
supernatural impression? What! are there not lessons enough of that
frailty without any new teaching from above? Go into our churchyards --
all ages speak to all ranks. Can we need more to prove to us the
uncertainty of life? Go into mourning families, and where are they not
to be found? -- in this it is the old, in that it is the young, whom
death has removed -- and is there not eloquence in tears to persuade us
that we are mortal? Can it be that in treading every day on the dust of
our fathers, and meeting every day with funerals of our brethren, we
shall not yet be practically taught to number our days, unless God print
the truth on our hearts, through some special operation of his Spirit?
It is not thus in other things. In other things the frequency of the
occurrence makes us expect it. The husbandman does not pray to be made
believe that the seed must be buried and die before it will germinate.
This has been the course of the grain of every one else, and where there
is so much experience what room is there for prayer. The mariner does
not pray to be taught that the needle of his compass points towards the
north. The needle of every compass has so pointed since the secret was
discovered, and he has not to ask when he is already so sure. The
benighted man does not pray to be made to feel that the sun will rise in
a few hours. Morning has succeeded to night since the world was made,
and why should he ask what he knows too welt to doubt? But in none of
these things is there greater room for assurance than we have each one
for himself, in regard to its being appointed to him once to die.
Nevertheless, we must pray to be! made to know -- to be made to feel --
that we are to die, in the face of an experience which is certainly not
less than that of the parties to whom we have referred. This is a
petition that we may believe, believe as they do: for they act on their
belief in the fact which this experience incontestably attests. And we
may say of this, that it is amongst the strangest of the strange things
that may be affirmed of human nature, that whilst, in regard to inferior
concerns, we can carefully avail ourselves of experience, taking care to
register its decisions and to deduce from them rules for our guidance --
in the mightiest concern of all we can act as though experience had
furnished no evidence, and we were left without matter from which to
draw inferences. And, nevertheless, in regard to nothing else is the
experience so uniform. The grain does not always germinate -- but every
man dies. The needle does not always point due north -- but every man
dies. The sun does not cross the horizon in every place in every
twenty-four hours -- but every man dies. Yet we must pray -- pray as for
the revelation of a mystery hidden from our gaze -- we must pray to be
made to know -- to be made to believe -- that every man dies! For I call
it not belief, and our text calls it not belief, in the shortness of
life and the certainty of death, which allows men to live without
thought of eternity, without anxiety as to the soul, or without an
effort to secure to themselves salvation. I call it not belief -- no,
no, anything rather than belief. Men are rational beings, beings of
forethought, disposed to make provision for what they feel to be
inevitable; and if there were not a practical infidelity as to their own
mortality, they could not be practically reckless as to their own
safety. --Henry Melvill.
Ps 90:12. So teach us to number our days, etc. Five things
I note in these words: first, that death is the haven of every man;
whether he sit on the throne, or keep in a cottage, at last he must
knock at death's door, as all his fathers have done before him.
Secondly, that man's time is set, and his bounds appointed, which he
cannot pass, no more than the Egyptians could pass the sea; and
therefore Moses saith, "Teach us to number our days", as though there
were a number of our days. Thirdly, that our days are few, as though we
were sent into this world but to see it; and therefore Moses, speaking
of our life, speaks of days, not of years, nor of months, nor of weeks;
but "Teach us to number our days", shewing that it is an easy thing even
for a man to number his days, they be so few. Fourthly, the aptness of
man to forget death rather than anything else; and therefore Moses
prayeth the Lord to teach him to number his days, as though they were
still slipping out of his mind. Lastly, that to remember how short a
time we have to live, will make us apply our hearts to that which is
good. --Henry Smith.
Verse 12. Our hearts. In both the Scriptures of the Old
and New Testament, the term "heart" is applied alike to the mind
that thinks, to the spirit that feels, and the will that acts. And it
here stands for the whole mental and moral nature of man, and implies
that the whole soul and spirit, with all their might, are to be applied
in the service of wisdom. --William Brown Keer, 1863.
Ps 90:12 Wisdom. I consider this "wisdom" identical
with the hypostatic wisdom described by Solomon, Proverbs 8:15-31, and
Proverbs 9:1,5, even Immanuel, the wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption of his people. The chief pursuit of life
should be the attainment of an experimental knowledge of Christ, by whom
"kings reign and princes decree justice; whose delights are with the
sons of men, and who crieth, Whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall
obtain favour of the Lord; come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine
which I have mingled." David in the Psalms, and Solomon, his son, in the
Proverbs, have predictively manifested Messiah as the hypostatic wisdom,
"whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." -- J. N.
Coleman.
HINTS FOR PASTORS AND LAYPERSONS - Ps 90:12.
1. The Reckoning.
What their usual number.
How many of them are already spent.
How uncertain the number that remains.
How much of them must be occupied with the necessary duties of this
life.
What afflictions and helplessness may attend them.
2. The use to be made of it.
To "seek wisdom" -- not riches,
worldly honours, or pleasures -- but wisdom; not the wisdom of the
world, but of God.
To "apply the heart" to it. Not mental merely, but moral wisdom; not
speculative merely, but experimental; not theoretical merely, but
practical.
To seek it at once -- immediately.
To seek it constantly -- "apply our hearts", etc.
3. The help to be sought in it.
"So teach us", etc.
Our own ability is insufficient
through the perversion both of the mind and heart by sin.
Divine help may be obtained. "If any man lack wisdom." etc. --G. R.
Ps 90:12. -- The Sense of
Mortality. Show the variety of blessings dispensed to different classes
by the right use of the sense of mortality.
It may be an antidote for the
sorrowful. Reflect, "there is an end."
It should be a restorative to the labouring.
It should be a remedy for the impatient.
As a balm to the wounded in heart.
As a corrective for the worldly.
As a sedative to the frivolous.
--R. Andrew Griffin, in "Stems and Twigs", 1872.
><> ><> ><>
MISSED
OPPORTUNITY- Dr. Jimmy
Allen We missed him. Our chance to change things came and passed and we
did not know it was there. A dark-skinned little boy sat through Sunday
School classes for three years at a great Baptist Church (First Church,
San Antonio) but someone missed him. His name was Sirhan Sirhan, and at
age 24 he shot and killed Senator Robert Kennedy. In a welter of words
and the shudder of grief throughout our nation, the persistent thought
keeps recurring—someone missed him. (Dr. Jimmy Allen, former pastor of
First Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas in Pulpit Helps, May, 1991,
from
10000 Sermon Illustrations. Dallas:
Biblical Studies Press)
><> ><> ><>
TIME AND
ETERNITY-
Recently, at a conference of magazine publishers in the United
States, the representatives were requested to stand and give the name of
their publication. Inevitably it seemed that a delegate from the
Christian magazine, Eternity, always followed one from the secular
periodical, Time. A burst of laughter among the delegates resulted when
TIME and ETERNITY were thus linked together. Yet there is food for
thought here, for indeed the two are vitally related and closely
interlocked. The final rewards and position of the saved will be
governed by their faithfulness, after their conversion, in filling the
hours here with loving service, holy adoration, and diligent study. The
lost too will be beaten with "few" or "many stripes" in relation to
their deeds and attitudes while here on earth. Therefore, someone has
wisely written: "Use well opportunity, drift not with the tide; killing
time is not murder, it's suicide!" Indeed, eternity will magnify that
which we have done in time.
May I make a practical suggestion for the new year? Always carry
something with you to fill the moments that would other-wise be spent in
idleness. For instance, take with you a little New Testament which you
can study and mark up as you wait your turn in the doctor's office; or a
text — printed on a card — which you can memorize while you ride the bus
to work; or a notebook in which you jot down helpful suggestions or
prayer requests. These are all good ways to "redeem the time" and make
golden investments in eternity.
Too busy to read the Bible, too busy to wait and pray! Too busy to speak
out kindly to someone by the way! Too busy to care and struggle, to
think of the life to come, Too busy building mansions to plan for the
heavenly Home. (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Too busy for all
that is holy on earth beneath the sky,
Too busy to serve the Master, but—not too busy to die!—Anon.
ETERNITY will be appreciated
only in the measure that we have rightly handled TIME!—F. King
><> ><> ><>
Time For
Everything-
Perhaps the most sought-after but elusive possession of the 90s is
"time for everything." The film industry focused on this dilemma in a
comedy about a harried man who is cloned so he can fulfill his roles as
father, construction foreman, and husband. While pop culture proclaims
that people can juggle multiple roles if they just manage them well
enough, it takes more than cellular phones and pagers to pull it off in
real life.
Ephesians 5:15-16 has been called the Bible's key to time management.
But "redeeming the time" goes far beyond being efficient. It's a
wonderful phrase that can also be translated "making the most of every
opportunity." It suggests an attitude toward living that sees every
situation as the perfect occasion to do God's will and influence others
for Him. During these evil days, we are to live out the goodness God has
placed in us through faith in Christ.
How much time do we have today? Time for prayer? Time to answer a
child's question? Time to be interrupted by someone in need? Time to
consider others during an inconvenience or delay?
May the Lord give us wisdom to grasp today's opportunities and make time
for what's important to Him. --D C McCasland (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Lord, help us to
redeem the time
You give us every day--
To take each opportunity
To follow and obey. --Sper
There's always enough time to do God's will.
><> ><> ><>
Our Measured Life- Teach us to number
our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. . --Psalm 90:12
The root meaning of the word translated number in "teach us to number
our days" (Ps. 90:12) is "to weigh" or "to measure." We are to place
each day in the balance and make it tip the scales in a way that will
bring glory to God and blessing to the lives of others.
When the great artist Raphael died at the early age of 37, friends and
relatives carried his marvelous but unfinished painting The
Transfiguration in the funeral procession. His family felt that because
of the limited time he was allotted to use his creative genius, the
painting was an appropriate symbol of his unfulfilled earthly
aspirations.
That half-completed picture has another meaning--a message that should
impress itself on all of us: Life is fleeting and death may come
unexpectedly. We should treasure each hour as a gift of great value and
use it to the best advantage.
If we realize the value of our days, we will try to spend them
profitably. To have no regrets at life's end and have much reward in
heaven, we must make the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:15-16). In
the words of the psalmist let us pray, "Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Ps. 90:12). --H G Bosch (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
The clock of life
is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop,
At late or early hour. --Anon.
Instead of counting the days,
make your days count.
><> ><> ><>
THE WISE USE OF
TIME
Ephesians 5:15-16
F B Meyer. Our Daily Walk
GOD DESIRES to give each life its full development. Of course, there are
exceptions; for instance, in some cases the lessons and discipline of
life are crowded into a very brief space of time, and the soul is
summoned to the Presence-chamber of eternity. But, on the whole, each
human life is intended to touch all the notes of life's organ. There is
an appointed time when it shall be born or die, shall weep or laugh,
shall get or lose, shall have halcyon peace or storm cast skies. These
times have been fixed for you in God's plan; do not try and anticipate
them, or force the pace, but wait thou the Lord's leisure. In due time
all will work out for thy good and for His glory. Say to Him" "All my
times are in Thy hand."
Times and seasons succeed one another very quickly. Milton, in his
glorious sonnet on the Flight of Time, bids her call on the
leaden-stepping hours, referring to the swing of the pendulum; and,
indeed, as we look back on our past life it will seem as though each
experience was only for a moment, and then had vanished, never to
return. We are reminded of the cobbler, who, as he sat in his kitchen,
thought that the pendulum of his clock, when it swing to the left, said
For ever; and to the right, Where? For ever--where? For ever--where? He
got up and stopped it, but found that, although he had stopped the
questioner, he had not answered the question. Nor could he find rest
until, on his knees, he had been able to face the question of the
Eternal, and reply to it.
We must be on the alert to meet the demand of every hour. "Mine hour is
not yet come," said our Lord. He waited patiently until He heard the
hours strike in heaven, and then drawing the strength appropriate to its
demand, He went forth to meet it. Each time and season is kept by the
Father in His own hand. He opens and none shuts; He shuts and none
opens. But in that same hand are the needed supplies of wisdom, grace,
and power. As the time, so is the strength. No time of sighing, trial,
temptation, or bereavement is without its special and adapted supplies.
Take what is needed from His hand, and go forth to play the part for
which the hour calls.
PRAYER - Oh, that Thou wouldst bless us indeed and enlarge our coasts of
useful service. Let Thine hand be with us, and keep us from all evil
that would grieve Thee. AMEN. (F B Meyer. Our Daily Walk)
><> ><> ><>
Tick, Tick, Tick- Do you have a
clock or watch available with a secondhand on it? Stop and follow that
hand as it ticks away 1 minute. Those seconds, of course, are the way we
measure time, and time is the very essence of our lives. By the time you
reach the age of 75, the clocks and watches of this world will have
ticked away a total of nearly 2.5 billion seconds.
Bernard Berenson, an internationally famous art critic, had a zest for
life. Even when he was in ill health, he cherished every moment. Shortly
before he died at age 94, he said to a friend, "I would willingly stand
at street corners, hat in hand, asking passersby to drop their unused
minutes into it." Oh, that we would learn to appreciate the value of
time!
We certainly don't want to be so time-conscious that we become driven
workaholics, neglecting our families, never relaxing with our friends,
too busy to smell the roses or admire a sunset. Yet Paul urged us to
redeem the time (Ephesians 5:15-16), and Moses prayed, "Teach us to
number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).
Let's ask the Lord to help us appreciate the value of time. May we
wisely invest our seconds, minutes, hours, and days, realizing that
beyond time lies eternity. —Vernon C Grounds (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. --DJD
To spend time wisely, invest it in eternity.
><> ><> ><>
Stay Within God's Limits-
One of life's greatest enjoyments for Suzannah Worl is riding her
Harley-Davidson motorcycle. In a devotional article for Covenant
Publications, she wrote about cruising the streets of Chicago with her
friends late one summer night. They were riding along the shore of Lake
Michigan, enjoying the bright moonlight and gentle breeze off the water.
Suddenly the lead
motorcyclist took off and several of the group went with him, reaching
speeds of 100 miles an hour. Suzannah was tempted to join them—but she
didn't. She knew it was not safe and it was against the law. So she held
back, continuing at normal speed.
Sometimes the way others live seems far more attractive and exciting
than our Christian life. We're tempted to disobey God's commands or
compromise principles from His Word. But we are called to live each day
with self-discipline and spiritual discernment. The apostle Paul said,
"Walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise" (Ephesians 5:15).
We need to ask the Lord for His help so that we'll see situations
through His eyes and make wise choices. As we obey Him and stay within
His limits, we will find true joy and lasting satisfaction.—David C.
Egner
Living for Jesus a
life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me. —Chisholm
The wise know God's limits—fools know no bounds.
><> ><> ><>
Stay Within God's Limits- One of life's
greatest enjoyments for Suzannah Worl is riding her Harley-Davidson
motorcycle. In a devotional article for Covenant Publications, she wrote
about cruising the streets of Chicago with her friends late one summer
night. They were riding along the shore of Lake Michigan, enjoying the
bright moonlight and gentle breeze off the water.
Suddenly the lead
motorcyclist took off and several of the group went with him, reaching
speeds of 100 miles an hour. Suzannah was tempted to join them—but she
didn't. She knew it was not safe and it was against the law. So she held
back, continuing at normal speed.
Sometimes the way others live seems far more attractive and exciting
than our Christian life. We're tempted to disobey God's commands or
compromise principles from His Word. But we are called to live each day
with self-discipline and spiritual discernment. The apostle Paul said,
"Walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise" (Ephesians 5:15).
We need to ask the Lord for His help so that we'll see situations
through His eyes and make wise choices. As we obey Him and stay within
His limits, we will find true joy and lasting satisfaction.—David C.
Egner (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Living for Jesus a
life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me. —Chisholm
The wise know God's limits—fools know no bounds.
><> ><> ><>
Killing Time-
A friend of mine was sitting on a park bench with his hands folded,
staring into the distance. When I asked what he was doing, he replied,
"Oh, just killing time."
What a cruel thing to do to something as valuable as time! Why kill it?
Time is given to us to be cultivated, not murdered. Time should never be
wasted but used to the best advantage.
Of course, there are times when we must relax and rest. Even Jesus said
to His disciples, "Come aside . . . and rest a while" (Mark. 6:31). But
that was not "killing time," it was using time for restoration. After
they had rested, they would be able to use their time more fruitfully
and profitably.
If a fraction of the time we waste could be used to pray, read the
Bible, witness to others, visit a friend in distress, or comfort someone
who is grieving, what a difference it would make! Today, when you have
leisure time, ask yourself how you can best improve those extra moments.
You may think I am being narrow minded, but the Bible is clear—we are to
be "wise, redeeming the time" (Eph. 5:16).
Today, see how much good you can do for God and others—not how little
you can get by with. It is not true that we can "make up lost time." It
is gone forever! —M R De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
God's people have
so much to do
In serving Christ today
That they should use their precious time
To share, to love, to pray. —JDB
Time—use it or lose it!
><> ><> ><>
What Does God Like? - Some churches have
become divided over styles of worship. One group may be insisting on a
traditional service, while another is agitating for a more contemporary
format.
We can all profit from a lesson a man learned on a business trip after
attending a church service near his hotel. He talked with the pastor
about how he had been blessed by the sermon, even though some of the
worship time was not to his liking.
The pastor simply asked, "What was it you think God didn't like?" The
man had the grace to reply, "I don't suppose there was anything He
didn't like. I was talking about my own reaction. But worship isn't
really about me, is it?"
We are entitled to our own preferences, and we must hold firmly to our
biblical convictions. But before we voice our fault-finding opinions,
let's seriously try to understand God's viewpoint. Consider Ephesians 5
in the light of worship: We are to be filled with the Spirit, speak to
each other in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, give thanks to God,
and submit to one another (Eph 5:19,21).
Whatever the style of worship, as we express to God our praise for who
He is and all He has done, we lift Him up and encourage others. That's
what God likes.—Vernon C Grounds (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Let us celebrate
together,
Lift our voice in one accord,
Singing of God's grace and mercy
And the goodness of the Lord. —Sper
At the heart of worship is worship from the heart.
><> ><> ><>
WHEN
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS - By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for
seven days (Hebrews 11:30).
As a sculptor showed a visitor some marble figures displayed in his
studio, an unusual sculpture caught the guest's attention. It had two
peculiar features. Where the statue's face normally would have been, the
sculptor had chiseled a covering of hair, and on both feet were wings.
"What is the name of this one?" asked
the visitor.
"Opportunity," the artist answered.
"Why is its face hidden?"
"Because," said the craftsman, "we seldom know opportunity when he comes
to us."
"And why does he have wings on his feet?"
"Because he is soon gone, and once gone, he cannot be overtaken."
The apostle Paul
spoke of the quickly passing nature of opportunity in Ephesians 5:16.
The word time used in this verse can also be translated
"opportunity"—suggesting occasions for accomplishing high and noble
purposes. But what are these opportunities? They are brief moments of
personal contact—the passing incident, the turn of a conversation, or
the "chance" meeting of an old acquaintance. Such times present golden
opportunities for caring, for witnessing, for eternal good.
Alexander Maclaren, the noted Baptist preacher from England, said,
"Every moment of life is granted us for one purpose: becoming like our
dear Lord. That ultimate, all-embracing end is reached through a
multitude of near and intermediate ones."
Like the young shepherd David, when our faith is strong we will have the
wisdom and courage to see every obstacle as an opportunity. —P. R. Van
Gorder (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
To believe only
possibilities, is not faith, but mere Philosophy.
—Sir Thomas Browne
><> ><> ><>
Making The Most Of
Time- We tend to read
Ephesians 5:16 as if Paul is calling believers to action because the
days are short, but that's not what he meant. He said we are to make the
most of time "because the days are evil."
Evil days are days of opportunity. The more evil our culture becomes,
the more opportunities there will be to show and share our faith.
God controls human history—permitting the rise of nations, determining
their geographical boundaries, and orchestrating their fall—so that men
and women will "seek the Lord" (Acts 17:26, 27). History is "His story"
of providing salvation for a lost world and pointing people to the Lord.
Even the forces of evil are used in such a way that "all the kingdoms of
the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone" (Isaiah 37:20).
God may hold back His judgment for a time, allowing evil tyrants to have
their day, upsetting people's well-ordered lives, presenting them with
dilemmas beyond their understanding. Evil brings pain, but it is the
genius of God to bring good out of evil (Romans 8:28).
Evil times, therefore, are not to be feared. They are times of
unparalleled opportunity. That's why we must make the most of them.
—David H. Roper (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Lord, help us to
redeem the time
You give us every day,
To take each opportunity
To follow and obey. —Sper
God can turn any difficulty into an opportunity.
><> ><> ><>
Don't Kill Time!
- 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.
How can you make good use of your spare moments? Consider carrying a
Bible or a devotional booklet with you. Use the time to read, or to
pray, or to write a note of encouragement or admonition to some needy
soul.
Beware of wasting the present. Instead of killing time, redeem your
spare moments today. —H G Bosch —Henry G. Bosch (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Redeem the time!
God only knows
How soon our little life may close,
With all its pleasures and its woes,
Redeem the time! —Anon.
Wasting the gift of time insults the giver of time.
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