Redeem Time: Live Wisely and Redemptively
Summary
As we embark on a new year, it's a fitting time to reflect on the passage of time and how we choose to spend it. Time is a precious, non-renewable resource, and the Bible urges us to use it wisely. Ephesians 5:15-17 reminds us to live carefully, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. This passage challenges us to consider how we can live wisely and redemptively in a world that often seems to be filled with darkness.
Imagine being given $1,440 every day, with the stipulation that you must spend it all by day's end. This is akin to the 1,440 minutes we receive each day, which cannot be saved or reclaimed. Reflecting on how we spent our time in the past year, or even further back, can be a sobering exercise. Many of us may struggle to recall significant, meaningful activities from years past, highlighting the ease with which time slips away.
The call to live wisely involves investing our time in personal growth, building relationships, and advancing God's kingdom. These are pursuits with eternal significance, laying up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. As we look back on our lives, the moments that hold the most meaning are often those that align with God's purposes.
Living redemptively means being salt and light in a world that desperately needs it. We are called to exert a positive influence, reflecting God's love and righteousness. The example of President Jimmy Carter, who lived out his faith publicly and actively, serves as an inspiration for us all. Our character and behavior should be exemplary, making the most of every opportunity to participate in God's redemptive work.
Time is life, and how we spend our hours and days is how we spend our lives. To live wisely is to spend our time for God and others, seeking their redemption. As we enter 2025, let us resolve to use our time wisely and redemptively, pursuing God's will for our lives. May we not miss the burning bush because we're too busy with the mundane. Instead, let us do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Value of Time: Time is a non-renewable resource, and the Bible urges us to use it wisely. Reflecting on how we spent our time in the past can reveal the ease with which it slips away. We are called to make the most of every opportunity, as the days are evil. [02:45]
2. Living Wisely: Living wisely involves investing our time in personal growth, building relationships, and advancing God's kingdom. These pursuits have eternal significance, laying up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. [06:46]
3. Living Redemptively: We are called to be salt and light in a world that needs it. Our character and behavior should be exemplary, making the most of every opportunity to participate in God's redemptive work. [14:40]
4. Time is Life: The way we spend our hours and days is the way we spend our lives. To live wisely is to spend our time for God and others, seeking their redemption. [22:59]
5. Pursuing God's Will: As we enter a new year, let us resolve to use our time wisely and redemptively, pursuing God's will for our lives. May we not miss the burning bush because we're too busy with the mundane. [24:02]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:33] - The Precision of Time
- [02:45] - Ephesians 5:15-17
- [03:42] - Living Wisely
- [04:33] - The $1,440 Analogy
- [05:24] - Reflecting on Time
- [06:46] - Meaningful Activities
- [09:46] - Personal Reflections
- [11:11] - Pursuing Worthy Things
- [12:20] - Redeeming the Time
- [14:40] - Living Redemptively
- [15:45] - Exemplary Behavior
- [16:49] - Personal Story
- [19:11] - Urgency in Living
- [20:18] - The Demons' Strategy
- [22:59] - Time is Life
- [24:02] - Pursuing God's Will
- [24:55] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Ephesians 5:15-17
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Observation Questions:
1. What does Ephesians 5:15-17 instruct us about how we should live our lives? [02:45]
2. How does the analogy of being given $1,440 each day relate to the way we use our time? [04:33]
3. What examples from the sermon illustrate the concept of living redemptively? [14:40]
4. How does the sermon describe the urgency of using our time wisely in the context of the world's evil? [20:18]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. What does it mean to "make the most of every opportunity" as mentioned in Ephesians 5:16, and how does this relate to living wisely? [03:42]
2. How can the example of President Jimmy Carter inspire us to live out our faith publicly and actively? [14:40]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that our character and behavior should be exemplary in a world filled with darkness? [15:45]
4. How does the story of the three demons illustrate the danger of complacency in our Christian mission? [20:18]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your past year. Can you identify specific ways you used your time wisely or unwisely? What changes can you make in 2025 to align more closely with God's purposes? [05:24]
2. Consider the relationships in your life. How can you invest more time in building and nurturing these connections in a way that reflects God's love? [06:46]
3. What are some practical steps you can take to be "salt and light" in your community, as Jesus calls us to be? [12:20]
4. Think about a recent situation where you had the opportunity to reflect God's love and righteousness. How did you respond, and what might you do differently next time? [15:45]
5. Identify one area of personal growth you want to focus on this year. What specific actions will you take to pursue this growth in alignment with God's will? [11:11]
6. How can you ensure that you are not too busy with mundane tasks to notice the "burning bush" moments in your life? [22:59]
7. What is one way you can actively participate in God's redemptive work this week? Consider a specific action or conversation you can have to make a positive impact. [24:02]
Devotional
Day 1: The Irreplaceable Gift of Time
Time is a precious, non-renewable resource that the Bible urges us to use wisely. Reflecting on how we spent our time in the past can reveal the ease with which it slips away. We are called to make the most of every opportunity, as the days are evil. [02:45]
"Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12, ESV)
Reflection: Consider how you spent your time yesterday. What is one change you can make today to ensure you are using your time more wisely and purposefully?
Day 2: Investing in Eternal Significance
Living wisely involves investing our time in personal growth, building relationships, and advancing God's kingdom. These pursuits have eternal significance, laying up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. [06:46]
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20, ESV)
Reflection: Identify one relationship or area of personal growth that you can invest in this week. How can this investment align with God's eternal purposes?
Day 3: Being Salt and Light
We are called to be salt and light in a world that needs it. Our character and behavior should be exemplary, making the most of every opportunity to participate in God's redemptive work. [14:40]
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet." (Matthew 5:13, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a situation where you can be a positive influence today. How can you reflect God's love and righteousness in that situation?
Day 4: Time is Life
The way we spend our hours and days is the way we spend our lives. To live wisely is to spend our time for God and others, seeking their redemption. [22:59]
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on your daily routine. What is one habit you can change to ensure your time is spent in a way that honors God and serves others?
Day 5: Pursuing God's Will
As we enter a new year, let us resolve to use our time wisely and redemptively, pursuing God's will for our lives. May we not miss the burning bush because we're too busy with the mundane. [24:02]
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel God is calling you to change or grow? How can you begin to pursue His will in that area today?
Quotes
Time marches on, and every second that passes is gone forever. We can't get it back. No matter what we try, nothing we can do will bring it back. And that makes time a very priceless resource. The Bible speaks about the value of time. The importance of using it wisely in several places. [00:02:23]
One thing this passage makes abundantly clear is that God is interested in how we live. In verse 15 it says, Be very careful how you live. And it says that we should live wisely, not foolishly. But what does it mean to live wisely with regard to our time, with this brief span of days on earth that God has given us? [00:03:54]
Every day we have 1,440 minutes of time to spend however we like. We can't save a single minute to be used in the future. At the end of the day, they're gone forever. Now that makes you think, doesn't it? It sort of puts things in perspective. How would you say that you used your time in 2024? [00:05:07]
We'll spend more of it in personal growth, in relationship building, in investment in others, and the advancement of the kingdom of God. Things that bring eternal significance, if you will. Things that lay up treasure in heaven rather than treasure on earth. We'll give attention to things that count. [00:09:01]
I remember baptizing a man that I first shared the gospel with 14 years earlier when I preached his mother's funeral. It took 14 years, but ultimately he surrendered his life to the Lord. And in fact, last I heard, he's treasurer of the church. I've vividly remembered that. [00:10:34]
And if I somehow had that time to live over again, knowing what I know now, I'd want to spend more of my time pursuing the things that God considers worthy because those are the things I now realize mean the most to me a dozen years down the road. What about you? [00:11:39]
how to live wisely making the most of every opportunity it says that's how the niv translates it but the greek text literally says redeeming the time we live redemptively in this experience in this world and paul says the that time needs to be redeemed because the days are evil [00:12:41]
We should do our best to reflect the love of God, the goodness of God, the righteousness of God, as we interact with others who may or may not know Him as we do. I remember something that happened back in 2005. My uncle, one of my favorite uncles, passed away. [00:16:27]
And it's important that we do that because it's urgent that we do that. To make the most of every opportunity to live redemptively, the Bible says. Every opportunity. There's a story about three demons who were arguing over the best way to derail the Christian mission in the world. [00:19:42]
Because time is life, isn't it? Time is life. The way you spend your hours and your days is the way you spend your life. And to spend your life for yourself is to throw it away, to squander it. To spend it for God and for others in seeking their redemption is to live a life that is wise, a life that is redemptive, a life that is eternal. [00:22:45]
So resolve to use your time this year wisely and redemptively. Pursue it. Pursue doing the Lord's will for your life rather than your own. Seek to know what the Lord's will is and follow Him in it. Don't miss out on the burning bush because you're too busy cutting the grass. [00:23:22]
And as the Bible says in Colossians 3, 17, Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Giving thanks to God the Father through Him. So let's do that, shall we? [00:23:48]
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