No More Wasting Time

​Ephesians 5:15-16 ~ “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
 
In a world filled with amusements that are meant to steer your mind and attention away from that which is of the LORD, how well do you “look carefully?” In truth most of humanity flirt with all manner of distractions that steal our time and rob us of the precious commodity of minutes in our days. How often have I taken time away from that which is noble and spent it upon frivolous pursuits that garnered me nothing and offered no real glory to God. And I am convinced that most of those who read this today must honestly confess that they’ve done so too. Teachers must now work with students who have such a limited attention span that it takes most of their effort just to keep the children engaged in the work. Preachers of the past, who provided lengthy expositions of deep truths, have been replaced by modern-day presenters who offer little more than a montage of platitudes. Oh, my dear friends, let us take this command seriously and look carefully.
 
But what shall we look at? We must look carefully at “how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.” This journey that we are on from the cradle to the grave is littered with all manner of obstacles and frivolities that will deceive and trip us up along the way. It is an easy thing to walk with the foolish things of this world. The entire demand of our society today is to give in to the base natures of our sinfulness and conform our lives to our passions. Titus 3:3 states, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” To go through life in that manner is truly foolish. But we must walk as one who is wise. And, beloved, there is no wisdom greater than the wisdom of God. Let us strive to walk in His wisdom, learning and determined to step forward by faith in His word and trust that He knows better than we the course we are to take. Consider how James describes the wisdom of God, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Dear ones, if you have been walking a foolish road, stepping away from faithfulness to the LORD and trusting in your own instincts and your own understanding, then stop immediately and commit again your walk to the LORD. Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.”
 
Our text today continues, “making the best use of the time.” Let there be no more wasting time, but let us strive to make the best use of the time that we have. We read in Ecclesiastes 7:8, “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning.” The end of a thing is its summation, the conclusion and final tally of what the life has become. You, dear Christian, reach out and comprehend your heart’s final beat so that each one would be counted for the glory of God. Let us fill our hearts and minds with the wisdom of God that we should redeem the time we have. Many moments lay before you, what will you do with them? Will you overwork when you ought to rest? Will you lounge when you know that God has commanded you to strive? Our LORD Jesus tells us, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). The plow is to follow Christ and your hand your faith. If you have put your hand upon the plow, do not look back to the world.
 
Our text today clearly tells us why we must make the best use of our time: “because the days are evil.” These are wicked days we journey through and it requires the wisdom of God to walk through them. A soldier behind enemy lines will not take lightly his situation. He will keep himself vigilant and aware of his surroundings. So you too, dear Christian, must know that you are upon enemy territory, making incursions to rescue those who are held captive to sin. Now is not the time for indifference. If you decide to play with the world, you may discover that there is a trap waiting for you. The alluring illusions that the world will display are like the mirage in the desert, or worse, the bait for the prey.
 
There are two roads upon which the world can travel, but only one will lead us to the LORD. Guard your steps, beloved, there still are devils at work around you. Let us hold our feet firmly upon the road of faithfulness to Christ.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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