REDEEMING THE TIME DOING THE WILL OF THE LORD
Wednesday – February 22, 2017
Let us all say, HALLELUJAH, let us praise the Lord most vehement. Greetings from The Three Minute Word publication, oh, God is so good, He is so kind, gentle, merciful, and generous. Now, back to our Bible Study from the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 5:15-18 (KJV)
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
I had left off yesterday with the Apostle Paul’s and the Lord’s admonition for us to walk circumspectly which can also be interpreted as vigilantly. We have seen this general idea regarding being on guard, being watchful elsewhere.
1 Peter 5:8 (KJV)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
The word ‘vigilant’ used here is a different Greek word then used in Ephesians but the idea is the same. We have an enemy and if we are using the Word of God, exactly as given, if we are not staying within the boundaries given us of the Lord we have an enemy all too happy to take us out. Brother Paul and Peter tell us that to walk any other way than circumspectly will get us into big trouble and we will be considered fools, not wise, by God.
The word ‘fool’; derives from the combination of the words ‘without’ and ‘wise’. Unwise, foolish not walking as God expects us to walk. Synonyms include: mindless, stupid, unmindful of the consequence of a thought or action; foolish; unintelligent, unable to reason logically and arrive at proper conclusions. Antonyms include: able to know and regulate a relationship with God; (The Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament).
So which group do we want to be in? When we are unmindful of the Word of God for all ideas, words, and situations we are fools according to the Word. This is part of the ‘vain words’ we talked about earlier in our study. A born from above fool may make it to Heaven but what will he have to show for it? I don’t know about you, but I want to stand before my Savior having accomplished something, having done my assignment for the Kingdom of God, and see a big O grin on His face, hear “well done”, and get a big hug from my Savior. That is not automatic my friends just for showing up.
Now, what about this phrase “Redeeming the time”? Well let’s look at three different translations of the Bible and it will be very clear.
Ephesians 5:16 (HCSB)
16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:16 (ESV)
16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:16 (AMP)
16 Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.
As we contemplate the full message being conveyed here factor in the very next verse.
Ephesians 5:17 (KJV)
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (Bold added by Dr. Wood)
A vital question each of us must ask ourselves is; am I doing the will of God? We have come through the admonition not to be foolish (unwise). We are to be on the watch for and shun unfruitful works of darkness, but partake of the Spiritual fruit of all goodness, righteousness, and Truth. Now the command to make the very best use of our time. Nothing has changed with regard to evil, it was all around them and this same evil is all around us as well. When we are not doing the will of God we ourselves are a part of that evil. We are not to just go willy nilly doing what we want “for the Lord” for He is not in it. By not being in it, I mean He did not ask us to do that particular thing, which includes the thoughts of our minds, the words of our mouths, and the path we are walking. I hear Christians everywhere, both in leadership and not in leadership talking about how busy they are both “for the Lord” and life in general. Let me ask a question; is that the will of God? Listen to what Jesus had to say about this.
Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Bold added by Dr. Wood)
Is your yoke easy? Is your burden light? If the answer is no and no, then go to Jesus and get His orders, learn of Him, and thereby come to the “understanding what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17) In the will of the Lord is the victory. In the Bible the number seventeen is the number of victory, the number thirty (Matthew 11:30) is the number of the Blood of Jesus. Jesus has bought and paid for our victory with His most precious Blood. Put on the easy yoke and take His light burden, and let’s determine to learn of Him.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
My book “Temptation” “The Battle for our Thoughts” is available on Amazon.com.
