Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. – Colossians 4.5
I have a birthday this week. With it I enter the last year
of my 50s. That is still young, well, I like to think that is still young, but
it is not as young as I once was. I have been saved for 40 years. There is a
pretty good chance that I have lived well over half of my Christian life.
Sometimes I actually reflect on the time I have left and
wonder what I have done and what I am doing. I consider how I am using my time.
There are a couple of places where the scriptures tell us to redeem the time. In
other words we are to be actively and wisely using the time He gives us
profitably.
In this regard we are instructed to be wise in the way we
are dealing with those who are ‘outside.’ In other words, we need to be sure
that we are using our time wisely when it comes to reaching the lost.
There seem to be a lot of folks who think the best way to
use our time in dealing with the world is to attack, condemn, and criticise.
There seems to be a lot of time spent trying to reform society by using
political means and social agendas to change the world around us.
I can get caught in this same trap myself. I can get distracted
with all the externals and unimportants of the world. I like discussions and
debate. I like politics and history. I like to talk about sports and current
events and the weather. And there is nothing wrong with that if our ultimate
goal is to use that to glorify God. There is a point that we just need to be good friends and not everything need point to the gospel, sometimes we are just being friends. Sometimes we listen just because we care about our friends.
But we need to remember that our time is short and the world
is lost. Folks need to hear the gospel. We need to be wise enough to use the
time we have to share the most important message of all. We need to be aware of
the Holy Spirit’s direction when we are dealing with others.
May we use our time wisely when we are dealing with the
world. We don’t know how much time we have.
1 comment:
Well said. I am at the same age, and feel the same tug for sharing the gospel. I think that it is good to be intentional but God knows the desire of our heart and even when we don't have opportunities to directly share the gospel, He is at work through the way we treat others.
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