A phrase you hear all the time is “we need to make time for this.” I understand the basic idea behind it. Time is short. There are things that you really want to be doing or know you should be doing. Unfortunately, there seems to be no time to do them.
But there’s a problem with this phrase. There’s no such thing as making time. In the Bible, only one person has ever made time. And He’s already made as much time as He’s ever going to make. There is nothing more to add.
What the Bible says to do is redeem the time you actually have. Like redeeming a coupon or a gift certificate, cash it in for its full value. Maximize time to its full potential. Or as Colossians 4:5 translates it, “make the most of every opportunity.”
Some might take this to mean doing the standard carpe diem stuff that’s associated with living life to the fullest. Things like jumping out of an airplane, getting a tattoo, and taking a random road trip to California. But I don’t think that’s necessarily making the most of your time. It could actually be wasting some of the most valuable opportunities that God has for you in the time He’s given you.
If you read the context of Colossians 4:5, redeeming the time is connected to introducing people to Christ. When the same phrase is used in Ephesians 5:16, the context is living a life that pleases God.
The way you redeem time is by living in such a way that it reverberates into the place where there is no time. Time is going to end, both your time here and time in general. That doesn’t make our lives meaningless. On the contrary, it challenges us to make them meaningful by connecting them to what matters eternally.
The greatest moments of your life will be the moments you carry into eternity.
Seeing coworkers and friends who are far from God be filled with life in Christ.
By the grace of God, overcoming a sin that has plagued your family for generations.
Raising up children who will lead and change their generation for the glory of God.
And you have the time to do these things every second of every day. If something ultimately insignificant is taking up the time that God has given you to do them, you can’t make more time. So you’re simply going to have to get rid of it.
God’s power to impact the world and eternity through you is unlimited. Your opportunities are not. Make your move. Redeem your time.
