Opportunity

Working late, taking advantage of seasonal blueberry harvesting, this fellow is laboring a “second job.” Whether to provide for his children’s school clothes, to have a financial cushion for the upcoming winter’s utility bills, or to buy something special he wants, he is “redeeming the time.” That is an odd phrase because we cannot buy back or relive one short, fragmented, unpredictable second and its outcomes, but that phrase encourages us to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

We understand failing to seize the moment: forgetting to take a photo of a precious memory or occasion, missing a good investment, speaking hastily and unkindly, living selfishly, not spending time with loved ones now gone, and regretting distant, dysfunctional, or broken relationships. Those impressionable times…good or bad…cannot be retrieved. However, sometimes second changes are possible e.g. we may recover lost health, wealth, or reputation, or restore old, valued relationships.

Scripture teaches that God patiently uses time for working out His purposes-that “There is a time for every purpose under heaven,” and that “in the fullness of time” God reveals Himself and acts in certain ways – times in which He draws us to Himself and invites us to understand and participate in His purposes for our good. Although much New Testament teaching is directed toward believers in Christ, it has general application on how to live aware, selfless, intentional lives guarded by values that promote healthy, peace filled living and loving relationships. It encourages a positive mindset which concentrates on the true, honest, just, pure, virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Created to be like God, we have the ability to love, know, reflect, and enjoy God’s goodness. To our detriment we have veered from and have distorted those purposes. Living in a materialistic, sexualized culture which idolizes self, we tend to focus on our wants, desires, and plans. Self-actualization and self-aggrandizement push God aside. That universally fallen, broken nature needs redemption.

Because of our redemptive need, God, in the fullness of time, graciously and mercifully continued His redemptive purposes for humanity by sending his son to redeem us, to restore back the glory we lost in Eden, to entirely clear our sin-debt and give us a righteous standing before God (a standing unachievable by our own efforts) if we choose to believe, and to eventually fulfill all His purposes in Christ (Galatians 4:4) (Ephesians 1:10) (2Corinthians 5:21). Jesus spoke about squandering time and encouraged us to look beyond ourselves and to seek the kingdom of God which he opened to us through his caring, compassionate, selfless life and his immensely loving sacrifice for us on the cross.

So, if we carefully consider life’s unpredictability and our vulnerability and if it is true that God brings us His Kingdom through Christ, “redeeming the time” is critical. There could be no better day to consider Jesus because there may be no other day to listen to him about meaning and eternal life.