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Have you ever seen a game show where people get a limited amount of time to do something? I remember watching one where people raced through a grocery store with a shopping cart. They could keep – free of charge — anything they placed in the cart and pushed to the front of the store before time expired. They were given a ridiculously short time, like two minutes or something. If they didn’t make it to the finish line, they kept nothing. Contestants sprinted through the store, throwing things into the cart. Some people spent too much time trying to load the cart with steaks and other expensive stuff. They missed the deadline. Their greed resulted in their loss.

This reminds me of Ephesians 5:15-17, “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (NIV)

These verses remind us to use our time wisely. We must understand God’s will and pursue it. In the verses that follow, we’re told to avoid drunkenness, be filled with the spirit, speak to each other and to sing and praise God. How are you doing on these things? Are you living as the wise or the foolish? Today, take the opportunity to know God’s will and pursue it.

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Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:00 — 3.7MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Do you redeem coupons? Years ago, all coupons were printed, usually in magazines and papers. You had to clip them and present them at the merchant. Some still are redeemed in this way. But many coupons can be found online or texted to you or delivered through an app. It certainly makes redeeming them easier!

Over the years, we’ve redeemed coupons for many different things – food items, health and beauty products, even a free appetizer at a restaurant.

Because of coupons, we have an upside-down view of the word redeem. For us, it means getting an offered discount. In the bible, the word means paying the full price. When Jesus redeemed us, he paid the full price for our disobedience. The word was also use for paying the price to free a slave. That’s why it is so meaningful to describe Jesus’ action. He paid the price to free us.

Keep this in mind when you hear the King James Version of Ephesians 5:15-16, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

What does “redeeming the time” mean? Buying it up, paying the price, freeing it. It can also be translated, “make the most of the season.” If we are to live wisely, we can’t waste time. We must make the most of the time we have. We must free it up to do what matters, which is following Jesus.

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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.