Redeeming the Time

And you, He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts or desires of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

From there, turn to chapter 4, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 17. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts. Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Now, chapter 5, verse 15. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.

Father, we pray for Your wisdom and understanding as we go through Your Word. We thank You that You have determined in Your wisdom that You would give us instruction, that You would give us clarity by this revelation of Your Word, how we are to live, how we are to know You, the path of life, the path of righteousness. God, I pray that You, by Your Spirit, would enable us to walk in that path, to walk in a way that is not only pleasing to You but is the way of the abundant life. Lord, that we would walk in such a way that as we're living those things out, people around us would see and would desire to know You as we know You.

God, work these things in our lives, we pray. We ask it in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

As we finished the book of Romans a couple of weeks ago, and knowing that Pastor Josh would be doing communion last week, I began to think through where we would go next, at least for this week. Then, knowing that the time change would be last night, a verse kept going through my mind. It was this verse here in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 16: "Redeeming the time because the days are evil."

There is a sense that when we fall back every year, the first weekend in November, we are redeeming the time that we lost when we sprung forward. I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of springing forward. However, as I said earlier, with small children, I'm also not a huge fan of falling back at the moment. But it'll get better, I guess.

There is a sense that in the middle of the night, sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning on the first weekend in November, at least here where we live, we redeem an extra hour. We're redeeming the time. We're laying hold of something that, in some way, we lost.

Tomorrow, myself and 19 other people from our church are going to be boarding a plane down in San Diego and flying to Israel. When we do, we're going to lose nine hours. We're going forward, and they are already nine hours ahead of us there. When we come back a couple of weeks later, we'll be redeeming the time that we lost, apparently. Although your body doesn't quite figure that out for a few days. If you've ever had jet lag, it's a terrible thing.

But this idea of redeeming the time is an important one, and it's seen here in this text. A little bit of context is important when looking at a passage like this. Of course, we're not spending much time going through the entire book of Ephesians today like we would normally here at Cross Connection. We pick a book and go all the way through that book until we're done, verse by verse and chapter by chapter.

However, when we're just looking at a glimpse, a snapshot of it, we need to get a little bit of context. The church that was there in the city of Ephesus, a major city in Asia Minor in the ancient world, was a church that was partially founded by the Apostle Paul. It's very clear that in Acts chapter 16, which is the history book of the New Testament, Paul desired, with his team of missionaries, to go into Asia Minor.

Most likely, his desire was to go to the city of Ephesus. However, something withstood him; something stood against him so that he couldn't go into the city. His desire to go there was probably because Ephesus was known to be a key and important city in the ancient world. It served as a political, multi-ethnic connection, a link between the eastern part of the Roman Empire and the western part. For all intents and purposes, it was a world trade center. Goods would be coming into Ephesus from the east, from the south, from Africa, and from Egypt, particularly Alexandria. Items would also arrive from the west, where they would be bought, sold, and traded before being taken to other parts of the world.

Ephesus wasn't the only key trade city of the day; Corinth was another, along with others like it. However, Ephesus was a very powerful and influential city. Within that city stood one of the seven ancient wonders of the world: a great temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, also known as Diana. People from all over the world would not only come there to buy and sell but also to see this magnificent temple and to experience the worship of Diana. She was probably the most worshipped deity in Asia Minor during that time.

The city was well-known, and people had created industries around that temple. Coppersmiths and guilds produced small images of this false god, Diana. When visitors came to Ephesus, they would buy these items and take them home, ensuring they left with a little trinket to worship in their own houses. The lives of the city's inhabitants were deeply tied to the worship of this false god. Ephesus was a strategic city, a cosmopolitan place, and a political, economic, and religious hub.

Because so many different goods and ideas flowed into Ephesus from all over the world, it became a melting pot of diverse ideas. The citizens of Ephesus were not so unlike the citizens of our own nation today. Sure, they didn't have the toys and trappings that we do in our day.

They didn't have the internet or cable TV, none of those technological advances, but the culture and the mindset of the people of Ephesus were not so dissimilar to the culture in which we live. The people would take a little bit from this philosophy, a little bit from this worldview, and they would pull from this deity, this god, or this goddess, or from this place in the east or this place in the west, or these animistic traditions from the south and Egypt. They would build these things, and people would have their own personalized worldview, their own personalized philosophy, much like our day.

There was a time in our nation when, if you asked anybody about spiritual things, the default response would be that they were a Christian. Even if they didn't necessarily go to church, they would probably say they had some sort of connection to the church and identified as a Christian. But that's not the way it is today. If you talk with a neighbor, a co-worker, or a friend about spiritual things or faith, you may hear, "Well, I'm glad that works for you. I have my truth, and you have your truth." There are all kinds of competing ideas, worldviews, and philosophies in the world in which we live today, and it was very much the same in the first century in the Greco-Roman world, particularly in the city of Ephesus.

Paul knew that Ephesus was a strategic hub. He was a strategic thinker and sought to bring the gospel into places where it would have great influence throughout the world. That's why he wanted to go to Ephesus during his second missionary journey, but it didn't happen. At the very end of his second missionary trip, as he was returning to his home church to give them a report of the things that had happened, primarily in the city of Corinth—another strategic hub in the ancient world—he stopped off in the city of Ephesus. He found that the gospel, or something like the gospel, had come to that city, but it wasn't quite enough.

The people he interacted with in the synagogue of Ephesus, that is, the Jewish synagogue, had some understanding of things that sounded like the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had heard and even said the words, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." They had heard about the baptism of John the Baptist. If you've read through the gospels, you know that they begin with the ministry of John the Baptist, who preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." But it was Jesus who came and gave the full context.

Of what those things meant, what exactly the Kingdom of Heaven is. The people in the synagogue in Ephesus only knew the baptism of John. Paul shared with them about Jesus, and they eagerly accepted the gospel. However, he had to leave quickly to return to his home church in Syria.

A short time later, he could hardly contain himself, it seems, because the book of Acts makes it very clear that in Acts chapter 19, at the end of the passage, he and several of his co-laborers set out on their third missionary journey. Their first stop was Ephesus. Paul stayed there for three years, witnessing the founding and building of a church. In the midst of competing philosophies and ideas, Paul preached the gospel and taught the people, and the church was built up and established.

Missionaries were sent out, and church planters went from Ephesus to places like Smyrna, Sardis, and Pergamos. These are the names of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in the book of Revelation. These churches were likely planted during that three-year period when Paul was in the city of Ephesus on his third missionary journey. The church was established around the year 54 AD.

Fast forward ten years, and things had changed significantly. Paul was now in the city of Rome. He was not staying in a beautiful house, like that of Priscilla and Aquila, or spending time with the church. Instead, he was in a Roman prison, most likely under house arrest. When Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians, he wrote back to a church that he loved, to a group of people he had ministered to and with, and who had seen a church founded in that city.

From prison, he challenged and encouraged them to live in a certain way. As we read from Ephesians chapter two, he says, "Listen, you used to walk this way. You walked in wickedness, following the course of this world. You conducted yourselves according to the desires of your flesh. You did whatever your flesh wanted you to do." This was the way that all the people of Ephesus were living in Paul's day. They each had their own philosophies and worldviews that they had crafted for themselves, living as they pleased and worshiping the various false gods present in the city. Among them, the temple of Diana, dedicated to Artemis, was the largest and cast a shadow over everything.

They probably all worshiped in some way at the temple of Diana, but many of them also worshiped at the temple of Apollo. Others would go to the temple of Bacchus. If you go down the list of the Greek and Roman gods, many of them were similar, but there were so many different things. People would take a little bit from this— a teaspoon of Apollo and a cup of Diana— and they'd put it together to create their own mix of, "Well, this is my philosophy. This is my own personalized worldview."

Now, if you think about it, living according to your own personalized worldview, which might include a little bit of Eastern thought, a little bit of Western thought, and a little bit of science, is a very foolish way to live. Why? Well, if you're not a boat builder and you decide to go out and build yourself a boat, would you trust your life in that boat in the midst of a storm? You'd be pretty foolish to do so if you've never been tested as a boat builder and have no idea what you're doing. A worldview or philosophy is kind of like that. Will it stand up to the tests, the storms of life? We know everyone goes through storms in this life.

You meet people on the street, at work, or wherever they are. They have their idea of what is truth. Every worldview and philosophy must answer at least four questions accurately: What is my origin? What is my identity? What is my purpose? What is my destiny? These are the four essential questions that every philosophy must answer. The worldviews and philosophies that people craft for themselves must accurately address the questions of origin, destiny, purpose, and identity.

Although it's not the focus of our study today, I suggest to you that the Scriptures do. The Bible does. The gospel is not the invention of man; it's the revelation of God. However, there are all kinds of different competing worldviews in the world, and most of them default to a mindset of doing whatever you want to do. Paul says in Ephesians chapter two, "You once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom you also conducted yourself in the desires of your flesh." You did whatever your body wanted to do.

Let me suggest to you that living a life like that is a very temporary high. However, it won't stand up in the day of trouble. It won't withstand the storms. That was the way the people of Ephesus lived. Paul says to this church, this group of people whom he loved, that by the time he writes this letter, there were many more people in that church whom he had never met. He emphasizes that there is something important they need to take away.

He testifies and declares this according to the Lord: they should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk. In Ephesians chapter four, verse 17, he reminds them that they used to walk this way. They conducted themselves according to the desires of whatever pleased them. That was the way of Ephesus, the way of the Roman world, and it is the way of the 21st-century American mindset—do whatever you want, follow your heart.

We see this reflected in our marketing, don't we? The marketing slogans of our world, whether it's Burger King with "Have it your way," or Sprite with "Obey your thirst," illustrate this philosophy. What are they telling us? They encourage us to obey whatever our flesh wants, to do what it tells us. Sprite hopes that by doing so, you'll drink their beverage, believing it will make you feel better in your life.

Then there's Nike. Everyone knows their slogan: "Just do it." Have you ever wondered what that means? They never specify; they want you to figure it out. Essentially, they are saying, "Just do whatever it is you want to do," and apparently, Nike will help you. It's interesting that Nike is the name of a false god.

Paul addresses the church, the followers of Jesus in Ephesus, and tells them they should no longer walk as the rest of the world walks. That is the course of the world. They once walked according to the course of this world, as mentioned in Ephesians chapter 2, but now they should no longer walk like the rest of it. So, how did the world of Ephesus walk? Paul provides a list of several things to illustrate this.

Number one, he says, you walked in the futility of your mind. You walked in the emptiness, the vanity of your mind. You did whatever your mind conceived to do. That's what he says. Whatever you could come up with, you should do that. So, what do you want to do today? Well, let me think about it. Let's try this. Well, you should do that. Just do it. Have it your way. Obey your thirst.

The ruling mottos of the Ephesian world in the first century are the same as they are in the 21st century. He said, you once walked in the futility of your mind. As a result, what happened? Walking in the futility of your mind, you had your understanding darkened, as stated in verse 18. When you walk after whatever your mind can conceive, ultimately, you are going to end up with a darkened understanding.

Why is that? Well, because you are, look at this, verse 18, alienated from the life of God. You're separated from the life of God. That is the walk of the world. They do whatever their mind can conceive, but in so doing, they are separated from God and they end up walking in darkness. Why? Because God is light, the Scriptures declare.

You walked in the futility of your mind. Your understanding was darkened because you were alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that was in them, because of the blindness of their hearts. Not only do they have an empty mind just going after whatever they can conceive, but their heart is blind. Their heart is blind because it's disconnected from the one that gives light, the one who shows the path to life, the one who shows the path to immortality, the one who shows the path to abundance.

Their hearts are darkened, and so they go after any sort of thing. As a result, Paul says they are past feeling. If you live like the rest of the world, according to the futility of your mind, with a darkened understanding, separated from God, thinking, "I don't have to listen to him; I can do whatever I want to do," then you're going to find yourself walking after the blindness of your heart. Eventually, you come to a place where you're past feeling.

That is the condition of the world, not just the people of Ephesus in Paul's day. The entire world, separated from God, is past feeling. This is what sin does. You see, sin is deadly.

When we read in the scriptures that the wages of sin is death, it tells us that the result of sin is death. It's not necessarily the judgment of God; it's just that when you engage in those actions, you will die because you are using the equipment that God gave you in a wrong way. All of us know that if we use some sort of equipment incorrectly, it won't last very long.

To give you an example, this phone was created for an intended purpose. I could probably hit a nail into a piece of wood with it because it's hard, but it wouldn't last very long because I'm using it not according to its purpose. That is what sin is: using this equipment—this mind and this body—in a way that is not how God created it to be used, and it is deadly.

Paul says that if you walk in this way, you will become past feeling. Perhaps one of the greatest illustrations of this is a disease that dominated the ancient world. Although it is not as significant in our day, it still exists; this disease is called leprosy, now referred to as Hansen's disease.

One of the ways that leprosy is sometimes identified in people is through the skin lesions that tend to develop. Sometimes, people will begin to lose fingers, toes, and even hands as a result of it, but that's not the primary effect of the disease. That is actually a secondary effect. The disease, which is a chronic bacterial infection, devastates your nervous system so that your hands, feet, and other appendages no longer have the sense of touch. You become numb to touch, and therefore, when you stub your toe or break it, you don't realize that you've done so. As a result, a cut on your finger can become infected, and over time, it may fall off because you were unaware of the injury.

Imagine how terrible it would be to lack the sense of touch. What if you didn't know that an iron was hot? You couldn't tell because you had no sense of touch. You would grab that object, and it would burn you, but you would have no awareness of the pain. That is what sin does. Paul says to the Ephesians that they have become past feeling. As a result, in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 19, he notes that they have given themselves over to sensuality.

Yourself over to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness. You see, when God created us, Genesis reveals this to us. He created us with a sense of wrongdoing, a sense of sin, a conscience, if you will. It's on display when Adam and Eve sinned. When they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they instantly saw that they had sinned. There was a recognition that they had failed. They could tell immediately that they had sinned.

However, as a result of sin over time, in the fall, man becomes past feeling. He doesn't even realize when he's doing something that is not the intended use of the equipment that God has given to us. They don't recognize that they're engaging in these behaviors; they move into greediness and lewdness, and they don't even realize it anymore.

So, Paul says to the church at Ephesus, "You used to walk in that way, but now, in chapter 4, no longer walk as the rest of the world walks in these ways." Well then, how should we walk? Ephesians chapter 5, look at verse 15: "See then that you walk circumspectly."

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't recall the last time I used the word "circumspectly." It's not a word that we typically use, but the word is interesting. The original word, this was originally written in Greek, is the Greek word "akrabos." It sounds like an English word, "acrobat," sharing the same root.

He says, "See that you walk akrabos." Every four years, we are treated to an amazing event when many of the nations of the world gather together for the Olympic Games, the Summer Olympics. One of the things that I enjoy watching in the Summer Olympics—no, it's not synchronized swimming—is the gymnastic events. It boggles my mind the things that these athletes are able to do.

When you see these people on that little four-inch beam, which is only 30 inches off the ground, I don't know about you, but if I were standing on that beam, I would feel a little unsteady. Yet, they are tumbling and jumping and performing all this incredible stuff. How do they do that? I guarantee that when they're doing that, their minds are not thinking about what they're going to do later on; they are focused on the task at hand.

At hand, they are walking carefully, accurately, and circumspectly. When I was in high school, I played sports, and one of the sports I played was football. Did anybody else play sports in high school? I was that guy playing sports in high school that the coach would have to, from time to time, say, "Miles, get your head in the game!" Essentially, that's what Paul is saying here in this passage: "Church, get your head in the game. Walk circumspectly."

You used to walk this way; don't walk according to the way you used to walk. Instead, walk circumspectly, paying attention and engaged in what is happening, not meandering through this life. We need to walk circumspectly because God has a purpose for us that we are to fulfill. He has a task that He wants us to accomplish, and so He says, "You need to walk circumspectly."

In the very next chapter, Ephesians chapter 6, Paul is going to talk about putting on the armor of God. He uses symbolism from the Roman armor of the day. He talks about the breastplate, the belt, and the helmet. One of the reasons that the Roman Empire lasted as long as it did, and one of the reasons that the Roman army was so effective, is because they spent time thinking through the armor that they wore. They crafted it in such a way that they would be effective in battle.

One of the things we know is that they crafted their helmets in such a way that those who were fighting the battle could hear what was happening in the battle in front of them, but they could also hear the call coming from the generals in the back. That awareness made them powerful; they were circumspect. They were aware of what was happening in the battle. Sometimes, if you put on some helmets, they close you up so much that all you can hear is yourself breathing. But they crafted their helmets in such a way that they could hear the battle and the commands being given to them.

Paul says, "Get your head in the game. Be engaged. Walk circumspect." Why? He gives us four reasons in these verses. Number one: because it's foolish to not do so. You see it there: "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools." It's foolish to not walk circumspectly. Now, I realize it's probably not the best...

The illustration that keeps coming to my mind each time I think about not walking circumspectly and foolishly is a movie from a number of years ago: Wayne's World. Has anyone ever seen it? I'm not endorsing it; I'm just saying there's a great scene in Wayne's World when Wayne and Garth are playing hockey in their front yard, in the street. As they are playing, Wayne's ex-girlfriend Stacy rides by on her bike and says, "Hi, Wayne!" Then she crashes right into the side of a parked car and goes flying over the handlebars. That's foolish; that's not walking circumspectly.

So, Paul says, "See then that you walk circumspectly." Why? Number one, it's foolish to not do so. Number two, it's wise to do so—not as fools, but as wise. Third, it's redemptive. Walking circumspectly is redemptive. Paul emphasizes, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time."

As I said a few moments ago, we as Christians have a task to complete, a purpose to which God has called us, and time is short. At the end of the book of Romans, in Romans chapter 13, Paul says, "See then that you should know the time; that it's high time to awake and re-engage." He encourages us to get involved and get our heads in the game because the times are short. There are many exhortations in the Scriptures telling us that the time is short.

Now, the time until the second coming of Christ may be short, but the reality is that our lives are short. Moses, considered to be the author of Psalm 90, says in that passage, "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." You see, it's wise to recognize that time is short, whether you are young in your teenage years or older. Time is short, whether you realize it or not.

So, Paul says, "See then that you redeem the time."

Number four: Why should we walk circumspectly? Because the days are evil. The days are evil, and there are snares and traps set for you and me. In chapter six, when Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God, he explains that we have an adversary; we have an enemy. The Bible tells us in chapter six that he is wily. I know when I say "wily," you think of Wile E. Coyote, but there's a major difference between the enemy, the devil, and Wile E. Coyote.

The coyote never got his prey, but the enemy ensnares a lot of people, a lot of Christians. Why? Well, they are just kind of meandering through life, meandering through their Christian existence. They are not focused on the task at hand; they are not walking circumspectly. They are foolish and not redeeming the times.

The obvious question, and we will close with this, is: How then do I walk circumspectly? Paul gives us some specifics in the following verses. Let's look at them briefly.

In verse 17 of chapter 5 of Ephesians, it says, "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." We are to walk out God's will, His purpose, and His plan. I would say it's one of the most often asked questions of pastors: What is God's will for my life? Many times, we want the specifics. We want to know where we should live, who we should marry, and what job we should take. Those are the things we are thinking about.

However, God gives us some very clear specifics in His Word about His will. Here we go. Verse 18 is one of them: "Do not be drunk with wine, which is excess," as the King James Version says, "but be filled with the Spirit." It is very clearly saying that we should not become drunk with wine or alcohol, but this has a much wider view than just alcohol.

There are many things in this world that can intoxicate us. There are many things that can bring us under their influence, and it's not just alcohol. It could be things like pornography, shopping, or eating. There are so many different things that people can be brought under the influence of, that they can be intoxicated by and distracted with. Paul says, "Do not be intoxicated by the things of this world."

In the day in which the people who received this letter were living, in the city of Ephesus, there were multiple things that they could be intoxicated with and absorbed in. Paul says, "Don't walk as the rest of the Gentiles. Don't walk in the way that you used to walk. Instead, do not be filled with those things, but be filled with the Spirit of God." Literally, it says to be continuously filled with the Spirit.

Of God, be filled with God and His kingdom and His Spirit—the things of the Lord, not the things of this world. If you are, there will be some evidences. There are evidences if you are intoxicated with alcohol; some know that all too well. There are very clear indications when someone is intoxicated by the things of this world.

There are also evidences when a person is filled with the Spirit. Now, I know that many people immediately start to think in a Pentecostal form about speaking in tongues, prophesying, or the gifts of the Spirit as described in 1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13, and 14. But that's not what Paul says here. Notice what he says in verse 19: "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."

One of the results of this filling of the Spirit is the worship of God. If you are filled with the things of this world, it will be evident. If you are filled with God, His kingdom, and His Spirit, it will be clearly seen in the worship of your life. When I say worship, it's not just singing songs here at church; it's the devotion of your life. What are you devoted to?

You see, the God that you worship is the God that you will become. You will become like what you worship. The Psalms make this very clear. It says, "The gods of this world are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. Eyes they have, but they do not see; ears they have, but they do not hear; mouths they have, but they do not speak; hands they have, but they do not handle." Those who serve them are like them—deaf, dumb, and blind. You become like what you serve, what you're devoted to.

We see this all around us. Someone serves and is devoted to surf culture; they like to surf, and after a while, they start to smell like the beach and like wax. They talk like, "Yo dude, what's up?" Or if you're a skater, you skate, and your entire life gets absorbed with this. If you're into motorcycles, you look at the motorcycle, and it's got leather and chains. You look at the guy, and he's got leather and chains, and you go, "Wow." The grease all over them makes you think, "Wow." The God you worship is the God you will become. So, if you're devoted...

To the things of this world, it would be clear that if you're devoted to God, it would also become clear. Verse 20 states, "Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Another evidence of being filled with the Spirit is that you're thankful.

Here we are in November, November 3rd, just 25 days from a wonderful day—my birthday—which happens to fall on Thanksgiving. But that's not what we're talking about. Thanksgiving, right? We have a day set aside for giving thanks, but the Christian's life should be about Thanksgiving, giving thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, one evidence of being filled with the Spirit is worship. Another evidence of being filled with the Spirit is thanksgiving. A third evidence is found in verse 21: "Submitting to one another in the fear of God." One of the evidences of being filled with the Spirit of God is yielding to others. That is not of this world. The world is all about "me." It’s about having it your way, just doing it, and obeying your thirst. It has nothing to do with other people.

You see, the marketing of this world is aimed at you because it knows that you are all about you, and it’s very effective. You might think, "Yeah, I think that's right. I do need a burger from Burger King—have it my way." The scary thing is, it never looks like the picture on the wall.

Submitting to one another in the fear of God is one of the evidences of being filled with the Spirit of God. We fulfill Philippians chapter 2, which was written near the same time as Ephesians. Philippians 2:3 says, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each of you esteem others better than himself. Look not out only for your own interests, but for the interests of others." That is a Spirit-led life.

Listen, church, we're living in difficult days. We're living in evil times. It's been like this for centuries, for millennia, since the fall of humanity and the sin that entered in. We need to be those who are redeeming the time, taking hold of it, and taking advantage of it—like many of you took advantage of that one extra hour of sleep last night. We need to take advantage of the days in which we're living.

And you know what? I know that as I look at my life, there are many ways...

That I take for granted and not advantage the time in which I'm living. As I've been thinking about these things this week, I found myself asking the Lord to help me to do this. If you would agree that that's your prayer today, then would you stand with me and let's pray in that way? Just agree with me if your desire is to redeem the time.

Lord, I recognize that it's my propensity to be vain in my mind and blind in my heart. I see how easily I become separated from You and how easily I find myself walking not in the light but walking in darkness. Lord, help me to walk circumspectly. Help me to have my head in the game, to be diligent and not meandering.

Help me to recognize the wickedness around me and to wisely redeem the times. Help me not to be taken up with the things of this world, intoxicated by them, but to be filled by Your Spirit. Lord, fill me with Your Spirit, and may Your presence be evident in my life. When people see it in the way that I worship You, in the devotion of my life, and in my thanksgiving towards You, Lord, work these things out in me this week, I pray. In Jesus' name, Amen.