Time Management in Ephesians: Concluding Thoughts
For me personally, this devotional study of Ephesians 5:15-16 has challenged me to think again about my own priorities in life. I admit to being someone who easily takes on more than I should. My intentions are honorable. But I am not always wise when I say “yes” to opportunities offered to me. I have heard once again the exhortation of Ephesians 5:15-16. I am examining my own life carefully so that I might redeem the time God has given me, living wisely and well for his kingdom purposes. I hope you have joined me in this exercise of God-guided time management.
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A “Gandalfian” Perspective on Time
We must accept the gift of time that is given to us.
But we have a choice about how to use this time. We can choose to walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called (Ephesians 4:1). We can choose, by God’s grace, to be careful how we life, to live wisely, and to redeem the time given to us (5:15-16). As we look at our lives and the world in which we live, “all we have to decide is what to do with the time given us.” Will we live according to the fallen ways of this world? Or will we set time free from the clutches of evil, using it for God’s purposes?
Redeeming Time
But according to Ephesians the days can be rescued from evil and turned to good. That’s the sense of verse 16. In our translation it reads, “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” The Greek could be rendered more literally, “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” In ancient Greek, the verb translated as “redeeming” (exagorazo) had a literal meaning of “buying.” This verb shows up in Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Then, in Galatians 4:5 it says that Christ was born under the law “to redeem those under the law.” Looking at Ephesians 5:16, we might say that we are to redeem the time by setting it free, by ransoming it from the clutches of evil.
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Do We Live in Evil Days?
The notion of evil days does not condemn the literal calendar. Ephesians 5:16 is not saying the hours of our lives are somehow actually wicked. Rather, the expression “the days are evil” puts in a nutshell the truth that these days are filled with evil. We are reminded of the description of life apart from Christ in Ephesians 2:1-2, “You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” The days in which we live are evil because they are permeated with sin and because they are dominated by the powers of darkness.
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Transformational Leaders Lead by Faith
If I may be honest, as a leader, I struggle with leading by faith. I don’t always mind the faith trials that are just between God and me. At least in these scenarios, my losses are directly tied to personal calculations that I was willing to absorb—I knew what I was getting into. Leading by faith can feel overwhelming because the decisions we make in faith have very real impacts on the people who follow us.
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A Posture of Gratitude
Keeping your head down at work — while perhaps unavoidable on occasion — is not a good, long-term posture. Instead, Psalm 111 reminds me that thankfulness—an upward orientation — is the key to a truly human life, to truly human work.
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Prayers for Workers: The Lord Loves Justice
Help me, I pray, to act with justice in my work. Even if I have little authority in my workplace, may I treat others fairly. And if you have entrusted me with authority over people, systems, facilities, or finances, may I lead with justice. Show me how I can model your justice in my workplace, so that you might love what I am doing.
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Examine Your Life Carefully and Wisely
Wisdom will help you to see accurately how you’re living. Wisdom is not mere knowledge. Rather, it is deeper understanding, knowledge permeated by good judgment, knowledge shaped by experience. Wisdom is the ability to see what’s right, what’s important, what’s beneficial, what’s best.
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Examine Your Life Carefully . . . with Scripture
But, sometimes we can turn the study of the Bible into more of an intellectual exercise than an occasion for deep personal reflection and growth. Now let me be clear. I’m not being critical of folks who do theology based on Scripture. In fact, in much of my life I am one of those folks. But because I often think about the theological implications of a biblical passage, I can easily miss the ways in which a passage might address my life. Even more to the point, I can miss what God wants to say to me about my life through a portion of his Word. Perhaps you can relate.
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Examine Your Life Carefully . . . through Relationships
To be sure, a crucial part of self-examination comes when we are alone, with our quieted hearts ready to hear from the Spirit of God. But God also speaks to us through others. And in deep relationships not only are we able to see ourselves more clearly, but also we are able to help others examine their lives carefully.
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Examine Your Life Carefully . . . through Art
Today, I’d like to suggest another way to be encouraged in the life-examination process. I’m talking about art. I believe that art in its various forms can help us pay closer attention to how we’re living. Of course art serves many other purposes than this—ranging from self-expression to inspiring joy, social critique, and much more. But art can also help us see how we’re living from a fresh perspective.
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He Eats with Sinners and Looks for Sheep
But it’s easy for us to place that in the past, blame the Pharisees, and not think about how we today as Christians decide who and what is clean and unclean—how we expect God to work only in certain places and among certain kinds of people. Do we limit God’s grace to our own churches, our own families, our own countries, our own social classes? The parable Jesus tells about the lost sheep is very clear: wherever there are sinners, Jesus says, he will find them and love them and offer them grace.
And since that’s all of us, it ought to be a very comforting thought.
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The Rest of the Story
The Bible is important for Christians to understand, but it’s not always easy to understand. The great news is that we don’t have to start from scratch. We can read trusted commentaries and speak to wise friends. We can listen to sermons that break open the Word so we can grasp its applicability to our lives. For those receiving these Life for Leaders devotions, we can have Mark Roberts explain Paul’s labyrinthine arguments to us.
But besides all these external helps, there is another piece of good news as we seek to search the Scriptures. The lists of kings and the genealogies and the theological arguments are best understood in the context of the larger story the Bible is telling.
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Examine Your Life Carefully . . . on a Retreat
When I say “Go on a retreat” I’m thinking of a time away that offers a good bit of freedom, a time that is structured to help you step back from your life and prayerfully examine carefully how you’re living. Your retreat might be something you do alone, though it’s sometimes hard to truly retreat without others to encourage you. You might choose to join some kind of organized retreat or to get away with a few friends who will share the experience with you.
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