“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.”

God constrains us to be wise and to live wisely in our lives before all people. We do this because time is short and we do not know how long we have allotted to us. We see his glory in our lives and want to meet Him one day, with treasure stored up in that heavenly place. We don’t know how many people we will be able to influence and witness to for Christ, so all things must be brought under the subjection of a godly life. We seek the wisdom only God can give to live and speak for Him, and to be honest and sincere in all we are as God’s people.

Perhaps we have wasted a lot of time procrastinating and backsliding one way or another, and we need to get the discipline back in our lives to live for Christ. We do this through devotion to the person of Christ, realising that He is a person and we relate to him as a person. We do this through the Word of God and daily meditations on the Word to discover more and more about our God and Saviour JESUS the Lord. As we get to know Him more fully we ask for the wisdom of God with a clearer view of what that is. Then we can walk in the ways of wisdom and be wise people in the Lord. 

“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts; who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you did not learn Christ that way; if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus: that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.”

Ephesians 4:17-24

We put off the old way of life that feeds off a futile and unwise mind and put on Christ. We learn from Him in humility and peaceableness, denying the uncleanness of self and greed, and are renewed daily. We seek wisdom, righteousness, holiness and truth, not just to satisfy ourselves with the things of this life and the desires of our earthy selves. If we live according to righteousness, we will necessarily be happy, for the Lord will bless us in our inner souls and others will see the difference from what we used to be and what the world is like around us. Our witness will be strong for it will be sincere. 

If we are living right then we have the opportunity and authority to speak right too. Otherwise we are simply hypocrites who deny the power of the Holy Spirit and have no real faith in the ways of God. Christians are not like other people, and if they are, they are not!

Ignorance of God breeds lack of understanding and so hardness of heart ensues. No one will be attracted by this and no semblance of the love of God will be seen in us. It’s all or nothing. A life of faith or the life of unbelief. 

Beloved, let us redeem the time, lest we waste the time and the outsider goes on in their sin and are lost. There is so much at stake for eternity, so let us walk worthy of our Lord Jesus.