“Redeeming the time.” Colossians 4:5

Redeeming means “buying it back.” Or, another translation says, “Make most of every opportunity,” and another says, “Make good use of it.”

The Bible says “we must make good use of our time.” This means that it is not just up to us, to use our time as we want. We must not waste it away.

Time is a talent. A talent is a gift from God to use and improve and use to His glory.

In the story of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30, the man gave his servants talents before going on a journey. One received five talents, another two talents, and the last one was given one talent.

The first two servants put their talents to use. When their master returned, he was happy with them. But the last servant buried his talent and did not use it. It was taken away from him and he was cast into outer darkness.

Sister White writes, “Our time belongs to God. Every moment is His, and we are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 342

She then wrote a very important statement that we may not realize. “Of no talent He has given will require a more strict account of than of our time.” –Ibid., p. 342 (emphasis mine)

We have to give a strict account to God of our time and how we have used it.

Also she wrote, “To be wasteful of time. . . is dishonesty before God.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 451

The Ten Commandments say, “Thou shalt not steal.” If we squander our time and use it for our own pleasure, we are stealing the time which God has given us to use to improve ourselves and to help others.

The Bible says, “Redeem the time,” but time squandered can never be recovered. We cannot call back even one moment. The only way we can redeem the time is by making the most of what time remains to us.

“The Bible gives no endorsement to idleness. It is the greatest curse that afflicts our world.” –My Life Today, p. 115

“The life of Christ from His earliest years was a life of earnest activity. He lived not to please Himself. He was the Son of the Infinite God, yet He worked at the carpenter’s [shop]. . . . Into all his secular labour He brought the same perfection as into the [people’s] characters He was transforming by His divine power.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 345

“Careless habits indulged in secular work will be brought into the religious life and will unfit one to do any efficient service for God.” –Ibid, p. 345

In the Spirit of Prophecy we read of things that we should not spend our time on:

  • Vain talking
  • Light reading, storybooks, fables (I am sure TV would be included here also)
  • Idleness
  • Trifling amusements
  • Selfish pleasure. . .

and there are many more!

So then, how should we use our time?

We need to improve ourselves, our minds, our bodies, and improve our spiritual lives. We need to realize that time is running out. Soon there will be no more time.

There is a story in the Youth’s Instructor about the devil’s plan on how to keep people from salvation. Different things were suggested as to how to keep people away from church. Then one little devil said, “Let them go to church and do their thing, but tell them that there is still lots of time.” That was the best advice.

People think there is lots of time to prepare for the end, and time to give up their favourite pleasures, but we have to realize that time is running out. Jesus is coming soon. Amen.

James Bessec