In Ephesians 5:16, Paul tells us to redeem the time.  Three different Greek words are translated redeem in the New Testament, all pointing to the idea of buying something, but each pointing to a distinct aspect of buying.  The word “redeeming” in Ephesians 5:16 means to buy as a ransom, pointing to rescuing something from loss, in this case, rescuing time from being wasted.

Wasted time is time that we can never get back.  Our goal, then, should be to take advantage of  the time that God blesses us with by using it wisely.  A great way to use time wisely is to use it to gain a better understanding of the Word of God.  To do this, we should imitate the first-century saints and continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42).  Today that doctrine is found in the Bible.

Is the Bible a part of your daily life?  It should be.  The blessed man is the one who spends time with the Word of God every day.  

Psalm 1:1-2 (ESV)
¹  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; ²  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

To meditate means to ponder upon something.  God’s Word should not be a passing facet of our lives.  It should be a permanent fixture in our daily activity.  Studying God’s Word is always time well spent.  We should all be familiar with Romans 10:17.  

Romans 10:17 (ESV)
¹⁷  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Since it is faith that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4), we should want as much of it as we can get.  And, since faith comes from hearing the Word, we should want to study that Word every opportunity we have.  So, how can we redeem the time when it comes to the Bible?

It begins with arranging time with the Word of God as individuals.  We all live different kinds of lives and have different schedules.  The person who works a full-time job is not going to have the same opportunities to study God’s Word as the one who does not work.  Those with children have a different schedule than those without children.  Preachers who are fully supported financially will have more time to study than preachers who also have full-time jobs.  Spending time with God’s Word is not a “one size fits all” situation.  It is up to each one of us to fit God’s Word into our lives.  While some might have more time than others to do this, everyone can take the time to study consistently.  It is just a matter of making the best use of our time.

Outside of personal Bible study, we must take advantage of the opportunities we have to study God’s Word with other Christians.  There are plenty of chances to do this.  Most local churches have four services a week wherein the Bible is studied.  Then, there are things such as gospel meetings that we can take advantage of as well.  A part of redeeming the time must involve being faithful to our local assemblies where God’s Word is featured.  Most often, those who forsake the assemblies of the saints are weak in the Word.

Redeem the time by making the Bible a part of your regular routine.  You will never regret it.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.