Jump Start # 2205

Ephesians 5:15-16 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

Time management, efficiency, priorities—these are more than spiritual concepts, they are life lessons. The college student must learn these principles or else he falls behind. Hospitals run on these values. Most businesses operate with these guidelines. I heard on the radio recently the top four fast foods. It was a national survey based upon the time you order your food, pay for it and receive it in your car. I would have not guessed the one’s on the list. These top four places understood the value of time to their customers.

Wasting time frustrates parents. It drives supervisors crazy. It angers customers.Who hasn’t had to spend half a day waiting for someone who will arrive between 8:00 and noon. Typically, it’s about 11:45 when they show up.

Paul’s words here are not about delivers, fast food, meeting deadlines or getting your homework projects done promptly. His words have a spiritual ring to them. He reminds us that these are not good times. The days are evil. And, this evil will get to us unless three things happen.

First, we must be careful. Our eyes must be open. Have you ever walked through a field where cows have been? You watch where you walk. If you don’t, you’ll likely step into something that you wished you hadn’t. The Bible gives us words such as: be on the alert, watch, beware, or here, be careful. The days are evil. There are evil influences. They are tucked away in books and music and shows. They can mislead us. They can confuse us. They are often sprinkled with spiritual poison containing error and even blasphemy. Don’t rush in just because someone else likes it. You wouldn’t let just anyone babysit your kids. No way. However, do you know what is influencing your kids through media or worse, do you recognize what is influencing you through media. There’s a lot of evil hanging around Facebook. There is a new reality show that is to come out soon. It’s about strangers who have sex. They don’t know each other. The show will follow them afterwards to see if they like each other and want to continue together. The days are evil.

Second, be wise. Walk not just carefully, but walk as those who know. Walk as wise. Walk as those who are informed. Walk as those who have answers. Walk as those who know the difference between right and wrong. Walk with discernment. Walk with the wisdom of God. Walk with eyes that see through the fog that Satan tries to hide behind. Walk with the understanding of what will help me get to Heaven. Walk in such a way to please the Lord. Here is a guy who is thinking as he walks. He’s engaged his mind, his heart and his spiritual radar is on. He’s not against everything, but he is protective of his soul. He understands that after a long period of exposure to violence and bad words that a person becomes numb to those things. He hardly notices them. Violent video games that are based upon killing people can look so realistic. I’ve seen them. You shoot someone and the blood splatters. Or, the movie, in which filthy talk and violence runs throughout, the wise person realizes that those things leave impressions upon us. We find those words surfacing from our own mouths when angry. We’d never say those words, but there they are. The wise person realizes that those things are not helpful. They are not about kindness, goodness or the betterment of life. Instead of reaching out with the gospel, we think about reaching out with a gun. Walk wisely because the days are evil. The wise person has no problem turning off the TV, or skipping the Youtube video that everyone is raving about.

Third, make the most of your time. The word “most” here is important. The text doesn’t say, Make time. We can’t. There are days in which we wish we could. We wish we could bank a few hours here and there and then pull them out later on. Maybe today I need about 26 hours rather than 24. Can’t happen. We can’t make time. But we CAN make the most of our time. Walking carefully and walking wisely helps. Our time here is limited. We don’t run into people today who live to be 900 years old. Our walk here is fairly short. A person can waste a lot of time. There’s many ways we can waste time. Some of it is by doing nothing. Just being lazy is a waste of time. Too long in bed, too many hours watching TV, are killers for many of us. But we can easily waste time by not being organized, efficient and productive. Interruptions and poor planning can have us running too many errands and becoming stressed and worried. Make the most. Days are evil. There are certain things that immediately surface to the top because of those two statements. I need to feed my faith and I need to connect with God. Prayer and Bible reading is essential when days are evil. But how? I’m so busy. I have so much to do. Our days make it easy. Technology allows you to listen to God’s word as you drive. You can pray as you sit in the car waiting for the kids to come out. You can make a list of folks that you need to pray about and send a card to. Make a list, if that’s what you need to do, each day of things you need to get done. That helps you keep on target with your goals.

Evil days will catch up to us unless we are careful, wise and making the most of this day. When evil catches us, we can be conquered. We may surrender. We might take up being evil ourselves. We must put some distance between evil and our hearts. Barriers need to be in place to keep evil out of our homes. Be careful. Be wise. Make the most of your time.

Looking back, what did you accomplish yesterday? Went to work. Went to school. Went shopping. Watched a little TV. Caught up with the Facebook world. Sent a few emails. Typical day. Did you make the most of it? Looking back, what could you have done differently? Like the movie, Groundhog day, if God allowed you to repeat yesterday, would you do anything differently? Did you make the most of it? Did you walk carefully? Did you walk wisely? Thinking about that, now we look to today. How will today be any different than yesterday?

Behind careful walking, wise walking and making the most of your time is purpose, planning and choices. Those things do not just happen to happen. A person is thinking spiritually. He is like a person walking on an icy sidewalk. His walk changes. He slows down. He looks. He is careful. He knows, one wrong step and he’ll be on the ground. The same must be for us because the days are evil.

It’s all about how you walk.

Roger

Jump Start # 1170

Ephesians 5:15-16 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

  Our verse today is about purpose and carefulness. The man of God walks with a purpose and a direction. He is careful. He realizes each step must be calculated. Others are watching. Each step could lead to a pit. Each step could be fatal, especially spiritually.

There is contrasting ideas put forth in this verse. First, the unwise man. He is not dumb or ignorant. He is spiritually unwise. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, Proverbs tells us. There are many folks who are highly educated yet remain unwise, because they lack a knowledge or an interest in God.

There are three characteristics of the unwise that is implied from this text:

• The unwise man is not careful about his walk. He gives it little thought. He does what he feels like. The consequences often catch up with him, but he fails to learn anything from them.

• The unwise man doesn’t make good use of his time. He wastes time. He spends time as if there was an unlimited amount. His days are spent with useless chatter, gossipy news and shallow conversations filled with boasting, pride and trying to impress impressionable people. This man gets older, but he doesn’t get any better.

• The unwise doesn’t recognize the times we live in. The days are evil, but he doesn’t see it. He is part of the problem and he fails to see that things are bad. The evil surrounds him, but it isn’t noticed by this unwise one.

In contrast, the man of God, is careful how he walks. He is making the most of time and opportunities, realizing that there is only so much. He understands that these are dark days and so many love the darkness rather than the light. The man of God and the unwise man approach a day so differently. What they do will be so different. What they are looking for is different.

This verse begins with a “Therefore,” and that helps us so much in gaining a fuller understanding of what is intended. Paul said previously to this:

• You were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (8)
• Learn what is pleasing to the Lord (10)
• Do not participate in the darkness (11)
• Expose the darkness (11)

God’s people won’t see every movie that Hollywood wants us to. Some are darkness and not worthy of our money nor time. God’s people won’t listen to every song that comes out. God’s people will not watch every show on TV. Even among those we call friends, may be the unwise who want to engage in darkness. God’s people may and often must, cut ties with these people.

Be careful. Be careful how you walk. In the back of my property is a woods. I’ve been in it several times this summer. There is much poison ivy back there. Most times I’m looking for it. A few times I didn’t. I paid for it when that happened. The same happens spiritually. When we are watching, careful, and looking, we do pretty well. It’s the times we let our guard down that we get into trouble. Often that happens around family or among those who ought to be walking with us in Jesus, but they are not. We don’t pay attention as much. We let words slip that shouldn’t be there. We find ourselves doing things that we usually wouldn’t. We weren’t careful. If you ever carried a box that was marked “GLASS,” you understood careful. You picked it up carefully. We made sure you could see as you walked. You sat it down carefully. With the same thought and care, we ought to handle our souls the same way. Be careful.

The little ones will sing, “Be careful little eyes what you see…” It’s the big eyes who often need to remember that. Be careful little mouth what you say…It’s the big mouths that get in trouble. Be careful. Those are God’s words.

We live in dark days. Watch your step. There are many ways and many things that can cause you to stumble. You must keep your eyes open. It’s not a time to zone out nor go through life on auto pilot.

Walk like someone with godly wisdom. Walk like someone who realizes what time it is. Walk like someone who knows where he is going. Walk carefully. Walk like you are headed to Heaven.

We are one day closer to Heaven. Live as if one foot is already there!

Roger

Jump Start # 1101

Ephesians 5:15-16 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

  Time—what a valuable thing time is. Yesterday I witnessed two opposite perspectives about time. I visited a man in jail. For him, time seems to stand still. The days are long and boring. We use the expression for one locked up, “doing time.” That’s exactly what was happening to him. He was doing time. Finding ways to be productive and meaningful are a struggle for one in jail.

Later in the day I had a few email conversations with a man who is struggling with cancer. His concern is also time. He wants more of it. He wants to be around to see his daughters grow and get married. Time is escaping rapidly for him.

Two different people—for one, time seems to stand still. For the other, time is flying by too fast. Why is it that way? It’s a matter of what one is doing and perspective. Most have experienced both sides of time. I recall when my kids were school age waiting to pick them up from some practice. It seemed to take forever for them to get to the car. God was working on my patience, I believe. Then, there are some very fun and happy occasions, such as a wedding in a family, that you put so much energy in, and once the day arrives, it just seems to go by so quickly. Some things seem to go fast and other things go slow. Sitting in the dentist chair may seem slow. Listening to sermons may seem slow. Watching a great movie, time flies.

The reality is that time moves the same. It’s the same for all of us. For the guy running down the aisle of the airport hurrying to make his flight, time moves the same for him, as it does the bored high school student sitting in study hall. Sitting in construction traffic, time moves the same, as it does when you are playing a game on your phone or tablet. Time moves the same for the President as it does the street bum. Time moves the same overseas as it does here in the states. Time moves the same today as it did in our grandparents days. Time moved the same for Abraham as it did for Jesus as it does for us.

The secret to time is found in our verse today, ’making the most of your time.’ That’s the secret. That’s the key. We waste time. We “do nothing.” Often, we do not optimize making the most. The Galatians were told, ’While you have opportunity, let us do good to all…’  While. After a while, you don’t have opportunity. Sometimes opportunity comes when we are not ready.

Make the most of your time. This is important for many reasons.

First, there is only so much time in our life. My cancer friend understands that probably better than I do.

Second, some things can only be done once. They must be done right. Teaching and training your kids is one of those things. You waste time trying to ’find yourself’ as some say, and the kids will grow. Nothing stops that. You can’t put them on hold for a couple of months or years, get your act together and then take up where you left them. Doesn’t work like a movie. I started watching a James Cagney gangster movie the other night. Fell asleep. I paused it and will catch up with it another evening. Works great with movies. Never works with kids. You can’t take a twenty-five year old and bring him home and start teaching him. Too late. Some things in life you get only one chance.

Third, age, ability impact things. There comes a time when you can’t do things you once did. It’s hard to realize that there are some things that a person will never do again. My dad always golfed. We have golfed many times together. Today, his golfing days are over. He may ride in a cart with us. He may putt a little, but physically, he just can’t do it. I see that and I realize the same will happen to me if I live long enough. The time will come when I can’t write Jump Starts. The time will come when I can no longer preach. I guess I’ll sit in a chair and stay out the window. I can’t imagine what I’ll do, but for now, it’s time to bust it and put all the energy I have into what I do. As Jesus says, ‘Night is coming when no man can work.’

So here are a few suggestions about making the most of your time:

• Be organized. Too much time is wasted looking for stuff, going back and forth to stores, or getting side tracked. Be organized in your thoughts, in your plans for the day, in your work and in the things you need to accomplish your tasks. Preachers need to learn this. Too many are proud of messy offices, but in reality, too many can’t find a thing in all their stacks of stuff. File papers. Use computer programs to keep things organized. Put stuff back so you can find it the next time. Make the most of your time…are we hearing that?

• Make a plan. What are you going to do today? What are you doing this week? The plan includes things at work, home and church house. Many do not read the Bible much because they don’t have a plan. I try to read three books a month. I set out what books I want to read and that’s my plan. Everyday I have set things I want to accomplish. Shepherd’s in the church would do well to be more organized. Have a list of members that they want to visit every week. In a short time, they are connecting with everyone. Bible class teachers must stay on target if they expect to finish the assigned class in a set quarter. Make a plan.

• Find the best ways to do your work. Learn. Study from others. Ask questions. Become efficient and effective. Throw out old models that do not work for you.

• Put thought into your day. This was my advice to the guy in jail and the cancer patient. They both had time concerns. They both wanted help. The answer to both, even though they wanted different things from time, was to put thought into it. For the man in jail, it’s finding ways to be busy and not bored. It’s using time to strengthen the soul and resolve from his mistakes. For the cancer patient, it’s realizing that everyone has just today. Make today the best you can. Put thought into what legacy you would leave your family. Put your energies into making things smooth for them when he’s gone. It’s enjoying every moment with his family.

Time. Make the most of it. When waiting on kids, pray. When stuck in traffic, call someone to cheer them up. Use your time. Make time your friend not your enemy. Staying up too late, starting the day tired and cranky ruins moments and misses opportunities. Be looking. Be watching. There are teaching moments every day. There are moments to shine the light every day. There are times to speak up and speak out every day. There are opportunities every day to impact your children.

There are times every day…make the most. Are you?

Roger