Ephesians 5.16,17 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

We are so prone to cling to the past and look to the future and completely miss the beauty and gift of the moment. You may be reading this right now and be thinking about what happened yesterday or what you may be doing this afternoon. All the while, you are missing the majesty of the moment. This is what Paul means when he tells us to redeem the time.

The word for today is this: make the most of every opportunity. Oh how I pray for the grace to be able to breathe in the wonder of the moment. The wonder of the smile of a loved one. The wonder of a blazing sunshine or a thunderstorm. The wonder of a swarm of bees or a flock of geese.

Of course, the passage of our devotional this morning refers to making the most of God given opportunities to share His gospel or bless others in His Name. Adrian Rogers wrote about reddening the time this way: When God tells us to do something and we don’t do it, we can label our actions with all kinds of fancy words, but the bottom line is, it’s sin. The days are passing and time cannot be stopped. You can’t call a “time out” in life. And time can’t be stored like money in the bank.  Really, the only thing you can do with time is use it or lose it.

Today, God is going to give to each one of us the gift of 24 hours. Within that 24 hours, we are given the gift of choice to fill this day with work, appointments, meetings, etc. Beloved, use the gift of time today wisely. Enjoy the wonder of creation. Enjoy the wonder of each moment, for it will be lost forever. Use today to glorify Jesus and make the most of every opportunity He gives you to serve others, worship or pray. Right now counts forever.