Redeeming the Time (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5)
EPHESIANS 5:16
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil"
COLOSSIANS 4:5
"Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time"
REDEEMING
The Greek verb is ( exagorazō ), 1805, built from (ex),“out of” and (agorazō), “to buy,” which comes from (agora), “the marketplace.” The literal sense is “to buy out of” or “to buy up." It is a present middle participle, meaning, “buying up for yourselves,” as a continuous habit rather than a one-time act.
TIME
The noun is (kairos), 2540, not (chronos). (Chronos) is 'clock time'—the sequence of hours—whereas (kairos) is 'the opportune moment' or 'season,' a window that opens and closes. The scriptures aren't saying, “maximize your minutes." The meaning is more like “snap up the opportunities.” Vincent’s Word Studies and Lightfoot both render it roughly as “buying up the opportunity.”
THE MARKET MERCHANT
In Greek the total phrase is transliterated as (exagorazomenoi ton kairon), 'redeeming the time'. Sticking with the marketplace imagery, a shrewd trader sees a bargain and buys it before it's gone, at whatever the cost, because the value is worth more than the price they're willing to pay. Whether literally a financial opportunity for gain, or the opportunity to speak to someone about your relationship with the Lord, or simply to encourage someone with positive words of affirmation, these moments are fleeting, and can pass us by too quickly. Often, individuals have voiced the echo of regret at not saying, "I love you", or expressing the value they see in another, before circumstance or neglect, took them out of their lives. It is better to risk embarrassment or discomfort, and act on the opportunity, than to lose the immeasurable potential gain afforded, by seizing the day, and speaking or acting.
HABITUAL
The verb (exagorazō) is a present middle participle, meaning that it is a continuous habitual action, rather than a one time experience. Constantly and continuously seize the opportunities, express value towards people, and make someone's day a little brighter because you were in it.
You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours
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