Title: Save the Time (Ephesians 5:15-21)
Save time (Ephesians 5:15-21)
☞Text:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, 16 Save the years, for the times are evil 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord 18 Do not get drunk. This is debauchery, but be filled with the Holy Spirit 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your hearts.
20 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
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Last week, I was praying for the 2nd Women's Evangelism Devotion Service, and suddenly I was like, 'Oh! Two women evangelism members are already two women evangelism members! You are in your 40's and you are becoming an adult in the church. Time flies!' As I thought, "Save the time" came to mind.
It really should save time. Time speaks of time. To save time means to save time, and this means not to waste time in vain, but to use time according to the will of God.
Of course, everyone here is working hard, so no one is wasting their time. It is true that we are working so hard that we do not have enough time. But who and what is that hard work and busyness really for? If you ask me, the time used may be wasted time. If you look at the teenagers these days, they are busy with computers, meeting friends, and reading comic books instead of studying. They live busy lives and work hard in their own way, but when adults see them, they seem to be wasting.
What is important? How much time do we, as children of God or as Christians, use our time for the glory of the Lord? Isn't it in Time should be used wisely and well for the glory of the Lord.
The text says, “Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, saving time, for the days are evil” (15-16).
How to use your time wisely?
1. Let us do the will of the Lord by understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Verse 17 says, “Therefore do not be fools, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” I live hard, I run around busily, but the problem is that I do it regardless of the will of the Lord.
How do you know your will? The will of the Lord is in the words of the Bible. However, as he said in today's text, "Understand what the will of the Lord is", so the words of the Bible cannot be understood. So, we need to pray to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But prayer alone cannot understand everything. Because self-subjection can enter. For example, someone said that they received an answer while praying. However, in some cases, you can see that it is your own thoughts, not God's answers.
So, what is clearer is to understand the will of the Lord through the word preached through the pastor.
When Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, they were being pursued by the Egyptian army in front of the Red Sea. At this time, some of the Israelites said to Moses, "Do you want to bring them to this wilderness to die and bury them because there is no burial place in Egypt?" “Didn’t we say no to this since we were in Egypt?” He was resentful. When they saw them, they thought that Moses was doing what he wanted. But it was the Lord's will that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. The will of the Lord came upon Moses, and Moses proclaimed it to the people. The Lord made His will to be proclaimed to the people through Moses, but the people did not listen to them.
2. You must be filled with the Holy Spirit.(16)
Just as a drunken man is drawn to alcohol, so Christians should be led by the Holy Spirit. If you live in the grip of the Holy Spirit, your time cannot be wasted. The Holy Spirit is the master of time!
The presence and fullness of the Holy Spirit are different. The presence of the Holy Spirit is with us, and the presence of the Holy Spirit is true for all Christians, but the fullness is that he leads me to live according to the will of the Lord, and not all Christians are full.
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? When you experience the work of the Holy Spirit a lot, you become full.
Where does the work of the Holy Spirit take place? This is where the work of the Holy Spirit appears most actively.
How is it there? It is a place where worship is held, a place to pray, a place to sing praises, and a place to serve and give with love like the Lord.
A Christian must give up drunken debauchery, go to a place where the work of the Holy Spirit is, and be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that he can use it wisely for the glory of the Lord without wasting time.
3. Praise God, give thanks in everything, and obey (19-21)
“Speaking to one another in psalms and spiritual songs, singing and making praises to the Lord with your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, fearing Christ and submitting to one another”
Psalms and spiritual songs, singing and hymns to the Lord from the heart, always giving thanks to the Father for everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, reverence for Christ, submission to one another.
2 Ladies and gentlemen, you really need to save your time. After a while, you will become one evangelist. Soon, I will go before the Lord.
Saints, what are you so busy with? For whom are you so busy? Did that please the Lord? Have the fruits that the Lord pleases have been produced? I don't want to say anything about how you work hard and live diligently. I just want to use the time God has given me wisely to live a life that gives glory to the Lord and to receive blessings from the Lord.
When you go to the spiritual training center, a lot of helpers come. They are not people with nothing to do, and among them there are office workers, business people, housewives, and students. On the first day, there were 148 trainees and 170 helpers. The total number, including part-time, was over 300. They were all very zealous servants in the church. They were people who used their time wisely.
Do you know the meaning of "the days are evil"? The time of God's judgment is near. It indicates that the day of the Lord's coming is not far away.
Some people wake up at dawn because it is a waste of time. If you just sleep, your morning hours are wasted!
Some serve once more, worship once more, pray once more, sing once more. No time for worship. Don't miss the prayer meeting. We divide and divide time for service meetings, evangelism meetings, and prayer meetings.
In order to save time and use it wisely for the glory of the Lord, let us understand the will of the Lord, be filled with the Holy Spirit, praise God, give thanks in everything, and always submit to the will of God.