‘Redeeming the time, because the days are evil‘  Ephesians 5.16

There is just no getting away from it.

Whether it fits my personality and my routine or not, if I want an Ephesians 5  lifestyle, I will just have to slow down a bit sometimes.

The words used in Ephesians 5.16, ‘redeem’ and ‘time’, are translated from the Greek words ‘exagorazo’ and ‘kairos’.

‘Exagorazo’ means ‘to purchase’.  ‘Kairos’ means ‘an important or opportune time’, which is why the NIV translates this phrase as ‘making the most of every opportunity’.

Sounds good, but how can I do that?  How can I make the most of every divine moment I am given?  How can I capitalize on these chances to do life-changing, Kingdom work?

Well, first of all, I have to recognize them.

Living carefully is a lot like driving carefully.  If I drive too fast I can miss things. I can miss dangers, like obstacles on the road.  Or I might miss my turning and have to make a frustrating detour.

If I live frantically I can miss things too.  I can miss opportunities.

I love the story of the Samaritan women in John chapter 4.  Here we find Jesus walking from Judea to Galilee.  He’s been busy in Jerusalem.  He’s been flipping tables in the temple, teaching truth and baptizing His followers.

Then we read in John chapter 4.4, ‘But He needed to go through Samaria.‘

This was the way to go from Judea to Galilee.  It was the road that took Jesus from his ministry in Jerusalem to more ministry in Cana where many miracles would take place.  But for our Lord, it was more than this.  The road through Samaria was an opportunity.  There was a person to love, a life to transform and a village to impact.

So Jesus stopped at this well and purchased the moment for good.

Every day you and I are going from place to place, task to task, from busy to more busy. In the middle of all that travelling are all kinds of ‘kairos’ opportunities.   Some are really obvious but others can be missed.  If our schedules, our minds or our hearts are too full, it is easy to overlook these Kingdom events in our lives.

You and I pass by wells every day as we live our lives.  If we slow down a little, we can recognise these places as the holy ground that they are.