There is an expression that says: “Work always fills up the time allotted for it.” At the beginning of another year of the Lord, would that be true for you? Or do you have time for the Lord, and will you use the time that you have for the Lord? Our text speaks about this, about the time we have and in which we live. It teaches us to manage well our life and our time.

It would be easy to let the time that lies ahead be filled up with many things. Life is busy! But we should realize that God took the time in Christ Jesus to show us his love. He came into the world to save. We should realize that now we are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8).

How then should one live? The Apostle says: “Be very careful how you live.” Literally, he speaks of walking – what we call the walk of life. Paul says, “Be careful in your walk of life.” Our walk of life refers to the life that has its origin and destination in God, just like Adam who once walked in the Garden of Eden. Proper “walking” means that you live a life that has received its meaning from God. This kind of walking is a gift of God.

The Gentiles don’t know this. They don’t walk, because they don’t have time. Gentiles run from one thing to another and they never can relax. But a child of God can walk – a child of God walks right toward eternity! For this reason it says that we have to live carefully. That points at precision:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.Ephesians 5:8

Children of God have to watch precisely how we walk in the way of God.

Paul says we do that by being “wise.” Such wisdom does not simply point at knowledge. No, when the Bible speaks about wisdom, it is the wisdom that distinguishes less-gifted Christians from the intellectual – Gentiles. It has to do with a certain spiritual smartness. The Apostle says we must “make the most of every opportunity.” That is how you are wise. We have to make the most of the present time for God.

But that is where we have a constant problem, for Satan will fill your time with everything except the service of the Lord. For “the days are evil,” the times are wrong. Every day the rottenness of sin bursts out of the sores of this world. But even as we set out on a new year, let us be thankful that there is still opportunity to be dedicated to God.

And “do not be foolish.” We have to understand what the Lord’s will is. That doesn’t mean that it is hard to understand, for it is the will of God which we see in Christ Jesus. The fact that we have the Saviour Jesus Christ and that He did his redeeming work, is the will of the Lord for us. And that is what we have to understand. It is not too difficult. We don’t have to ascend into heaven, or descend into the abyss. The Word, the will of God, is near us in our mouth and in our heart. That Word places the wisdom of God right in front of us. With that Word of God we should be busy all the time. For then we’ll become wise, and we’ll learn to be very careful. It will give us precision time management.

That is the way God wants us to be, as John Calvin once said, on the stage of life. He said that we are on a stage, the stage of the world. There is a Director and we know the will of the Director. From Him we can discern what is important. Let us then do the things that are important!

Live wisely therefore, making the most of the opportunities granted to you in the new year. You never know how long you will have the time. The clock is running, and we are getting closer to the end of all things. Who will take your opportunities? Satan? He will only waste your time. Or will God, who has promised to spend all his time on you? With God we will have eternal opportunities for life!