Colossians 4:5

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.

Colossians 4:5

This verse directs our conduct to those outside the church, i.e. the unsaved. We are to act wisely, and, in the context of verses five and six, this means that we are to act in a way that leads people to Jesus. “Redeeming the time” can also be translated as “buying time,” implying that there is a cost and sacrifice involved in prioritizing your calling above other things.

Our lives are short (James 4:14, Psalm 39:4), and the harvest of souls is plentiful (Matthew 9:37, John 4:35). We should be encouraged by today’s verse to “buy up” all the time that we can and even more, for this is our reasonable service, and the sacrifice that it entails pales in comparison to the sacrifice that Jesus paid for our sin.

Pastor Jeff Mericle