Knowing God

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)Dr. J. I. Packer tells us in his book Finishing Our Course With Joy that older people are being classifi ed as the younger olds (65-75), medium olds (75-85), and the oldest olds (85 plus). We might mention the fi nal group which we are all going to join – the dead. Growing older should cause us to think soberly about how to best use the God-given time we have left. We may think we know many things but the allotted time left to us we know not. So we are instructed to make the best use of the time because the days are evil. We are to attempt to make good use of every opportunity for it may indeed be our last. Pastor Jonathan Edwards reminds us that time ought to be esteemed by us very precious, because we are uncertain of its continuance. “We know that it is very short, but we know not how short. We know not how little of it remains, whether a year, or several years, or only a month, a week, or a day. We are every day uncertain whether that day will not be the last, or whether we are to have the whole day.”Pastor and devotional writer William Law (1686-1761) tells of a man called Pen. Pen was a successful, notable businessman and very prosper-ous in his dealings. He was struck down in the thirty-fi fth year of life and as he lay dying he cried out, “Had I now a thousand worlds, I would give them all for one year more, that I might present to God one year of such devotion and good works as I never before so much as intended.” Pen was not given that year for as he was going on in terrible regret of the waste of his life he had his mouth stopped by a convulsion which never allowed him to speak anymore. He lay convulsed about twelve hours, and then gave up the ghost. We know not whether we shall live fi ve years, fi ve weeks or fi ve days. How would you change your life if you knew you had one year to live? Some of us may have less than that. May God give us sense and grace to redeem the time.