Luke 12:21(NLT), “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Did you know that each of us have been given a very precious commodity by the Lord. This valuable commodity is called time. The way we use it each day determines the quality of life we get to experience. Ephesians 5:15-16 says we are to walk out each day with wisdom in order to redeem time: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Then, in the verses that immediately follow, we are told just what that wisdom looks like! Ephesians 5:17-18 says, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,”. To have a rich relationship with God, where every moment of our precious time is spent wisely, we must understand God’s perfect will for our lives and walk in it. The first way to achieve this is to be continuously filled with the Spirit. At any moment we can receive a fresh surge of God’s power, wisdom, and life into us - when we pray in the Holy Spirit. Jude 1:20 says, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,”. The next 2 verses of Ephesians 5 mention 2 crucial things we are to continue to do in order to redeem the time we have been given. The first is to be intentional concerning the words we speak to each other. We are to be sure they always glorify the Lord and are seasoned with the goodness and kindness of God! In Acts 16 from verse 25, we see just how powerful those words that magnify God’s goodness can be! They literally shook the foundations of the prison Paul and Silas were in, causing the locked doors to swing wide open! Another important way to enrich our time is to continuously be grateful to the Lord. Psalms 34:1 says, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Regardless of external circumstances - we must choose to maintain an attitude of thankfulness in order to see God’s supernatural goodness be infused into every area of our lives. Thanksgiving causes our attention to remain on the faithfulness of God, and when we place our trust in Him, we will never be ashamed for doing so! You can redeem the time God has given you as you live to enrich your relationship with Him. His goodness and mercy will follow you, each day you live aware of you being alive in Him!