Scripture Reading: Ephesian 5:16
Introduction:
I. Time is one of the most precious things we have.
II. God is not restricted by time but He has set things up for us on a definite timetable. (Genesis 4:3; 17:21; Esther 4:14; Ecclesiastes 3:1; Galatians 4:4)
III. Redeeming the time means making the most of every opportunity.
A. The word time, here, is not about minutes and seconds but about the flow of time or a block of time.
B. Redeem means to buy up out of a bad situation; as Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. (Galatians 3:13)
IV. Consider the reasons for redeeming the time.
Discussion:
I. Redeem the time because it is a part of walking circumspectly. (vs 15)
A. The meaning is to walk carefully or accurately. It involves the accuracy that is the result of being careful.
1. This careful walk will require using time wisely.
B. Wasted time cannot be retrieved. (Psalm 90:12)
1. A.W. Tozer said, “when you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.”
II. Redeem the time because the days are evil. (vs.16)
A. Paul’s world, like ours, was filled with disbelief and immorality.
B. There is often only a certain point in time when we have a particular opportunity.
C. Evil influence can destroy our urgency to properly use time.
III. Redeem the time because the Lord’s will is to be understood. (vs. 17)
A. Wisdom is found in God’s word. (2 Timothy 3:15)
B. His will is for us to keep His commandments. (John 14:15)
IV. Redeem the time because we don’t know the future. (Matthew 24:44)
A. Young people need to redeem the time. (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
B. Older people need to redeem the time. (Revelation 2:10)
Conclusion:
From Isaiah 49: 8 “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
1. Social media was not designed for them. A tween's underdeveloped frontal cortex can’t manage the distraction nor the temptations that come with social media use. While you start teaching responsible use of tech now, know that you will not be able to teach the maturity that social media requires. Like trying to make clothes fit that are way too big, they will use social media inappropriately until they are older and it fits them better.
2. Social media is an entertainment technology. It does not make your child smarter or more prepared for real life or a future job; nor is it necessary for healthy social development. It is pure entertainment attached to a marketing platform extracting bits and pieces of personal information and preferences from your child every time they use it, not to mention hours of their time and attention.
3. A tween's “more is better” mentality is a dangerous match for social media. Do they really have 1,456 friends? Do they really need to be on it nine hours a day? Social media allows (and encourages) them to overdo their friend connections like they tend to overdo other things in their lives.
4. Social media is an addictive form of screen entertainment. And, like video game addiction, early use can set up future addiction patterns and habits.
5. Social media replaces learning the hard social "work" of dealing face-to-face with peers, a skill that they will need to practice to be successful in real life.
6. Social media can cause teens to lose connection with family and instead view “friends” as their foundation. Since the cognitive brain is still being formed, the need for your teen to be attached to your family is just as important now as when they were younger. Make sure that attachment is strong. While they need attachments to their friends, they need healthy family attachment more.
7. Social media use represents lost potential for teens. While one can argue that there are certain benefits of social media for teens, the costs are very high during the teen years when their brain development is operating at peak performance for learning new things. It is easy for teens to waste too much of their time and too much of their brain in a digital world. We know from many studies that it is nearly impossible for them to balance it all.