Redeeming the Time: God's Promise to Restore

There are moments in life when we feel like time has slipped away—opportunities missed, mistakes made, and years that seem wasted. But Dr. GreGory’s message reminds us of a powerful truth: God will restore the time.

Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us to “redeem the time, because the days are evil.” This isn’t just about making better use of our days—it’s about walking in wisdom, obedience, and uprightness so that we don’t waste what God has given us.

You Can’t Redeem Empty

To redeem something, you must exchange something. Just like a coupon must be turned in to receive a discount or a payment must be made for a car to be fixed, redemption requires an offering. We cannot expect to reclaim what’s been lost if we aren’t willing to exchange disobedience for obedience, foolishness for wisdom, and bitterness for forgiveness.

Handling Excess with Wisdom

Redeeming time is not just about reclaiming lost moments—it’s also about managing what we have wisely. Dr. GreGory spoke about the importance of handling excess properly. Sometimes, our problem isn’t lack but mismanagement. If we’re constantly spending beyond our means, filling our lives with distractions, or holding onto things that don’t serve us, we end up empty. Wisdom helps us handle overflow without waste.

You Can’t Help Everybody—Hold Your Pearls

One of the hardest lessons to learn is that you can’t help everybody. There will always be people who take and take, but never change. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:6 not to cast our pearls before swine. Pearls represent wisdom, value, and the lessons we’ve gained through trials. We have to be careful where we invest our time, energy, and love. Some people will never appreciate what you give, and their unwillingness to change can end up pulling you back into cycles God has freed you from.

Forgiveness and Moving Forward

Forgiveness is a key part of redeeming the time, but we must understand its true nature. Forgiveness is an exchange between you and God. When a person is unapologetic, when they are not sorry for what they’ve done, forgiving them doesn’t mean you have to stay connected to them. It simply means you release the weight of the offense so it no longer holds you back.

But what happens when you forgive and still feel something? Sometimes we think, “Maybe I haven’t fully forgiven them.” But what we’re feeling isn’t bitterness—it’s discernment. We’re feeling that the person hasn’t changed. And that’s okay. Forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation; it means freedom. We can dust off our feet and move forward.

Restoration Requires Receiving

God not only calls us to redeem the time, but He also promises to restore it. The difference? Redemption is what we do—restoration is what God does.

Joel 2:25 says, "I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten." Some of us have suffered loss, heartache, and setbacks that feel irreversible. But God says, "This one is on me." He is going to restore what was broken, what was lost, and what we thought was too far gone.

The only question is: Do you know how to receive? Many of us were taught how to give, how to work hard, how to pour out, but not how to receive. If we don’t know how to receive, we can miss the very restoration we’ve been praying for.

Let Go and Let God Restore You

In the same way that a car must be repaired to be restored to its original beauty, God is working on us. The years we thought were wasted, the pain we thought we’d never heal from—He is bringing it all back, renewed, stronger, better.

“If you redeem the time, I will restore the time.” That is the promise of God. It’s time to let go of past failures, let go of regrets, let go of trying to fix everything on our own. Let go and let God restore you.

He’s already declared it: This one is on Me.

What are your thoughts?

YOU CAN'T REDEEM EMPTY: When seeking restoration, what do you think is most important to offer in exchange?

• Bold obedience
• Forgiving others
• Letting go of the past
• Seeking wisdom