Redeem the Time

Then he stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with full boldness and without hindrance. - Acts 28:30-31

Luke records that for two whole years at the beginning of his captivity in Rome, Paul was allowed to remain in his own rented house. We do not know (from Scripture) how long he lived past this time, but it probably wasn't long.

Of all the biblical statements concerning the life and ministry of Saul of Tarsus, the two above are favorites because they speak of a time in his life when he must have felt extremely blessed to be in Christ's service. To have been given this reprieve and opportunity (after all the previous trials and harsh difficulties of missionary life) to practice the very things for which he had been recreated and called must have filled his heart to overflowing. Don't you know that Paul made the most of it?

These statements encourage me but they also remind me of some things that should mark the ministry of a Christ-follower: hospitality, proclamation, equipping, and boldness. May we, like the old Apostle, aspire to such heights, and not waste such freedom. Indeed, may we always redeem the time.

Live so that when the final summons comes you will leave something more behind you than an epitaph on a tombstone or an obituary in a newspaper. - Billy Sunday