Thursday, August 20, 2015

Living Carefully

 

[Photo of autumn leaves with C. S. Lewis' quotation superimposed]


“Be very careful, then, how you live…”
—Ephesians 5:15a

Some teaching seems harder than others. Whenever the Apostle Paul gets down to the nitty-gritty of living, Christians begin to cringe a bit.

This is no less true with Paul's very frank words found in Ephesians 5:15-20:

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.

Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us choose to live carefully this day—not to be sanctimonious or self-righteous—but to set an example for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us draw true joy from our relationship with God through the life-transforming power of Jesus.

And, as we live carefully, let us both receive great joy and express great joy because of all that God has done for us.

 

Copyright © 2015 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.