Life Upraised January 27 2022

“…See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16
Doing the dishes, and knowing I had a column to write, I turned to my son’s girlfriend for a 17 yr old’s idea on what would be something interesting.
“Willow? What would be a good subject to write on tonight?” She paused only for a second before answering. The first thing she said was, “How about taking advantage of opportunities given to you?”
Immediately a scripture came to mind. “Redeeming the time, for the days are evil.”
I knew that was it.

Paul had a sense of urgency in this 5th chapter of Ephesians, as should those of us who call ourselves Christians. They were facing evil on every hand, even in the church! Sound familiar? But Paul wasn’t about to let it slide. He talked about believers once being in darkness, but that was no longer the case! They were now children of light. They no longer walked in darkness or were a part of the crowd who did.
Paul took it even a step further when he declared that not only should they remove themselves from darkness, but that they should REPROVE it! The word “reprove” can mean to chide or admonish, which can seem harsh, but used in a biblical way, it implies an often kindly intent to correct a fault. In any case, it means taking a stand for what is right and not being afraid to expose darkness for what it is.
And then we get to the verse about how we walk.
We are no longer children of darkness, there has been a change in our lives. We now walk “circumspectly” which means “cautiously” carefully considering all circumstances and possible consequences. Looking carefully at how we live and behave. Is it honoring to God?
We don’t walk as fools, but as the wise.

“Redeeming the time.” Time is precious. Moments are fleeting. Life is short. Are we making the most of the precious time that God has given us? “The days are evil.” I don’t think there is one of us that will argue that. They question is, what are we doing about it?
Are we taking advantage of opportunities provided us?
The world is in darkness. Jesus is the light.
Are we sharing what God has done in our lives with those who are lost and hurting?
Are we sharing the HOPE we have in Him?
There is a world filled with opportunities.
What are we going to do about it?

“Only one life, “twill soon be past, … Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Let’s make our moments count for Him!