Be Careful!

Ephesians 5:15-17 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. It has occurred to me recently just how easy it is for all of us to lose sight of our purpose in life and how easy it is to become careless about how we live. As believers we’ve been called to not be careless, but to be careful in how we live. The Lord knows that it really only takes one ungodly choice, one disobedient action to create trouble that may haunt us the rest of our lives. I’ve got a friend with whom I’ve been close to for many years. We’re not all that close now because of distance and the difference of paths that we’ve taken. But there was a time when we enjoyed each others’ fellowship deeply. He was a believer before I was; in fact God used this friend’s influence to help bring me to Jesus. Something happened to my friend over time though. As I got more serious about my relationship with Jesus, he pretty much chose to remain where he was at with the Lord which at the time wasn’t a bad place. He just wasn’t making progress in his walk with Jesus. Soon after a little time of me encouraging him to come to worship services at the church I was attending, he began to grow a little. He even began to attend services on his own. Then something happened. He began to get restless about where he was at and what he was doing. Suddenly, he came to the conclusion that he wasn’t going any where in life and needed to begin pursuing some sort of prestige to create meaning for his existence. So, just when he began to get serious about the Lord, discontent crept in and swept him away to another city where he is still pursuing a meaningful existence. The answer for meaning was right before him all along but because my friend was unwilling to wait on the Lord and understand God’s purpose for his life, he is now still chasing after wind — never reaching the Lord’s potential in his life. Along the way, because he’s not being careful, he’s making choices that go directly against what the Lord would have him do. My friend may have to reap the consequences of his choices a long time before he understands the Lord’s purpose for his life. How glad and thankful I am that my friends lengthening story of discontent and foolishness doesn’t have to be our own! We can take what Paul says in Ephesians 5 and remember to walk carefully. The days that we are living in are certainly very evil. But we don’t have to be caught away by the flood that the people in this world so often are caught in. Instead, we can be caught up with Jesus. We can be patient, along with Jesus. We can be content and hopeful in Jesus. Continue to make Jesus your purpose. That way you’ll never have to struggle with wondering what you ought to do. Doing this, you’ll understand what the Lord’s will is for whatever situation that may come your way. The Lord will make sure of it! Psalms 37:3-7 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him… May God Bless You! Pastor Graham