Ephesians 5:15-17
"So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."
I'm thankful for the way that NLT has translated this verse, for it has brought it into completely new light and depth for me as I read over it. These verses speak more to me about the way to live generally when following Christ than about wisdom.
However, living the way mentioned here does require wisdom. Living circumspectly has always been something that circulates my mind at least every few days, although it really should be daily. I’ve found that when I'm not being careful to live my day out carefully I often stumble into saying things I shouldn't, or thinking in ways that aren't paralleled with the mind of Christ. There is grace for the fact that I’m just now learning these things, but that doesn't give me an excuse to not pursue living this way. As I think back on the times I’ve fallen into sinful ways, it obviously stemmed from my own flesh but also from not being careful to live in a God honoring way. I never took the time to sit down and pray, or get myself out of bad situations, or even just shut up. I just floated along with the breeze, or rather the hurricane force winds as I just skipped along the road to death. No. Thats wrong. Thats careless. Its blind. Its acting thoughtlessly, not thinking of the God who loves and saved me from myself. I yearn so deeply to live in a way that honors God. I desire to always be conscious of the Lord in all my ways, but I'm also humbled by the fact that I'm still human. I’ll never get where I dream of being in this life, but I will press on toward a life that reflects Christ. As I fear the Lord, the light will show the path that leads me to life, as long as I don't get ahead of myself, or Christ.
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