I remember being on a trip one time with family and friends when I was a teen-ager. We were traveling through Boston and our friend was driving when we came to a place where the highway split. Our friend asked which way he should go and no one in the car could give him an answer, so we drove closer and closer to the barrier between the two lanes until we almost crashed into it.
The inability to make a decision took us to a very dangerous place. But a wrong decision can also take us places we do not want to go.
This passage from Ephesians gives us some options about living. According to verse 15 how should we NOT live? How should we live? What two options are presented in verse 17?
Life is full of choices. Should I turn this way or that? Should I use paper or plastic? Should I do this or do that? Our spiritual life is also filled with choices. We can either follow along the leading of our sinful, human nature or we can follow the leading offered by the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5 points out two ways of living – unwise and wise. Naturally, the recommendation is to live as wise people. In our wisdom, according to Ephesians, we will make the most of every opportunity. If we are wise in our choices, wise in how we approach life, our lives will be filled with satisfaction and fulfillment. We will know the joys and happiness of being in step with God.
We can also choose to be foolish. We can choose to follow our selfish desires and head in a direction that takes us far from the love and goodness of God. Our other option is to understand the will of God.
If we will choose to abandon unwise approaches to life and abandon foolish behavior, and instead try to draw closer to God in our understanding and thinking we will avoid the terrible spiritual crash that might await us. Rather we will discover the goodness of being in sync and in step with the goodness of God.
We must, in wisdom, choose to know God better. In this choice we will find that every opportunity in our life will be filled with the holy goodness of God.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What unwise choices should you abandon?
