Word@Work Eph63 - Ephesians 5:15-16
Published: Tue, 12/23/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
MIND THE STEP
Ephesians 5:15-16 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (NIV)
Small children underestimate danger. So do naïve adults. The expression, "take care" is often an affectionate parting expression; knowing that problems may exist but not really expecting any to come too close. But in war time, when the hazards are all too obvious, "take care" can become a final farewell. Although treacherous, the battlefield experience is not just about survival, it is primarily about winning the war, and then establishing the peace. The same is true for the Christian. We are up against the forces of Satan who operates by deceiving the world with his lies: yet we are also involved in 'truthing' the deceived and winning them for Christ. It will be dangerous and there will be casualties, but locking ourselves away in an exclusive fellowship (a sort of sanctified bunker) is not our Commander's purpose.
This instruction to 'be careful' begins Paul's summing-up of his teaching about how to live as a Christian in a spiritual war-zone. The dangers he has referred to are not primary demonic encounters (although Eph 4:27 is clear that the devil is looking to gain a foothold in Christian lives); danger lies in the darkness of a world without God and in the lies that seduce the believer into the shadows. He wants us to be wise and not naïvely trapped, but also to seize the opportunities for the Kingdom of God. Indeed, those, who look keenly for an opening to declare the gospel and want to glorify the Lord, will find that they will be less easily drawn into the evil around them.
Our commission is clear - to live as the children and ambassadors of the king (cf 2 Cor 5:20). Therefore we should not live with an agenda of seeking personal pleasure or self-promotion. It should be no surprise that this commission is to be lived out in our waking hours, which are mostly in our work time! In some organisations it is said that you need to 'tread carefully'. These verses, in the Greek, start by saying, "Look carefully how you walk ...". Let us remember that God's interests are at stake as we do our work today: what we say should reflect the policy of heaven, and what we do should act out the love of God. Anything less and it is His image that slips with our colleagues - as well as our own.
Prayer: Dear Lord. I know that I should live as Your ambassador, so thank You for this reminder. Now please help me to be alert to the spiritual dangers that will subvert my heart and neutralise my witness at work today. For Christ's sake. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and Spanish
Small children underestimate danger. So do naïve adults. The expression, "take care" is often an affectionate parting expression; knowing that problems may exist but not really expecting any to come too close. But in war time, when the hazards are all too obvious, "take care" can become a final farewell. Although treacherous, the battlefield experience is not just about survival, it is primarily about winning the war, and then establishing the peace. The same is true for the Christian. We are up against the forces of Satan who operates by deceiving the world with his lies: yet we are also involved in 'truthing' the deceived and winning them for Christ. It will be dangerous and there will be casualties, but locking ourselves away in an exclusive fellowship (a sort of sanctified bunker) is not our Commander's purpose.
This instruction to 'be careful' begins Paul's summing-up of his teaching about how to live as a Christian in a spiritual war-zone. The dangers he has referred to are not primary demonic encounters (although Eph 4:27 is clear that the devil is looking to gain a foothold in Christian lives); danger lies in the darkness of a world without God and in the lies that seduce the believer into the shadows. He wants us to be wise and not naïvely trapped, but also to seize the opportunities for the Kingdom of God. Indeed, those, who look keenly for an opening to declare the gospel and want to glorify the Lord, will find that they will be less easily drawn into the evil around them.
Our commission is clear - to live as the children and ambassadors of the king (cf 2 Cor 5:20). Therefore we should not live with an agenda of seeking personal pleasure or self-promotion. It should be no surprise that this commission is to be lived out in our waking hours, which are mostly in our work time! In some organisations it is said that you need to 'tread carefully'. These verses, in the Greek, start by saying, "Look carefully how you walk ...". Let us remember that God's interests are at stake as we do our work today: what we say should reflect the policy of heaven, and what we do should act out the love of God. Anything less and it is His image that slips with our colleagues - as well as our own.
Prayer: Dear Lord. I know that I should live as Your ambassador, so thank You for this reminder. Now please help me to be alert to the spiritual dangers that will subvert my heart and neutralise my witness at work today. For Christ's sake. Amen.
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W@WEph63 | Word@Work © Dr Paul Adams 2008 | Provided by BeaconLight
Contact us at wordatwork@beaconlight.co.uk
Your next Word@Work will be sent on Friday, January 2, 2009