Not only should
Christians walk in the light, they must also walk in wisdom. This is the
essence of these four verses. Notice how Paul wrote verse 15. He put it in the
imperative mood, meaning it’s not just an instruction but also a command. The Authorized
Version (KJV) of the Bible put it rightly. It says, “Be circumspect then how you
walk, not as fools but as wise.” He is calling believers to lay aside foolishness
and live wisely. To live wisely, verse 16 tells us that our lives must be in
line with God’s will.
The
only way to truly discern the will of God is when believers know the will of
God. This is the first and important requirement. The will of God is found in His
Word. Therefore, it’s critical that we read, study, memorize, meditate, digest
and assimilate the Word of God daily. Then we must seize every opportunity to
do God’s will. Wise believers live with His mission of life in mind. We must
live to glorify God. Then we live habitually to enhance our spiritual progress continually.
We must also live to reach the lost for Christ as well as seeking to build-up fellow
believers as well.
In
verse 15 the word careful is translated with the word circumspect in the Authorized Version of the Bible. It literally
means to scrutinize every aspect of your life. To be alert to opportunities as
well as dangers. To do what is needful and progressive and to avoid the
pitfalls. Wisdom dictates that we be discerning. To accurately discern, we need
to be aware of our present circumstances as well as to know the Word of God.
We are told to redeem the time in verse 16. The literal
meaning of the statement is seize every opportunity. Paul is not talking about
the hours we have, but the activities and things we do with the hours, or the physical
time we have each day. We can also look at it as the moments with have. Every
so often we must remind ourselves to seize the moment. This is referring to
present opportunity. As believers, wisdom dictates that we seize the day. To
put this in Latin – “Carpe diem
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