“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:15-17
Walk circumspectly. What does that even mean?
Walk Carefully.
Walk Wisely.
Walk Cautiously.
Or maybe for us southerners, you’ve probably heard before, “Don’t be acting like no fool!”
As a majority, I think we’ve forgotten how to do that. We don’t think before we speak or act and we have have lost the ability to blush, be embarrassed or ashamed when we do wrong. Sin is paraded and celebrated…especially by those who call themselves Christians. Everything is acceptable and tolerated to some extent. We’ve become okay with acting like fools and then apologizing later.
Are Christians perfect? Absolutely not. But, we are called to be different. Peculiar…to stand out among the crowd and this world. In these days, you just about can’t tell a sinner from a saint. We talk out of both sides of our mouths and keep our toes right on the edge of the spiritual dock. We can’t dare jump headfirst into this “Jesus thing”, because then we have to strip ourselves down spiritually and figuratively drown ourselves. We want to occasionally take off our shoes and dip our toes in the water, because anymore than that is going to require a “change of clothes”.
Paul is telling us in these verses to take advantage of every moment we are given to glorify Jesus. You can’t promote sin on the docks one day and then jump in the water with Jesus the next. It doesn’t work that way, friend…you will always be in a constant struggle with what is better. The world will tell you sin is better…but The Word tells you that Jesus is always better!
In these trying days, it is up to Christians to display Jesus at all times. Not just when we are having a good day, but EVERYDAY. This world is searching for a life preserver…an answer to the waves that are crashing around them. They are looking at you and me and seeing how we swim…if we can’t keep our hands off the dock, trust in Jesus and walk worthy of our calling , how can we expect anyone else to jump in?