LEARNING DAILY

Ephesians 5:15-17, Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

I doubt you would come to my house for dinner if you knew I was going to serve leftovers from previous meals. The same goes for time. Just receiving the time that is available or to be squeezed in is not a pleasant feeling. God wants to spend quality time with those who follow Him; it is a major part of having a relationship with Him. Giving God quality time is not to be a burden. It should be the desire of every Believer’s heart, each day. Paul’s writing in Ephesians is clear – Believers are to live their life with wisdom and purpose.

Did you catch that Paul wrote it is wise to look at or examine your spiritual walk, how you are living your life. Why? The days we are living in are full of evil, dangers, temptations, and deceptions; if we are not careful and alert to what is happening around us, we can step off the narrow way into traps set to disrupt our walk with the Lord. The New King James Version of the Bible uses the phrase, “Walk circumspectly.” It means to look carefully at how you live your live. Be vigilant and mindful about how you live your life.

Peter wrote, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). The enemy of Jesus Christ and all Believers desires to consume you, Believer, and do you real harm. He wants to shake your commitment to walk a narrow way with Jesus through fear, intimidation, and deception to weaken and make you ineffective for God’s kingdom. One of the ways he does that is to keep you busy doing “good” things, and busy with all the things you do. Then God gets the leftovers.

To prevent that from happening both Paul and Peter write to be careful how one lives their life. One walks carefully by knowing what the will of the Lord is; His will becomes known to us and becomes central to Believers as they spend quality time with Him – reading/studying/meditating on His Word and in prayer. That is being intentional with the time spent with Him making sure our priorities, values, and lifestyle aligns with the Lord’s. Doing so helps us with living in His wisdom rather than that of the world.

It is no secret that the world we live in is evil. Living each day close to the Lord and living in His will is a choice each person has to make for themselves. His Word shows us examples of giving Him the leftovers of time and worship.  What will it take for you to give Him more time each day? Will it involve setting boundaries of some sort? Will it be necessary to say no to things that do not align with priorities you set? It will be necessary to guard against distractions and time-wasting activities. The new year may be a year to give God our best instead of our leftovers!