Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 [ESV]
Last day before we leave! Tomorrow morning will be an early one and what I would affectionately call controlled chaos. Organizing and herding 45 Middle School Students for a trip to another county without their parents is quite the feat. Matt and Charity are amazing at what they do and it is always such a great time of growth for everyone involved.
The idea of taking care (or look carefully) suggests something that does not come naturally or instinctively, but a way of life that requires some concentration and deliberateness. The Christian life is a thoughtful, reflective life that takes the road less travelled. As in several other sections in this letter, the call is to walk, that is, to live, moment to moment in a certain way.
Part of the discernment of wisdom is the ability to see the opportunity and work through it, even though the situation or circumstances may be challenging. Living life in a setting filled with bad choices is not easy, especially when there are efforts all around to draw one into those bad choices. So, the call is to live wisely. What is required is a sensitive perception that has insight into God’s will in the face of circumstances that often are not the best. The assumption of this passage is that we cannot isolate ourselves from the world in a way that inoculates us from such choices. The text assumes engagement, but it is interaction made with careful choices.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
Colossians 4:5 [ESV]
The verb that is translated to ‘making the best use of time’ is notably exagorazō which normally means ‘Redeeming’. It’s an economic term associated with purchasing. The idea of wisely redeeming the time looks at using the opportunities we have well, because the threat to do otherwise is significant. Taking advantage of time is the point.
So what does a wise walk look like? Besides being discerning, as Paul has already indicated in verse 10, the wise walk cashes in on opportunity by making the right decisions across time. It ‘snaps up every opportunity’. It steers clear of evil days, not by escaping, as that is not possible, but by living distinctively, showing the way of light. Fear is not necessary because believers have been given what they need and a model for how to live in such a dangerous context. Two examples come to mind: how Joseph handled his brothers’ betrayal in Genesis 37–50 and how Paul viewed and approached his imprisonment (Phil. 1:12–14). The call is to serve the world through good choices). As we will see, the Spirit has been provided to give us the enablement to do this.
Application:
The most impactful thing in this passage to me is the aspect of Redeeming every moment I am presented with choices and seeking God in His wisdom to navigate it and make the right decision. These are not just areas of potential sin or even work related. There is a constant and consistent wisdom here that is suggested. This almost eliminates a freewheeling life UNTIL something crazy happens and we are faced with a life decision…not at all. The is a way of live that is aligned with the new creation God has given us in our Salvation.
Today’s Psalm:
I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
Psalms 40:10
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.