Walking in Wisdom. (Ephesians 5: 15-21).

This Podcast is part of a 10-year project to complete an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. 

Episode Notes:  Walking in Wisdom (Ephesians 5: 15-21)

Welcome back, friends.

 It’s wonderful to have you with me again as we continue our walk through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, a letter that has been teaching us not only who we are in Christ but how we are to live because of that identity.

 We’ve already explored what it means to:

 Walk in unity,

Walk in truth,

Walk in honesty,

Walk in kindness,

Walk in forgiveness,

Walk in love,

and walk in the light.

Today, we are invited to slow down, to look carefully at our lives, and to ask a very simple but very searching question: Am I walking wisely?

Transcript

Walking in Wisdom: (Ephesians 5: 15-21).

Transcript:

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION:

Welcome back, friends.

It’s wonderful to have you with me again as we continue our walk through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, a letter that has been teaching us not only who we are in Christ but how we are to live because of that identity.

We’ve already explored what it means to:

Walk in unity,

Walk in truth,

Walk in honesty,

Walk in kindness,

Walk in forgiveness,

Walk in love,

and walk in the light.

And now, Paul turns a corner, and he moves from the imagery of light and darkness to the very practical, everyday question:

How do we walk wisely in a world that often walks foolishly?

This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where theology becomes lifestyle, and this is where spiritual truth becomes a daily decision.

Because it is entirely possible to be a Christian and still live unwisely. 

It is possible to know the truth and still make foolish choices. It is possible to walk in the light and still stumble because we are not paying attention to how we walk.

So today, we are invited to slow down, to look carefully at our lives, and to ask a very simple but very searching question:

Am I walking wisely?

Let’s begin by reading today's passage together….

The Difference Between Foolish Living and Wise Living.

There are a lot of people in this world who live dangerously foolish lives. Think of teenagers racing through a housing estate at 90 miles an hour, endangering themselves and everyone around them. 

Recently, we saw the case of the two young men jailed for a maximum of 14 years for causing death by dangerous driving. They were driving at a speed of up to 136mph in a residential 30 zone at the same time as inhaling nitrous oxide, and they killed a family man who was driving to work when they hit him at full speed.

Or sometimes you will hear of someone living in rat‑infested homes, rotting food everywhere, and later it is discovered that they had thousands of pounds lying stuffed under their mattresses.

Or the celebrities and athletes who throw away their careers, their reputations, their endorsements, and sometimes their lives because of addiction or self‑destructive habits.

We look at these stories and say, “That’s ridiculous. That’s foolish. What were they thinking?”

But before we look down our noses at such people, perhaps we should pause and look at our own lives. Because if we’re honest, every one of us has done foolish things.

Some of us don’t just do foolish things occasionally; we do them regularly. We make unwise decisions, and we repeat unhealthy patterns. We ignore warning signs, and we drift into habits that we know are not good for us.

But the truth is, nobody plans to be foolish. Nobody wakes up and says, “Today I am going to make a terrible decision.” Foolishness is rarely intentional. It is usually the result of drifting along and not being watchful or reacting to things without thinking. Following the crowd, or simply not paying attention.

So, before we talk about holiness, before we talk about righteousness,

Before we talk about spiritual maturity, Paul invites us to start with something very basic. Learn how not to live foolishly; learn how to walk wisely.

And thankfully, this passage gives us exactly that. Paul is about to show us what wisdom looks like, how wisdom behaves, and where wisdom comes from. How wisdom can transform the way we live if we make the right, wise choices.

So, let’s walk through this passage together and discover what it means to “walk carefully, not as unwise, but as wise.”

Walking Carefully in a Careless World.

“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 understanding what the will of the Lord is and do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(Ephesians 5: 15-21)

Today’s passage begins with a very simple but very searching command: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.” (Ephesians 5:15)

The Christian life is a walk, a daily journey, a step‑by‑step movement through the world. And Paul says: “Walk wisely, walk carefully and walk with deliberate attention”.

The word translated circumspectly means “with exactness,” “with precision,” “With careful consideration.” It is the opposite of drifting along. The opposite of stumbling. The opposite of living on autopilot.

A Cat on a Wall — A Picture of Circumspect Walking.

Years ago, I lived in a house that backed onto the rear wall of a garden centre. To keep thieves out, the top of the wall was lined with broken glass and sharp nails. 

It was a dangerous place to walk and impossible to climb over.

Unless you were a cat.

There was a cat in our street who would leap up onto that wall and then walk the entire length of it with astonishing precision. Every step was deliberate. Every paw was placed with care. Every movement was measured. One wrong step and the cat would be injured. But it never rushed. It never stumbled. It walked circumspectly.

That is the picture Paul gives us.

The world is full of dangers: moral dangers, spiritual dangers, relational dangers, temptations, pitfalls, and hidden traps.

But this says that we should walk like that cat. Walk carefully and walk wisely. Place each step with thought and intention.

You see, a wise walk is a skillful walk. A foolish walk is a careless walk. One where you are not watching where you’re going, not thinking about what you’re doing, and eventually stumbling into trouble.

Three Ways to Walk Wisely.

We are then given three practical instructions for walking wisely in a foolish world - three ways to walk wisely.

The first is this:

1. Redeem the Time.

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16)

This is an unusual phrase. It doesn’t simply mean “don’t waste time.” It means something more specific. The word for time here refers to a fixed moment, a window of opportunity, a limited season. The imagery comes from the marketplace, someone watching for a bargain and grabbing it the moment it appears.

Paul is saying: Don’t miss the spiritual opportunities God places in front of you.

Opportunities to do good.

Opportunities to speak truth.

Opportunities to show kindness.

Opportunities to serve.

Opportunities to obey.

Opportunities to bless.

These moments are brief. They come and go quickly, and once they pass, they rarely return.

So, this says: “Redeem them. Buy them up. Seize them. Don’t let them slip away.”

Why? “…. because the days are evil.”

There is far more opportunity in this world to harm than to do good.

Far more temptation than righteousness. Far more darkness than light.

The French philosopher Voltaire once said:

“The opportunity for doing mischief is found a hundred times a day, but the opportunity for doing good only once a year.”

He wasn’t far off.

So, walk carefully, choose your steps, and grab every opportunity to do what is good, what is loving, what is righteous, and what is wise

2. Understand the Will of the Lord

Paul continues: “Therefore do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17)

Wisdom is not simply avoiding foolishness. Wisdom is actively seeking God’s will. It is asking, what does God want me to do in this moment?

What pleases Him? What honours Him? What reflects His character? 

Does it align with His Word?

Wisdom is not instinctive, as some might suggest. Biblical wisdom is intentional, it is learned, and it has to be sought out, pursued even.

And the text says; If you want to walk wisely, you must seek to understand the will of the Lord.

It is not mystical or complicated. It is simply living each day with spiritual attentiveness, moral clarity, and a heart that longs to please God.”

Discerning God’s Will and Living by the Spirit.

But discerning God’s will is also about living by the Spirit.

It says, “Do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.”   (Ephesians 5:17)

In other words, don’t live by impulse or emotion and don’t live by whatever feels good in the moment. Live by discernment, use wisdom, and live by the will of God.

This is the difference between foolishness and wisdom.

Foolishness reacts. Wisdom reflects.

Foolishness follows feelings. Wisdom follows truth.

Foolishness is impulsive. Wisdom is intentional.

And Paul says the key to wisdom is mental sobriety, in other words, a clear mind, a steady heart, and a discerning spirit.

How To Know the Will of God.

So how do we know the will of God?

This is one of the most misunderstood topics in Christian circles.  Some believers say I had an impression…” “I had a picture…” “I had a dream…” “I felt the Lord say…” And while God can certainly guide us in many ways, Paul is talking about something far more foundational.

So how do we know the will of God?

Let me give you the answer plainly:

Everything you need to know about the will of God is found in the Word of God. If you want to know God’s will, you must know God’s Word. 

Not just your feelings, not your impressions, not your dreams, and not your instincts.

The Book.

The Scriptures.

The revealed Word of God, the bible.

But even then, some people say: “There’s so much in the Bible, so how do I know what applies in every situation?” Jesus answered that question for us. Because he took the entire Old Testament law and distilled it into one simple principle.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength… and love your neighbour as yourself.”

This is the will of God.

If you love God, you won’t worship idols.

If you love your neighbour, you won’t steal from them.

If you love your neighbour, you won’t commit adultery.

If you love your neighbour, you won’t gossip about them or destroy their reputation.

Love is the Ten Commandments re‑expressed under grace…. Love is the will of God in its simplest form. So, Paul is saying, “If you want to walk wisely, walk in love, walk in goodness, walk in righteousness, walk in truth, and walk in the light.

This is wisdom, this is discernment, and this is the will of God.

Love Is Sacrificial — And That’s Why It’s Hard.

Biblical love is not sentimental. It is sacrificial.

It puts others first. It gives rather than takes. It serves rather than demands, and it blesses rather than harms. And if you’ve ever tried to live this way, you know it isn’t easy. Doing the will of God is often the hardest thing in the world. And if you don’t agree with that, you probably haven’t tried it seriously.

Loving difficult people is hard. Forgiving those who hurt you is hard.

Serving when you’re tired is hard. Choosing purity in a corrupt world is hard. Speaking truth in love is really hard. But these verses tell us where the power comes from to enable us to do those things.

Wisdom and the Holy Spirit — A Biblical Connection.

It says, “Do not be drunk with wine… but be filled with the Spirit.” 

(Ephesians 5:18)

This is not a random shift in topic; it is a continuation of the theme of wisdom. In Scripture, the Holy Spirit is always connected with wisdom, understanding, and discernment.

Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding.” (Isaiah 11:2) 

Wisdom and the Spirit have always gone together. So, this is saying that if you want to walk wisely, you must walk Spirit‑filled.

If you want to discern God’s will, you must depend on God’s Spirit. 

If you want to live a life of love, you must be empowered by the Spirit of love. 

If you want to walk carefully, you must walk Spirit‑guided.

The Spirit gives clarity.

The Spirit gives strength.

The Spirit gives discernment.

The Spirit gives self‑control.

The Spirit gives wisdom.

You simply cannot walk wisely in your own strength…. You need the Spirit.

Putting It All Together.

So far, Paul has told us:

·         Walk carefully

·         Redeem the time

·         Understand God’s will

·         Be filled with the Spirit

This is the foundation of wise living. It is not mystical. It is not complicated. It is not reserved for some sort of spiritually elite.

It is simply:

Knowing God’s Word,

Loving God’s people,

Seizing God’s opportunities,

And depending on God’s Spirit.

This is wisdom.

This is discernment.

This is the will of God.

Outro:

So, return tomorrow for our next episode, which I have entitled: Walking in Submission: Based upon Ephesians 5: 21-33.

In this passage, Paul turns to one of the most practical, most needed, and — let’s be honest — most misunderstood subjects in the entire New Testament…. Marriage.

With so many marriages falling apart today, with so many couples struggling, with so much confusion about roles, expectations, and responsibilities, one of the greatest needs in our society is a clear, healthy, godly model of marriage.

But the good news is this: God Himself has given us the perfect model for marriage. Not a cultural model, not a modern model, not really even a traditional model and certainly not a psychological model.

A biblical model.

A Christ‑centred model.

And a Spirit‑filled model.

You are not going to miss, whether or not you single or married….