Ephesians 5

“Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk – not as unwise people but as wise – making the most of the time, because the days are evil.  So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.”  Ephesians 5:15-21 (HCSB)

We live in an age where many professing believers spend very little time reading the Bible.  To be honest, most followers of the Messiah would admit they should spend more time studying God’s Word.  When asked why they spend so little time searching the Scriptures, the average believer answers that they simply don’t have the time or feel inadequate to comprehend the text.  Believers generally prefer to have the Bible filtered and dispensed through a preacher/pastor than to read it for themselves.

Today, God’s message to us through Paul’s letter is that we should be wise, careful, and understanding of the Lord’s will.  The Lord’s will comes in two varieties: Revealed and Unrevealed.

For instance, an example of God’s unrevealed “will” would be something like…how the antichrist will rise to power in the world.  While theologians may have varied opinions about end-times scenarios, we will not know precisely how God will accomplish His will until He reveals it in His time, according to His great wisdom.  Until then, the best we can do is to speculate.

As for God’s revealed will, that’s easy.  It is the Bible.  Everything we need to know about God, having a right relationship with Him, and living a blessed and fulfilled life is contained in the pages of Scripture.

Before one comes to know Jesus in a saving way, they are unwise.  They may have been successful and wise in the ways of the World, but in God’s eyes, they were foolish.  For instance, I used to live to party.  I loved the fashion of partying, party people, and mostly the music.  It all glorified my Worldly lifestyle.

But by God’s grace, I was saved, filled with the Spirit, and began reading the Bible.  Through the Bible, God began revealing how I should honor Him with my life.  The Psalmist correctly said, “He put a new song in my mouth.”  My song changed because the object of my worship had changed.          

Beyond that, when I began applying God’s instruction to my life, He began replacing my desires for “self” with the desire to serve others.