Walk circumspectly, not as fools,

Eph. {5:14} Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. {5:15} See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, {5:16} Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. {5:17} Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is. ]

Christ shall give thee light.

One we are awakened from our sleep of ignorance, once we rise up from the life that only leads to death, we are filled with the light of Christ.

When we awake to new life in Christ we have to walk in that new life.

Walk circumspectly- not as fools but as wise. That’s straight forward enough isn’t it. Walking circumspectly. Surely we don’t honestly expect a follower of Christ to walk any other way, do we?

Dict. cir·cum·spect (sûr¹kem-spèkt´) adjective
Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent.

Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences. We know that our actions have consequences. When we turn to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we know that our actions have consequences. The greatest of these being the death of one who was completely innocent and deserved not even the smallest of punishments let alone death.

We feel outrage when we’re watching tv shows depicting the death of innocents. It’s even worse when we know the star of the show is innocent and yet framed for the crimes of another. We may even see them be put to death. No, they aren’t crucified, but seeing them laid flat out on a table with tubes around them and needles going into their body as they are pumped full of chemicals to induce death, it outrageous’ us to watch and we might even scream at our tvs that it’s wrong! They’re innocent! That feeling there of outrage is deserved right? An innocent put to death. But wait… we aren’t really fully innocent are we? Unlike Christ we are not sin-free. While that person might be innocent of that particular crime they’re put to death for they’re not totally innocent. Our outrage over the death of Christ should be so much greater, outrage turned into the knowledge that He allowed it to happen so He could save our lives, so He could give us life eternal, so we could be found worthy through Him and only through Him to be saved.

The consequences of our actions - watching for potential consequences- walking and living that way means we’re aware of what our actions bring forth. We’re aware that there is right and wrong and that Jesus would have us walk as He walked, in the light of life, not foolishly. We know don’t we? We know how Jesus walked and how He wants us to walk and when we aren’t walking that way we know we’re flirting with death eternal.

Eph. {5:14} Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. {5:15} See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, {5:16} Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. {5:17} Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is. ]


Redeeming the time because the days are evil.

How well we know that. The days are evil. We have to redeem the time because the days are evil.

Only through the redemption of Christ can life be anything but evil. We have to live in Christ this is emphasized over and over again. We are to be transformed from the evil that would overtake us and live as Jesus would have us live in Him.

Be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

What is the will of the Lord?

John {17:24} Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. {17:25} O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. {17:26} And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare [it:] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

This is Christ’s will.

Titus {3:1} Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, {3:2} To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, [but] gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. {3:3} For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another. {3:4} But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, {3:5} Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; {3:6} Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; {3:7} That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. {3:8} [This is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. {3:9} But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings
about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. {3:10} A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; {3:11} Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

Eph. {5:14} Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. {5:15} See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, {5:16} Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. {5:17} Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is. ]

We know don’t we? We know. We might try to fool ourselves into believing we don’t know what Christ will in us, but we do. We know and when we turn away from the will of Christ in us we are walking on very dangerous ground.

Rev. {3:14} And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; {3:15} I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. {3:16} So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. {3:17} Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: {3:18} I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. {3:19} As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. {3:20}
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. {3:21} To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. {3:22} He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

This is a message to us, Christ’s people living in the last time before His return.

We think we are rich and don’t need anything, but Christ knows otherwise. We have nothing in and of ourselves that merits righteousness, that makes us rich in the only way we need to be rich in Christ.

May the Lord’s mercy fill our hearts and souls, may His grace wash over each of us fully and may we walk circumspectly redeeming the time knowing that we live surrounded by evil that would ensnare us so completely that we won’t even realize it why? Because we think we are rich. Let us recognize our wretched state, let us understand how truly poor we are and know that it is only by the will, by the mercy, by the sacrifice of our Savior that we can hope to live at all.

In His holy name now and forever,
Amen.