Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:15-17
One reason for understanding God’s will is because godly decisions in a biblical way, please God. When you’re in the process of making a decision, God is incredibly interested. And if you arrive at a godly decision, He’s pleased by it.
I really am excited to share this verse with you; Ephesians 5:17 says, “Therefore, do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.” God commands us to understand His will. He has a will. And by “will” we mean God has a desire or God has a plan. He does have one. In fact, I’d like to go over that with you. Start with that passage above. The “understand what the will of the Lord is” part involves circling back to the beginning of the thought: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time.”
First, “carefully” is an important word, a personal responsibility word. So is “walk,” which is the figurative way the Bible says “live.” God’s will is about our obedience but it’s also about our decision-making! He wants us to make wise, careful decisions that seek to please Him. Now, as an example, a phrase like “making the best use of the time” might be carried out wisely in a number of ways. If we think that God is hiding one and only one answer to that phrase and wants to leave us twisting in the wind while we wonder what that is, we won’t do very well in our walking—we’ll be stuck.
God has given us, in His Word, a wide assortment of ways to make the best use of time. For example: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Thinking about any one or all of these things would certainly be the best use of time, and yet none of us would probably do it exactly the same way. What would please God most is that we think about these things, not which particular ones of these things we choose to think about. Part of God’s will is for you and me to become wise decision-makers.
Journal
Prayer - Thank You again, Father, for the privilege to think about and consider Your will. Surely this exercise is part of Your will for me. Thank You for the privilege of being entrusted with Your Word and the capacity to make informed and wise choices based on what You have said. Thank You for the opportunities to encourage others as we pursue making wise decisions together as Your people. And thank You that You always carry out faithfully Your part of Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Taken from: http://www.jamesmacdonald.com/teaching/devotionals/2012-03-26/
Ephesians 5:15-17
One reason for understanding God’s will is because godly decisions in a biblical way, please God. When you’re in the process of making a decision, God is incredibly interested. And if you arrive at a godly decision, He’s pleased by it.
I really am excited to share this verse with you; Ephesians 5:17 says, “Therefore, do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.” God commands us to understand His will. He has a will. And by “will” we mean God has a desire or God has a plan. He does have one. In fact, I’d like to go over that with you. Start with that passage above. The “understand what the will of the Lord is” part involves circling back to the beginning of the thought: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time.”
First, “carefully” is an important word, a personal responsibility word. So is “walk,” which is the figurative way the Bible says “live.” God’s will is about our obedience but it’s also about our decision-making! He wants us to make wise, careful decisions that seek to please Him. Now, as an example, a phrase like “making the best use of the time” might be carried out wisely in a number of ways. If we think that God is hiding one and only one answer to that phrase and wants to leave us twisting in the wind while we wonder what that is, we won’t do very well in our walking—we’ll be stuck.
God has given us, in His Word, a wide assortment of ways to make the best use of time. For example: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Thinking about any one or all of these things would certainly be the best use of time, and yet none of us would probably do it exactly the same way. What would please God most is that we think about these things, not which particular ones of these things we choose to think about. Part of God’s will is for you and me to become wise decision-makers.
Journal
- What was my last wise decision and how do I think the process and the outcome were both part of God’s will?
Prayer - Thank You again, Father, for the privilege to think about and consider Your will. Surely this exercise is part of Your will for me. Thank You for the privilege of being entrusted with Your Word and the capacity to make informed and wise choices based on what You have said. Thank You for the opportunities to encourage others as we pursue making wise decisions together as Your people. And thank You that You always carry out faithfully Your part of Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Taken from: http://www.jamesmacdonald.com/teaching/devotionals/2012-03-26/
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