How Should Christians Live?
Introduction:
No doubt we
live in trying times. Our world is experiencing a global economic
crisis. Nations are going bankrupt, multitudes are losing their
retirement, countless people are out of work. Natural disasters
have wreaked havoc around the world causing loss of life and
property. Corruption is apparent in all levels of government. As
one writer put it, there’s a “pervasive sense of anxiety.” One
psychiatrist believes there is a “psychological pandemic of fear” in
our world.
We, of course,
can’t predict the future. We do not know what lies ahead for
America or our world. God only knows. But how should we live in
times like these? Should we be optimists or pessimists? Or maybe
should we be in between? One writer, Ray Pritchard, advises that we
turn to God’s Word found in
Ephesians 5:15-17
to guide us through these times.
Text:
Ephesians 5:15-17
Body:
I. Be
Careful How You Live
(Verse 15)
-
Walk
accurately or precisely. The idea of walking on a narrow path
alongside a steep mountain requires accuracy of steps. Keep
your eyes open because one wrong step can send you to your
death. (Proverbs
15:21)
-
Being
careful means not walking too fast. Walking too fast often
leads to taking wrong steps and falling. Take care in not
making hasty decisions, over-reacting, judging without having
all the information, answering someone too quickly.
-
To make it
through the difficult days ahead, God tells us not to over react
to news we hear or read. Don’t make hasty decisions but wait
for more information. Always remember the words of
Psalms 46:4-10.
II.
Make the Best Use of Your Time
(Verse 16)
-
Redeem
– buy back – purchase Time is very valuable. Therefore, we
should use it wisely. Never waste time because it’s too
precious. Young people are advised in
Ecclesiastes 12:1.
-
Time
– in some instances the Greek word means opportunity. Make the
most of every opportunity. (Psalms
90:12)
The heart of wisdom will not waste opportunities to do good
knowing that a particular opportunity may not present itself
again. Indeed our days are few. (Psalms
39:4)
Carpe diem – seize the day!
-
Evil
– Wisdom is especially needed in evil and difficult times
because knowing the right thing to do may not always be clear.
Reflection upon God’s Word is vital. (Ephesians
6:13)
(Also
Psalms 119:115)
Evil days, desperate times, may tempt us to give up and do
nothing but hide in a corner. But the darker the times, the
brighter our light shines. Use these opportunities to let your
light so shine before men.
III.
Do God’s Will
(Verse17)
-
“Do not be
foolish” is described in
Titus 3:3.
Jesus said that the foolish man was the one who hears the Word
but does not do it. (Matthew
7:26)
-
“Understand
the will of the Lord.” We discern what God desires by diligent
study of the scripture and then apply what we learn. (Ephesians
5:10)
Making it through difficult days means not conforming to the
world, but being transformed. (Romans
12:2)
Conclusion:
Paul Harvey
once said, “In times like these, it helps to recall that there have
always been times like these.” Regardless of how evil the days
become, we know the promise of
I
John 4:4.
He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. Just hours
before the evil days came to our Savior, He told His disciples
this: John
14:1-4.
Bobby Stafford
January 1, 2012
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