Living Wisely

 Psalm 111, Ephesians 5:15-20

The Psalmist in Psalms 111 is filled with wisdom telling about all the attributes of God and God’s wonderous deeds including redemption for God’s people. He closes by saying the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. This doesn’t mean being afraid of God but the Hebrew word for fear means an awareness or realization of the Lord – another way of saying knowledge of God. It also denotes reverence and respect. This is truly seen in all the previous verses where the Psalmist proclaims the awesomeness of God. Worshipping God then leads to wisdom.

In Ephesians, the writer talks about being careful in how you live. You do so by being wise people who make the most of the time. These new Christians are not to continue their foolish lives of debauchery getting drunk. Instead of singing drunken songs they are to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs – making melody to the Lord in their hearts. Like the Psalmist giving thanks to God with his whole heart we are to give thanks to God the Father at all times.

This acknowledging God is the beginning of wisdom. Yet acknowledging and revering God isn’t enough. We need to practice this wisdom – live it. For those who practice it have a good understanding. Living then as the wise people Ephesians emphasizes will make the most of the time since in understanding they will know the best way to use their time.

How do we live wisely – it’s by getting to know God the Father better and living out God’s trustworthy precepts. A precept is a rule or direction telling a way you should act or behave. Drunkenness is not one of these therefore it is unwise and foolish. Instead, the wise thing is to be filled with the Spirit. Due to Christ’s work on the cross we have a helper – the Holy Spirit who can lead us to living wisely and direct us how to make the most of the time. Ephesians tells us to not to be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is. This is the understanding we get by practicing – living out the precepts of the Lord. This is what we require after we start by revering God and showing this in singing and making melody in your hearts to Christ and giving thanks to God at all times and for everything. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Join Me on a Lenten Journey

For those of you not familiar with Lent, it is a season of forty days, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others. Easter comes early this year. Many of us not brought up in this tradition can still embrace its emphasis of focusing on the gifts Christ has brought into your lives and finding ways to share the love of Christ to others. This emphasis of love goes along well with the beginning of Lent this year, Ash Wednesday, falling on all days – Valentine’s Day. So whether or not you plan
Read more

Reverent Submission

Hebrews 5:5-10; Jeremiah 31:31-34 The book of Hebrews talks about Jesus being appointed a high priest. In order to do so was because of his reverent submission to God and the plan for salvation which was to bring great suffering to him. It is said he learned obedience through what he suffered. Being made perfect in this way, he became the source of salvation for all who obey him. This being made perfect through persevering in obedience in the face of suffering is a theme the disciples will take up in following the example of Christ. Due to Christ’s reverent submission to his work on the cross, a new covenant has been brought in. This was predicted in Jeremiah 31 that tells how the law will be put within them and written on their hearts. They will know God due to Christ’s sacrifice. Because of it God will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. The term submission indicates obeying someone and their wishes. It is defined as accepting or yielding to the will or autho
Read more

Do What they Teach, Not What they Do

  Matthew 23: 1-12; I Thessalonians 2:9-13   Jesus when he talks about the scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew 23 basically says: “Do what they teach but not what they do.” What he questions most is their motivation. They do what they do to be seen by others. They wear fancy robes and love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues. They love to be greeted with respect. All this Jesus sums up in the word pride or not being humble. He states then that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Years later Paul writes to the Thessalonians telling how he did what Christ had instructed. That he was humble leading a life worthy of God, his motivation being for God’s glory not his own. He tells that not only are the Thessalonians his witnesses of this but God also. They have seen how pure, upright, and blameless his conduct has been. He encourages the Thessalonians to do the same. To live a life worthy of
Read more