Many people, soon after they accept Christ as their Savior and Lord, ask the questions, “What now? Now that I am a Christian, how should I live?” The Apostle Paul gives us the answer in today’s reading from his letter to the church at Ephesus. He says, “Be very careful how you live, not as unwise, but as wise.” This is sound advice indeed. But how do we do that? How do we live wisely?
First, let me say that even mature Christians can and often do fall short of “living wisely”. This must have been the case in the church of Ephesus, because Paul writes, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful then, how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Paul is telling the Christians during his time, as well as Christians today, to “Wake up!” Many were, and many are, spiritually asleep at the wheel. Many were not, and are not, paying attention to what is going on in the world. If that describes you, then “Wake up sleeper and start to live wisely, because the days are evil.” That statement is still very applicable today. We are at a turning point in history. Our world today is very different from even the world of a generation ago. Some examples of how the world has changed in the last 30-40 years are:
We read in the Book of Chronicles about the time when David was becoming King of Israel. People of the twelve tribes were coming to ally themselves with King David. Hear what scripture says about some of them. There were “men of Simeon, warriors ready for battle; men of Ephraim, brave warriors; men of Zebulun, experienced soldiers; men of Dan, ready for battle; men of Asher, experienced soldiers” and in verse 32 “men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do!” It is good to have a strong army, but it is a much bigger and better help to understand the times, and to know the right thing to do.
Our country’s leaders are struggling with that right now. We do indeed have a strong military, but do we know the right thing to do? Do we understand the times? If we do not understand the times, how can we possibly live wisely? How are we going to effectively deal with the changes happening in life all around us?
King David’s success was based, at least partially, on the fact that he had people around him who understood the times and knew what had to be done. Please do not confuse knowledge with understanding. We respect people who know a lot. We respect doctors and scientists who know a lot. But there is a huge difference between having a lot of head-knowledge and understanding the times.
Several years ago, Judge Robert Bork was interviewed on the television show Face The Nation. The interviewer was speaking of a few of the depressing current events that were taking place at the time, including the O.J. Simpson trial, Whitewater and Paula Jones. The interviewer threw up his hands in despair and said, “I don’t understand what is going on, do you?” Judge Bork responded, “Yes, we are on the edge of the decline of Western civilization.” Now, you may or may not agree with Judge Bork, but you must admit that there are tremendous changes going on in our society, and we must endeavor to understand the times we live in.
First of all, we must acknowledge that we are indeed living in a time of great spiritual warfare. The Apostle Paul tells us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and forces of evil.” One of the major areas under attack by these demonic forces is the belief in a personal, loving God. Current surveys say that 96% of Americans believe in God. So go out into the street today and ask anyone if they believe in God, and there is a 96% chance that they will answer “yes”. But ask the same person if he/she believes in a personal, loving God, who knows everything about us, and wants to have a personal relationship with us. The odds of receiving a positive response go way, way, way down. People do not believe in a God who has a personal interest in, and a plan for, our lives. They do not believe in a God who came to Earth to die in our place and pay our sin- debt. They do not believe in a God who expects us to live our lives for Him, and obey Him.
Today, belief in that kind of God is becoming more and more unpopular. The kind of God most people choose to believe in today is the kind of God who will tolerate anything and everything. Tolerance is the latest politically correct buzzword, so people like to believe in a God who holds no one accountable for anything they may say or do. This kind of God does not get personally involved in our lives. He is just kind of “up there” watching us live our pitiful lives on Earth. That is the kind of God the majority of people believe in today.
If you claim that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven, you will be accused of intolerance and branded a “right-wing extremist fundamentalist” despite what Jesus Himself says. Should you say that God wants us to live holy lives and obey His commands and teachings, again you will be branded as an intolerant, judgmental, out-of-touch right- winger. So, just because someone may tell you that they believe in God, or even that they are a “Christian”, do not assume they believe in a personal, loving God. Don’t assume that they have a personal relationship with God. Understand the times we live in.
Another area that is under attack by Satan and his minions is absolute truth. Society today says that there is no absolute truth. “Your truth may not be my truth” they say. Christians know, however, that there is a way to know what is right and what is wrong. There is an ultimate, unchanging standard against which everyone will be measured. That standard is Jesus Christ. He is the standard by which all will be judged on Judgment Day. God will compare everyone to Jesus, because Jesus is the standard of right and wrong.
We need to understand our times and the problems we face. We need to know what to do. We need to change what is going on in our world. It really is not that difficult or complex. We make the problems of our world seem more complex and difficult than they really are. Some say, “the problem is poverty” or “the problem is education” or “the problem is government”. We point in hundreds of different directions for the answer to “the problem”.
There was a man who went to the doctor. “Doc,” he said, “it hurts when I push here. And it hurts when I push here. And it hurts when I push here. I believe there is something seriously wrong with me.” “We need to take some x-rays to find the problem,” the doctor said. After the x-rays had been taken, the doctor came back into the man’s room. “Well, Doc,” the man said, “I can take it. Tell me straight. What is wrong with me?” The doctor looked at the man and said, “You have a broken finger.”
Our society seems to have a whole lot of different aches and pains, but they all have the same source. Our real problem is that we have wandered dangerously far from God. It is time that we begin to live wisely. It is time that we return to God. It is time that we obey God. It is time that we pray for forgiveness, wisdom, understanding and guidance. It is time that we put God first in our nation and in our very lives. It is time that we stand up for Jesus Christ as He is found in scripture. It is time that Christians give back this country to God. It is time that we stop grumbling about the world and get out there and change it. It is time we put all of our trust and faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
When we decide to turn to God with all of hearts, mind, body and soul, then, and only then, will healing come to our land. Romans 13:11-12 says, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over. The day is almost here. So, let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
If you have been spiritually asleep at the wheel, then it is time to wake up. We all need to understand the times we live in. We all need to understand that God has put each one of us here for a purpose. We all need to live wisely. We all need to make the most of every opportunity that God gives us to make a difference, because we never know when, or even if, the next opportunity will come our way.
We need to start living in God’s will for our lives. His will for each of us is that we trust and obey Him with all of our being, that we receive His love, through His Son, Jesus Christ, and that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we go out and share His love with everyone we meet. If we will do those things, then we will experience joy beyond comprehension when one day we stand before Him and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Amen.