Walk Circumspectly (Eph. 5:15-17)

[Eph 5:14-17]

[5:14] Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”

[5:15-17] (NKJV) –See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, [16] redeeming the time, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

A blind guy finds his way into a department store and begins to swing his service dog around by the tail. The store clerk asked if she could help him find anything. The blind man replies, “no mam, I’m just looking around.”

The word “circumspectly” (v. 15) carries the idea of looking around carefully so as not to stumble. It means walking intelligently and not in ignorance. How foolish to stumble along through life and never seek to know the will of the Lord! Instead of walking “accurately” (which is equivalent to “circumspectly”), they miss the mark, miss the road, and end up suffering on some detour.

In aviation training, this is called, “situational awareness.” To become a safe pilot, I learned to be aware of everything, all around me, all the time. You can’t be asleep or in the dark about anything, at anytime, while flying an airplane.

Walking circumspectly and making the most of the time are marks of wisdom. If we know where we are going, it is easier to plan the trip. So many Christians drift through life like sleepwalkers. They cannot be on course for their lives because they don’t know God’s plan. If a pilot doesn’t have his next check point in mind, he had better redeem the time and get his bearings or he will miss a very important opportunity.

Time is short and the days are evil! Many people are headed for hell and we must not waste opportunities share the gospel. If the days were evil when Paul wrote this letter to the churches around Ephesus, we surely can see that they are evil today.

God wants us to be wise and understand His will for our lives. As we obey His will, we “buy up the opportunities” (redeem the time, v. 16) and do not waste time, energy, money, and talent in things outside of His will. Lost opportunities may be gone forever.

God bless you my friend,

— Dwight Hammond