My thoughts on Ephesians 5:15-17

Ephesians 5:15-17 “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.”

I see this verse as very practical advice. Just verses before in chapter five of Ephesians we are advised to distinguish between light and darkness, the ways of the foolish and wise, and the things of God and the things of the world. Verse nine says “for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true” and then verse fourteen says “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.” Verse fifteen then goes into the inspection of our walk. It commands us to “Look carefully then how we walk.” Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus to tell them the practical advice of staying away from darkness, foolishness, and the world and instead stay near to the light, wisdom, and the ways of God. He says to use your time responsibly and understand the will of the Lord. Light seems to be a theme. Walk in light. Paul even tells us how to do this! He says in verse thirteen “But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible for anything that becomes visible is light.” Many times in my life I have tried to hide behind a mask. My mask was living the “good girl” life. I struggled with things that very few people knew about, sometimes no one. I dealt with inner battles on my own because I was embarrassed to admit that I did not have it all together, but God commands us to walk in light. And when we do? Things become visible. I often loom in the darkness waiting for my problems to disappear when if I just brought them into the light they could be dealt with and gotten rid of. 

Application: In this next week I will practice bringing my problems to the light. When I am struggling with an inner battle I will not fight on my own, but I will talk it out with someone else who will bring me to truth.