What does a good life actually look like day to day? Sunday’s lesson from Ephesians 5 gave a plain answer: watch how you walk. Paul keeps returning to that one picture, the way we walk, and he fills it with a few things worth carrying into the week.
Walk in Love
Paul opens by calling us beloved children and telling us to imitate our Father (). The way we do that is to walk in love, the same self-giving love Christ showed when he gave himself up for us (). Love here is not a feeling we wait to arrive. It is a way of walking, a daily choice to treat others the way Jesus treated us.
Walk as Children of Light
Once we were darkness, now we are light in the Lord, so Paul says to walk as children of light (). The fruit of that light is everything good and right and true (). Light also exposes what is hidden, so we are told to have nothing to do with the works of darkness but to expose them (). Walking in the light is not only doing good, it is living in a way that makes the difference visible.
Walk Wisely
Then comes the heart of it. Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil (). Wisdom here is circumspect, a word that means looking all the way around before you take a step. It asks a steady question through the day: what is pleasing to the Lord ()? Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is ().
A Question to Carry
The lesson left us with something simple to try this week. Before the choices of an ordinary day, ask what pleases God and take the wise step, redeeming the time we have been given. That is what it means to walk wisely.
