Ephesians 5:15-17 NKJV

“15See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Verse 15 in other translations: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise” (ESV). “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise” (NIV). “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise” (BSB). “So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise” (NASB). I think sometimes it helps to compare different translations to get a fuller understanding of the meaning.

Our Walks

So, what is this teaching us? What are our “walks”? They are how we live, what we do, what we think, and what we speak. They are the standard by which we live, whether of humans or of God. They are how we conduct our lives day in and day out by habit, by our practices. And this includes our attitudes, views on certain topics, actions, behaviors, looks we give others, what we value, how we spend our time, what matters to us most, and how we treat other people. And much of this comes from what is in our hearts.

So if we are to look carefully, to be careful, and to pay careful attention to how we live, and to what we believe, and do, and say, what should that look like? It means we are taking notice of what is stored up in our hearts, and what comes out from our mouths. We are paying close attention to what the Scriptures teach in the correct biblical context to obey our Lord’s instructions to us who are his by faith in him. We are noticing what needs to be changed in our lives and in the power of God we are working with him to change.

Be Wise

So what does it look like to be wise? Unwise? Being wise can include our intelligence, but that is not the subject matter here. This has to do with the choices that we make in life, for good or for evil. Are we being sensible? Or foolish? This has to do with discerning right from wrong, and good from evil, and with making good and godly and righteous choices which are of God rather than making bad and evil and sinful choices which are of the flesh and of the devil. And this has to do with obeying God or refusing to obey him.

And what does it look like if we are “redeeming the time, because the days are evil?” To redeem is to rescue from loss. Jesus, in his death on a cross, bought us back for God (redeemed us) out of our bondage to sin so we will now serve the Lord with our lives. By redeeming the time, we recover from time wasted on what is not of God so that we can now live for him in walks of obedience to his commands. And this is necessary, because the times are evil, and so we are not lured into obeying the flesh, and not Jesus Christ.

God’s Will

And lastly, this all comes down to us understanding what the will of the Lord is. We have so many “pastors” and “preachers” of institutional “churches” who are teaching lies to the people. Many of them are teaching that all we have to do is confess Jesus as Lord with our lips and believe in his death and resurrection, and now we are guaranteed eternal life with God. Many are teaching, in fact, that we do not have to repent of (turn from) our sins, and we do not have to obey God. But all of that is a lie from hell, taught as truth.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

So, study the Scriptures in their correct biblical context, know what they teach about salvation from sin and eternal life with God, and what they teach about how we are to live as followers of Christ, and what they teach regarding what will happen to us if we do not die to sin and obey God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Walking in The Light

Based off 1 John 1-2
An Original Work / November 16, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When I lift up my voice, and sing praise unto God,
I will fellowship with my Lord and Savior, King.
In Him there is no darkness. He is in the light of truth.
If we walk in His light, from sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins, He’ll forgive us now,
When we humble ourselves, and before Jesus bow.
The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not obey His truth,
There is no truth in him. In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin, for it is hell bound.
If you follow the world, you’ll not in Christ be found.
The world and its desires will not last; they’ll expire.
The one who does God’s will, receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from Christ remains in you.
Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and in His Father, too.
This is what He promised us – His eternal life with God.
So, continue in Him, and you’ll receive a crown.

Be Careful How You Live
An Original Work / June 24, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love