How beautiful it was to celebrate our graduating seniors this past Sunday. It’s always an exciting time as these graduates envision and embrace their future and navigate into adulthood. During moments like this, there is this slight twinge of thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a do-over?” I know that I could’ve and should’ve heeded the title of this devotion a lot better over the four decades since I graduated high school; “Be Careful How You Live.” Thinking back to high school, the one thing I did excel at was track and field. Being a sprinter, the coach demanded that we practice daily on the starting blocks. Every day for an hour my teammates and I spent on those blocks. Executing a powerful start was vital; the blocks had to be properly positioned, the placement of each body part had to be mastered, hearing and movement had to be aligned for the perfect launch at the gunshot start. Coach Valentine would often say, “you never have to recover from a good start”. Oh, how true that is, not just in the 100-yard dash but in life too. I certainly would’ve had a lot less self-inflicted calamity in my life if I had put “a good start” into my everyday actions.
Paul gives some encouragement and admonishment to live in accordance to God’s ways in his letter to the church at Ephesus and it’s available for us today. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, 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. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:18-20
This past fall the Wednesday Night Women’s Growth Group studied the book of Ephesians and chapter 5 was pivotal to understanding what God wants from us, along with counsel against living carelessly. Here are five take-aways as shared by J.D. Greear, the author of that study:
1. “Look carefully” on how you walk. Evaluate your way of life in light of God’s Word.
2. Be intentional with your time. Ditch the schedule-sapping activities and choose to grow in godliness.
3. Drink deeply of the Holy Spirit when life gets tough. Avoid cheap escapes like alcohol, and let God fill your life with true power.
4. Sing the song of redemption in your heart. Let your emotions fill up with the joy of Jesus.
5. Sing that song of redemption to others. Be around the people of God, and share what you have with your fellow believers. 1
Let this be a reminder that wise people don’t settle for mere knowledge and an even stronger warning that we need to do more than just listen and know God’s word, we must do it, act on it. I pray that no matter our age we would employ wisdom and take genuine care of how we are living.
1. J.D. Greear, “The Book of Ephesians,” Rightnow Media, accessed May 29, 2025, https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/content/details/195647.
Paul gives some encouragement and admonishment to live in accordance to God’s ways in his letter to the church at Ephesus and it’s available for us today. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, 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. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:18-20
This past fall the Wednesday Night Women’s Growth Group studied the book of Ephesians and chapter 5 was pivotal to understanding what God wants from us, along with counsel against living carelessly. Here are five take-aways as shared by J.D. Greear, the author of that study:
1. “Look carefully” on how you walk. Evaluate your way of life in light of God’s Word.
2. Be intentional with your time. Ditch the schedule-sapping activities and choose to grow in godliness.
3. Drink deeply of the Holy Spirit when life gets tough. Avoid cheap escapes like alcohol, and let God fill your life with true power.
4. Sing the song of redemption in your heart. Let your emotions fill up with the joy of Jesus.
5. Sing that song of redemption to others. Be around the people of God, and share what you have with your fellow believers. 1
Let this be a reminder that wise people don’t settle for mere knowledge and an even stronger warning that we need to do more than just listen and know God’s word, we must do it, act on it. I pray that no matter our age we would employ wisdom and take genuine care of how we are living.
1. J.D. Greear, “The Book of Ephesians,” Rightnow Media, accessed May 29, 2025, https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/content/details/195647.