Paul wants us to be wise and not unwise (Eph 5:15). He names areas where wisdom needs to be seen: in our attitudes to time and to what we actually spend our time doing. He urges us to ‘make the most of every opportunity’ (Eph 5:17), which older translations translate as ‘redeeming the time.’ Time is valuable and God wants us to make the most of our time. We live in the day of salvation, in the time of God’s favour (2 Cor 6:2), at a time when the days are evil (Eph 5:16), but there are still many opportunities to share God’s truth with people. We need to look at time and see how we can use the time we have wisely to serve God, for all of us have the same amount of time each day; it’s a question of how we choose to use it. Stephen Covey said, ‘The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.’ This means we need to schedule time to be with God, with our families and with our spiritual family.
We need wisdom also in what we actually do, in our actions. Paul urges us not to get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. (Eph 5:18) There’s nothing wrong with pleasurable activities or relaxation per se, but we have to be careful not to take things to excess. Debauchery is defined as ‘excessive indulgence in sex, alcohol, or drugs.’ One thing so easily leads to another, and there is no place in the Christian life for this kind of excessive indulgence. Instead of seeking to fill the emptiness in our lives through these things, we need to be filled with the Spirit – not just as a one-off event, but as a continuing, daily process.
When the Holy Spirit fills us, there will be spiritual talk; there will be music; there will be songs; there will be a love for God’s word; there will be thankfulness. These spiritual blessings flow from the blessing of the Holy Spirit. (Eph 5:18-20) When the Holy Spirit fills us, we are filled with boldness. The early apostles were able to speak the word of God boldly after they were filled (Acts 4:31), as was Saul (Acts 9:28). One of the characteristics of the early church was this boldness, which came from the power of the Spirit: ‘So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders’ (Acts 14:3), we are told.
The key to knowing the fulness of the blessing of the Holy Spirit is to keep in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:25). We must neither run ahead nor lag behind, but recognise our dependence on Him daily.
