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 5:15-20
The other day my husband got to witness quite a sight. He was driving down a dirt road and came upon 8-10 ducklings without their mother.
Not wanting to hurt them, he slowed down and watched as they ran for safety. There was an embankment, and eventually most of them were just trying their hardest to get out of the road. But the one in the front kept runningTodd continued to go slowly and watched that little duck as he ran. He was just flapping his wings and running his little heart out. And pretty soon, his feet were no longer touching the ground. As Todd watched, the little duck was making his first flight. Now, he was only a few inches off the ground. If he had reached down with his foot, he could’ve touched the ground. But he was flying!
Todd continued to stay behind the little duck as he flew down the road, and when he came to his turn he was surprised to see that the little duckling also made the turn. So, Todd continued to follow the little guy as he flew close to the ground. At this point, he was far away from the other ducklings and Todd started realizing that the duck probably did not know how to land. He certainly didn’t think it would be a very pretty sight. And they came upon a little valley.
Todd could see the road ahead dipping down and he watched to see what the little bird would do. Well, the bird kept on his same route! Within a few seconds, he went from flying just inches off the ground to being about 20 feet up in the air. Finally, the bird banked to the right and Todd lost sight of him. But he could see a small body of water off in that direction with ducks in it. He hoped the little guy landed safely…and he probably did.
But for a while there, he was living in quite a tension, wasn’t he? Fear of the big vehicle that had come upon him that turned to terror as he realized that he was no longer touching the ground, and then exhilaration at being airborne!
Well, life is like that. As we experience life, we are often living within a tension. Think of the fear and pain and joy of the birth of baby. Remember the anxiety of your first days at school or a new job and the joy and fulfillment that came with new friends and experiences. We can’t avoid the tensions in life. There will be ups and downs…and sometimes they will happen at the same time.
Paul’s words to the young church in today’s scripture reading create a tension. The first segment is cautionary while the second segment is full of gratitude.
Paul admonishes us to live wisely. He says to “make the most of every opportunity” and cautions us that “the days are evil”. Have you heard the Proverb (16:27) that says “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop…?” When an opportunity to do God’s will, to offer assistance, to be kind comes before us, we need to jump in with both feet.
My mom came to visit me this week. While eating lunch one day at a restaurant in town, one of the families of this congregation was seated nearby and I was able to introduce them to my mother. As mom and I visited, I was telling her about all of the activities and responsibilities that the mother of this family takes on. I was remarking that she was so busy yet always had time for the church and always wore a smile. My mother’s response was, “If you want something done, ask someone who’s busy.”
I’ve thought about that often over the last several days. Busy people are people who make the most of every opportunity. Busy people live in tension…the stress and physical (as well as emotional) demands that are required with a new challenge but also the joy, fulfillment, satisfaction that come with completing it.
Paul cautions us to not be foolish but understand what God’s will is. This takes discernment…and it takes time. Discernment is critical because there is a whole spiritual work out there that we cannot see. And not every spirit is of God. Know that God will never lead you to do something that goes against the scriptures. It is important that you read and know God’s word so that you are not led astray.
Trusting in your ability to discern God’s will is scary. We don’t want to mess it up…and we certainly don’t want to take it lightly. Pray that God will lead you in the direction you need to go and that you will be able to discern how and when to accomplish that tasks that God has set before you.
Be warned. Just because God asks you to do it does not mean it will be easy. There will be challenges. There will be frustrations. There may even be danger. But if it’s God’s will, it will be important and it will be part of God’s grand plan—which we may or may not understand.
We are also cautioned by Paul to not led anything affect our ability to discern. The example he points out is drunkenness. When we are impaired, we are foolish. When we are impaired, we are not able to discern anything. In Jesus culture, wine was served at most meals. It was storable and did not need preservation. There is a difference between having a glass of wine with a meal and getting drunk.
Drunkenness leads to debauchery. The word debauchery is the translation of the Greek word “asotia” (as-o-tee’-ah). It means “what can’t be saved.” It is defined in Strong’s Concordance as “wastefulness due to excessive behavior and the dire consequences it brings.” Drunkenness is excessive. Drunkenness brings dire consequences.
And today, there are lots of choices out there for someone who wants to be impaired other than drinking to excess. Know that this is NEVER God’s will for your life. Anything that impairs your ability to think clearly should be avoided. Do not be foolish.
This is where Paul switches from caution to gratitude and creates this tension that we live in. He says to be filled with the spirit! We should speak to one another with Psalms, Hymns, and songs from the Spirit.
I’m a firm believer that the psalms were inspired by God…after all, they are included in the scriptures. I believe that our hymns are inspired by God. Charles Wesley, John Wesley’s brother, wrote many of the songs that are included in the United Methodist Hymnal. They are full of theology. And I believe that there are modern and current songwriters who are inspired by God to write songs and lyrics that align with scripture and stir our spirits.
The things that we fill our heads with are the things that stick with us…that we ponder. Sometimes I’ll go a day (or days) with a song in my head. Years ago, that song would’ve been trash without a good message. Honestly, some of the songs I used to listen to were disgusting, demeaning, and encouraged bad behavior. (Think ‘80s hair bands.)
The words that you fill your head with are the words you ponder. This week I had a beautiful song stuck in my head. It was a current praise song…beautiful and pleasing to God. I would find myself thinking about the lyrics…even singing it out loud on occasion. I kept thinking, “I need to look up this song and listen to it.” It had been a long time since I had heard it. But I was grateful for it. I’m certain that this song affected my mood and my interactions with others. I know that it affected my thoughts.
What music are you filling your head with? Are the lyrics positive? And I will take this a step further…what are you reading? What are you watching on TV? What are you giving your brain to ponder? It’s important. Way more important than I used to believe.
It makes me think of another verse that Paul wrote. This comes from his letter to the people of Philippi in Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Read those things, listen to those things, watch those things…think about those things.
Finally, Paul tells us to always give thanks to our Father for everything. Live with a grateful heart. It doesn’t matter what your circumstances, you have things to be grateful for…every single day.
Right now the women’s Bible Study on Sunday nights is focused on the book “One Thousand Gifts”. It’s the story of one woman’s journey to live a life of thankfulness. It reminds us of each of the little things that we take for granted each and every day that instead we should cherish with a grateful heart…the air we breathe, the friends we see, the homes we get to clean, the community we share.
Throughout your day start noticing these things. You don’t have to write them down, but give God thanks for them.Make it a habit to live in communion with Him so that you can offer your thanks and praise throughout the day, every day. Prayer isn’t reserved for bedtime or mealtime. It can be a constant conversation.
We live in a tension…a time of great evil but also great goodness. We try to reconcile the two as Christians, but we can’t. With such a loving God, how can there be such terrible things in the world as war, hunger, and disease. It’s a tension that we must live in.
“If ANYTHING is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”
Amen.
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