You really can be too careful...

OK...let's take a look at Ephesians 5:15-20.  Paul is continuing down this road of Christian living...or that's how I describe it anyway.  Last week it was sort of a 'Mission: Impossible' call to change. This week Paul sounds a bit...well, one writer said Paul reminds him of his Sunday School teacher. Personally, I think of the Desk Sargent from the TV series 'Hills Street Blues' who always ended his shift briefing with the words "Let's be careful out there."  He wasn't telling the police officers not to do their job, he was just reminding them that it wasn't going to be easy and it certainly wasn't safe out there.  To me, that is precisely the point Paul is making in verse 15. 

So be careful how you live.

He is not telling us to withdraw into Fortress Church or that we should cut ourselves from the 'evil' world around us. He is most certainly not telling us to live our lives in fear, you know, facing each moment as if we are walking through an uncharted minefield just waiting for something to blow up in our face. The fact of the matter is that it is difficult to live the Christian life, and not because the world is 'evil', but because we are human.  Flesh and blood, just like everyone else walking around on this planet.  That's why his advice is  pretty basic simple stuff in those early verses.  He tells us to use our heads, to think before we act. He reminds us that our time is limited so we need to make the most of it. He also tells us that we won't find the answers in the bottom of a bottle...or more to the point...in artificial highs that may come from reveling in earthly pleasures as we look for purpose and meaning in our lives. (Just as an aside...a little bit of reveling now and then is good.  Take a look at Proverbs or Psalms or Song of Solomon if you want some Biblical reveling.  And don't forget Jesus and the Wedding at Cana.)

The real insights come from wisdom. From discovering God's purpose for your life. From being filled with the Spirit...rather than just those other spirits. But even here, Paul is not talking about amazing spiritual experiences or divine revelation. Just read through the rest of Ephesians and some of his other letters, and you will see that often these discoveries, this wisdom is something that comes in and through the everyday action of life. Little things. New experiences. An insight here. Word of wisdom there. Not necessarily in 'religious' settings or from 'Christian' people or 'spiritual' experiences. Quite often it comes through the ordinary, the mundane, the plain...and sometimes the downright boring...and I am talking about experiences and people here.

Verse 19 creates some interesting pictures in my somewhat twisted imagination.  The idea of addressing my wife or children or friends with the words of some good old Lutheran hymn.  Or better yet, simply quoting the Bible at them. (There is one about a perfect wife and some about obedient children...we can just ignore those ones about fathers and husbands for the moment.) A better picture though is one that provides a setting where all these elements are usually found.  Worship. We speak to one another in worship.  It's not just about God and me...or me and God...but about me and all those other human beings who gather to worship...and me and all those other human beings who don't gather for worship. The words reveal...uplift...encourage...educate...renew...redirect...refresh...and so much more.  And from this worship comes the ability then to truly give thanks for everything, since in worship I am admitting and confessing that God is always present everywhere. So if my search for wisdom and purpose in life finds me in times of difficulty and pain, God is there. If that search finds me on a high, a mountain-top experience, God is there. If that search leads me to the valley of the shadow of death, God is there. I don't necessarily have to thank him for where I find myself. (Quite often I put myself into those messes anyway) I can thank him that he is always present.

And one last thing...

Let's be careful out there!

...but not too careful.