Walking Is Living
Notes
Transcript
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
“Walking” is often used as an analogy for living- how one goes about their daily Christian life. Paul uses this analogy in Ephesians 4:1
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
And the way that we ought to “walk” or live is wise, making the most of our time, because the days are evil. What could this mean. Not that there is evil associated with living. But the days contain evil; there is opportunity for evil. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Paul’s instruction is that Christians ought to be especially discerning about how to conduct one’s life. The negative instructions are against being unwise, foolish. The positive instructions are to live as wise, understanding what the will of the Lord is.
But how is this done specifically?
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
The New Geneva Study Bible states:
“This is more than a prohibition of simply drunkenness. Paul probably refers to an orgiastic form of worship such as was practiced by the cult of Dionysus (Bacchus), the god of wine. Worship of Dionysus involved drunken states in which the god was thought to enter the bodies of worshipers, inspiring prophecy and frenzied dancing and music. Such worship is dissipation.”
But I do think that a Christian’s consumption of alcohol must be different than that of the world’s or by worldly standards.
I remember attending a large university in the fall of 1988. I was a pledge in a fraternity. I treasure the friendships I made while there. But looking back, I remember that the alcohol flowed freely. It was nothing for underage college kids to drink several nights per week.
I also witnessed how alcohol and the treatment of young ladies went. More than once did I observe girls making poor decisions or being taken advantage of by male counterparts while under the influence of alcohol. Not too long ago, I read a statistic that 25% of all ladies suffer sexual assault on our college campuses. I wonder how much alcohol plays a part in such occurrences.
In student orientation, I recall the speaker saying: “Half of you will not be here for the second semester.” Again, I wonder how many had to drop out or decided to attend other schools because their partying got out of hand.
As Christians, we must be reminded of one of the golden fruits of the Spirit, as Paul presents them in Galatians 5. Self-control is a precious characteristic of personal practice in a world that often lives in excess. I recently reminded a young person attending a university to focus on their studies and, “…remember, you are not getting your degree in alcoholism.”
May God give us grace to live with more self-control, as well as teach temperance to a younger generation.
The alternative is to be filled with the Spirit. This filling is the habitation, the control and guidance of the third person of the Trinity. Paul goes on to define this in a number of activities.
Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs;
Singing and making melody with the heart to the Lord;
Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.
Submitting to one another out of fear of Christ;
It reminds us of the importance of music in the worship of God. Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn before they went to the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:30
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
What are the hymns that have touched you or ministered to you?