Be Careful How You Live

[Christsfreeservant]

Video Talk

Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”​

As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be people who do look carefully at how we live our lives. Our lives should be dedicated to following Jesus Christ in obedience and in living morally pure and upright and godly lives. And we should not be living according to our flesh to fulfill fleshly desires. So, this is something we have to consciously work at each day, in the power of God’s Spirit living within us. We can’t be casual about our Christian lives.

So, how do we do this? We must be consciously aware of all that we do each day, of the things we think about, of the things we say, and of the things we take into our eyes and ears and minds. And we must measure these against the teachings of the Scriptures and against the character of God and what we know of what the Scriptures teach about how we are to live as followers of Jesus. And then we must conform to the standards of the Scriptures.

In other words, we should not be worldly people and we should not be people who are just wasting our lives away on the pleasures that this sinful world has to offer. But we are to be godly people, people of integrity and uprightness who consider our steps and who follow in the ways of the Lord. And so we need to guard our eyes and ears and minds against feeding on the things of the flesh and of this sinful world.

Now this is not saying that everything we do has to be religious. But everything we do must be in accord with godliness and holiness and not in accord with the sinful pleasures of this world. And so we need to be discerning about the things we take into our eyes and ears and minds, because what we entertain with our eyes and ears, and in our minds, will be what comes out in our actions and in our words and in our attitudes, too.

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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