Pr Joshua Yong

Ephesians 5:15-16 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

As 2025 comes to a close and a new year dawns, it is good for all born-again believers to pause and reflect upon how we have spent this year. Every year that passes draws us closer to the soon return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This must cause us to consider carefully how we have been walking our Christian walk. Have we been walking wisely or foolishly?

In Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to be very deliberate in our walk, especially as we live in these evil days. The Apostle Paul described the Christian life as a “walk”. This walk begins on the day of our salvation. It includes our day-to-day conduct, habits, and our entire way of life.

1)   Walking Accurately (v.15a)

In Ephesians 5:15, the Apostle Paul first exhorts, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.”

To walk “circumspectly” means to walk accurately. This means believers must walkwith “careful attention”. We must walk attentively and accurately based on  an established standard. That standard is God’s Word. By our careful walking, we ensure that our life does not deviate from the standard of God’s Word. We cannot simply drift through our lives without any sense of direction. In navigation, even a slight deviation of one degree from our intended path will put us very far off course the further we go. For example, if we veer off course by one degree at the beginning of our journey, by the time we travel 60km, we would have gone off course by 1km.

The world will constantly attempt to pull us towards itself. The influence of the world is often subtle and not noticeable. It can come in the form of entertainment that entices us, the busyness that distracts us, or any subtle temptation that may not seem evident at first. This is why we cannot be careless in our walk, but we must walk deliberately and precisely.

Have you been careful in your Christian walk? Are you walking accurately and attentively to the will of God that is revealed in His Word?

We are not left to ourselves to figure out how we can walk accurately. God’s Word is that standard that defines the direction, the boundary, and the manner in which we are to walk. To walk accurately is to walk according to what God’s Word tells us to do. To walk circumspectly, we must make sure that we know God’s Word.

2)   Walking Wisely (v.15b)

Ephesians 5:15b exhorts us to walk circumspectly, “not as fools, but as wise.”

To walk “as wise” is to walk in the fear of the Lord. Wisdom is the application of knowledge, but the only way a person can acquire true wisdom is with the fear of the Lord. Fools, on the other hand, do not fear the Lord. They walk according to what is right in their own eyes, making daily choices and decisions out of their own selfish pride and personal desires rather than in submission to God. When fools do not have the fear of the Lord, they will have a distorted fear. These fools will fear the future and the uncertainties of life, becoming anxious over circumstances beyond their control, or they may live with an irrational fear of missing out. When fools reject the fear of the Lord,  dreadful fear governs them.  To walk in wisdom, therefore, is to walk in the fear of the Lord. This means that we do not want to offend or displease God in all we do. The fool who does not fear God lives in foolishness, because he knows but does not care that one day he will have to stand before God and face the holy and just wrath of God. When a believer fears the Lord, his life will be marked by submission and obedience. He walks in surrender to the will of God. 

To walk wisely is to have discernment. In a world of falsehood and deception, it is of utmost importance to recognise the dangers and to discern between what is pleasing and displeasing to the Lord. This includes choosing what is best, not just what is good, for our spiritual growth. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. It is not merely knowing the truth of God’s Word, but more crucially, it is knowing how to apply God’s Word in the ordinary decisions we make daily. To walking wisely is to live out God’s Word in our lives. As we step into the new year, will you be more deliberate in walking wisely?

3)   Walking Urgently (v.16)

Ephesians 5:16 exhorts us: “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

To redeem the time is to gain an advantage or opportunity. It is to “make the most of” our time. Time is very valuable yet fleeting. Once time has gone, we cannot buy it back. When we choose to use our time in one way, we are giving up the opportunity to use it in another. But until that time is spent we can choose how we use our time. Every day we are given time to spend. Will we use the time to grow in Christ and to live for Him? Or are we going to use our time in the pursuit of our own worldly ambitions and lusts?

We must redeem our time for the right things. To redeem the time does not mean we simply fill our days with activities; it means we live them for the things of God. We shoulduse our time to seek God and His will through the study of His Word, and serve Him. 

We must have a sense of urgency about how we use our time because “the days are evil.” The days are evil because we live in a sinful and depraved world. This is a world that is opposed to Christ. These are days of moral insensitivity and ungodliness. These are days of spiritual blindness and of sin. Because the days are evil, it would be foolish to waste away our time to pursue what is temporary and fleeting, while neglecting what is eternal. These days are evil because the world will try to influence us so that we might become ineffective in our service to the Lord. If we do not redeem the time and start living our days deliberately, we will not only waste it, but we will be impacted negatively by these evil days.

We cannot redeem the time that has already passed, but we are called to redeem the time that is ahead of us. How much time have you wasted this year? As next year dawns, will you choose to walk accurately, wisely and deliberately? May we purpose to walk wisely and faithfully in the coming year, for the Lord’s glory.