Every day we are faced with opportunities to do good and with opportunities to do evil. Paul instructs us to be focused on the Lord's will for our lives and to make the most of every opportunity to guide others to Him. We live in a dark and fallen world; our job is to be the light.
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord." (Ephesians 5:8-10) In yesterday's passage Paul warned us not to have close fellowship with those who claim to be believers but whose manner of living proves they are not. He doesn't want us to get pulled back into our old ways by hanging out with the wrong crowd, so he says today, "You used to live in that kind of darkness, but that's not who you are now. You are the children of the light. You can't live in the dark anymore. Study the words of the Lord and learn what pleases Him---and do it!"
In Paul's day prisons were often in underground dungeons or in the basement areas underneath the homes of government officials. It was dark and gloomy there. A person could eventually go mad if he were kept chained in the darkness long enough. Before we knew Christ we were like prisoners chained in the dark dungeon of sin. Now that we've been set free and brought out into the light, why would we ever willingly go back? What would a pardoned prisoner do? He'd run out the prison door the minute he was set free. He'd turn his face up to the warm sun and breathe in the fresh air. He'd vow to make the most of every day of the rest of his life. Nothing on earth could entice him to willingly go back into the dark dungeon and chain himself to the wall again, but this is what we are doing when we allow ourselves to become enslaved to sin again after we have been set free. Paul isn't promising us that if we try hard enough we will never make a mistake; he's telling us not to fall back into a sinful lifestyle. He's saying, "Don't you dare go back into that dungeon! Christ shed His blood to earn your pardon. He gave everything He had so you can walk in the light of day and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air of the new life you have in Him. Use this freedom to honor the One who set you free. Use this freedom to guide others out of the dark."
"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful to even mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible---and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: 'Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" (Ephesians 5:11-14) The light of Christ exposes the works of darkness. It shines into every corner of the human heart. Until He shined His light into our hearts we ourselves were darkness, as Paul has said, and now that we are in Christ we are called to be the light of the world. If we are like Him, then those around us are going to experience some light shining into their own hearts. They are not going to be able to help comparing their lifestyles with ours. They are going to notice the joy and peace we have now that we have been made right with our God. They are not going to be able to deny the change Christ has made in us. We can't force them to give their hearts to Christ, but we can certainly make this choice look very attractive to them.
Because we are called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14a), we are in a position to bring others into the light, so it matters how we live. Everything we do, everything we say, and every attitude we display is being watched by those who are not yet in Christ. "Be very careful, then, how you live---not as unwise but as wise. making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16) I love the way the KJV renders this verse, for it instructs us to "redeem the time". Now that we've been saved by Christ, we aren't just marking days off the calendar until we leave this life to be with Him. We should be actively working to build His kingdom, and that work consists of leading souls out of the dungeon of sin into the light of Christ. The word translated as "redeem" is the Greek "exagorazo" which means "to buy up, to ransom, to rescue from loss". Paul is telling us, "Use your remaining days on earth in meaningful ways that will have eternal significance. Your lives are not your own. You were bought with a price: the precious blood of Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) You don't belong to yourselves, but to Him. Your time doesn't belong to you, but to Him. Use your time to help others out of darkness. Use your time to rescue souls from loss. Be the light of Christ to others so they can see their way out of the dark prison of sin." This is the Lord's will for us, so Paul commands us not to live as if we don't know the Lord's will. "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." (Ephesians 5:17)
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul told his readers that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. (Galatians 5:23) Therefore he says to the Ephesians that no one who is in Christ should indulge in things that weaken self-control. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery." (Ephesians 5:18a) It's quite difficult to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the vine at the same time. Indulging in things that weaken our self-control will not help us to be a light to unbelievers.
"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 5:18b-20) Paul instructs us, "Don't sing the song of the drunkards! Be sober and sing songs of praise to the Lord!"
What is it about drinking that makes some people want to break into song? I've often said this must be the reason Karaoke parties in restaurants and bars are held after 10pm, because it takes that long for the attendees to become intoxicated enough to think they have talent. Paul wants us to think about how this type of behavior looks to those around us. Would we be offended if we walked into a restaurant and saw our pastor drunkenly singing into a microphone? Of course we would! But we sometimes fail to consider that people would be offended if they saw us engaging in the same behavior. As the old saying goes, we are the only Bible some people read. Unbelievers expect Christians to set an example for godly living. They may not be interested in being Christians themselves, but they expect to be able to examine our lives and find enough evidence to conclude that we are sincere about our faith. We are never going to be able to light their way out of darkness if they conclude we are hypocrites.
Today is a new day and opportunities are going to come our way to redeem the time we are spending here on earth. Paul's words challenge us to step up our game. We have kingdom work to do. Souls are at stake. Let's go out and be the light.
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