Devotional: Do Not Be Foolish

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. (Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV)


I'm sure I have written on this verse before, but it bears repeating.  I constantly will plan my work but then fail to work my plan.  Scripture says to be wise and make the best use of the time. We are not to be foolish but we are to understand what the will of the Lord is.

Many look at the will of the Lord as something to find out.  For example, should I take this job or that job?  Should I move here or stay put?  What college should I go to? I think many Christians look at the will of the Lord as being some sort of black 8 ball that you shake and then turn over to see what the instruction will be.

God is not going to tell you where you should go to college, if you should move or take this job or that job.  He tells you in His Word what His will is for your life and if you can go to that college, move to that place or take that job and fulfill His will as laid out in scripture while doing those things, then you are in the center of His will.

So, we see part of God's revealed will in Scripture is to not be foolish with our use of time.  This is a challenge for me because there are so many distractions.  With the technology age, comes many distractions.  We get distracted by email, Internet games, social media, Internet surfing etc.  I can't count the number of times I have intended to just check my email...only going to take a few minutes and found myself an hour later wondering where my time disappeared to.

I got an iPod for Christmas.  It has been a doubled edged sword.  On the one hand I can waste huge amounts of time with it, reading email, playing games, surfing for applications, reading the news etc.  Yet, on the other hand it can be a great source of productivity for me.  I have my have applications for menu/grocery shopping planning, my appointment calendar, my reminder/to-do list, educational apps to help me in my home schooling, my blogging, health/exercise tracking, Bible reading, prayer & scripture memory, and many more.

My challenge is to not be foolish with this device, but to use it in a way that would bring glory to God in what I do and let it be a tool for wise use of my time.  That is a fine line to walk.

How are you doing with your time?  Are distractions getting the best of you?  Post the above verse where ever you will see it regularly.  It will help you to stay on track.  I have it in my errands/to do list, set up to pop up every day.