Ephesians 5:15 urges us to “be careful how [we] walk,” to be aware and alert. We should live like trained warriors, always being aware of our situations. I fear that too many Christians are not aware of our situations, and we have only ourselves to blame. Too many churches do not preach or teach the Bible, but instead, they teach the lie that the future of the world is bright, that we can live at peace with the world and its philosophies, and that everything will turn out right for everyone. The same verse teaches us to walk “not as unwise men but as wise,” the polar opposite of what too many Christians and churches do. After all, wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. If I reject God’s Word, then how can I claim to fear Him? If I do not fear Him, then wisdom is far from me.
Instead, we should live “making the most of [our] time…” So, how can we make the most of our time? Colossians 4:5 teaches that we should “Conduct [our]selves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity.” Based on the context of both verses, the Lord intends for us to make the most of our time by taking every opportunity to show Him and His gospel to the world, in every way. Everyone who comes into contact with us should come into contact with God.
Why is it so important that we make the most of our time? “[B]ecause the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). We live in evil days. Evil is exalted, and goodness, faithfulness, and truth are maligned. In evil days, we know that the deception is strong, sweeping souls away to Hell, so we should make the most of our time, taking every opportunity, that in hearing the gospel, they might believe and be saved. In evil days we also know that time is short. Since little time remains, we must make the most of what we have been given. If we are unwilling to make the most of our time, the logical question is, why not?