Skip to main content

Living Wisely

Be careful then how you live,
not as unwise people but as wise,
making the most of the time,
because the days are evil.

A wise person once said to me, "On Sunday, you will find me in church someplace."

I also practice this discipline because I believe that emerging from Sunday worship is a strengthening of one’s spirit through the “Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” we sing to the Lord.

So, as I enter a church, I am eager for the strengthening of my spirit through the music as we sing to the Lord and encourage each other.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians encourages them (and us) to live a life filled with the Spirit giving thanks at “all times and for everything” in Christ’s name.

This is the beginning of wise living emerging from individual Christians and Christian communities.

My understanding of evil days is the tension created by violence, hatred, and discrimination resulting in a lack of hope for people experiencing these hostilities.

Wise living in the present age is applying our worship time lifting up the name of Jesus and celebrating all that God has done in Christ.

Wise living goes way beyond the door of the church.

Wise living, I believe, is using Jesus’ God-given, Spirit-empowered teachings in our life’s journey so that our Christian living reflects our actions in Jesus’ name.

Since I am confident in God’s faithfulness, I am looking forward to next Sunday’s worship, no matter what the format, simplicity or formality, I will be Spirit-powered to live my Christian discipleship in Jesus’ name.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...

Walking with God

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. (from Ps.103:1-8 ) Thomas Merton, American Trappist monk, writer and theologian, once asked himself a question he immediately answered:   How does an apple ripen? The apple, by simply being in the sun, fulfills its purpose of ripening, The apple doesn't try to ripen faster, it simply allows the sun to do its work.   There is nothing it can do to ripen itself. It can’t do workouts, tighten its muscles and then suddenly be a red, ripened, juicy apple in the morning. The apple just hangs on the branch in the sun, naturally ripening, where it receives its daily nourishment. This is the basic plan for how Christians ripen in their relationship to God. The difference is that Christians don’t naturally ripen in their relationship to God, we have to place themselves where we can be nourished. The beginning place of nourishment I find most helpful is the Guide to Prayer For All Who Walk With God. The daily walk in the...

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...