January 4: Ephesians 5 1-17

Key Verse: Ephesians 5 15
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,

Devotion:
Have you taken a step back from life recently to have a look and see what is going on? I wonder if you have seen the same thing as me – a world which is becoming more and more filled with hatred. Not a hatred that boils up on the outside so much as a hatred which seems to be buried within, seething, bubbling and every now and again showing its head.

If we follow God's will in our lives, He will lead us to the places where He needs us to be; He will lead us to the places where we can do our best for Him. Like Jonah, we may not like what we have in store, but when we take a step back and look see, we will see the perfect will of our Lord, we will see the sense in everything He is trying to get us to do in our lives.

It is so easy to let go and fall in line with the rest of the world, but we have to remain strong, remain with our heads above the water, remain with the knowledge it is God's strength which will allow us to keep ahead of things in life.

In order to show we are wise, we have to listen to the truth and know it is the truth. We have to listen to the lies and know they are false. We have to be able to discern good from evil. Our only hope of doing that is with the Wisdom which lies within us – not our own wisdom but that of the Holy Spirit.

One thing we must be doing in our lives is taking the time to look at what is happening around us so we can listen to the Holy Spirit to find out the wise things to do in our lives. The last thing we need to be is fools, because 'fools rush in'!

Points to Ponder:
Have you ever jumped at something only to realise it is not quite what you expected?

Will you take a second to listen to the Holy Spirit this year?