Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-20 NRSV)
It is easy to say you have wisdom… When there is black and white and one way to do things that is right and moral and one way that is wrong and is immoral… But is that really the case with our lives and our world?
For instance, is it wrong to drink alcohol? Some religious people say that it is, some denominations say that this is sin because the Bible says it is. Like the passage above says do not get drunk. So we should stay away from alcohol because it is evil. The above passage does not say do not drink alcohol. If we are going black and white it says wine, which maybe why some congregations do not use wine for Holy Communion even though that is what Christ Himself used… But that is a different study and shows the depth of how far this goes. The above passage does not say do not drink alcohol or wine, it says do not become drunk. For that is debauchery… which is an extreme indulgence in sensuality. But is that wrong when done with your spouse? (Read Song of Solomon….)
The above passage also says to not be foolish but “understand what the will of the Lord is.” If this was spelled out plainly most of us would not feel like fools most of the time probably. We search and struggle to find the will of the Lord. We pray daily, hourly, every quarter hour or even more frequently to God for Him to make His will clear to us. But we still struggle and seem to be the fool…
We are also to be wise and use our time productively because the days are evil and pull us away from Him. This means do not be lazy and keep trucking away trying to do the work God has set before you, not being a fool and following after something which is not the will of God and so not be sensual about it…
Is that clear? So now we know how to be wise… or do we? It is not clear cut and needs to be interpreted every time in every situation. We need to discern what God’s will is all the time and live in tune with Him so that His will flows through us. And even when we are fools, we will be fools for Christ!
aSacredRebel 