Today’s thought “Look carefully” (April 7)

Today’s thought

“Look carefully”

(April 7)

Do not we always “look carefully”?
We certainly do when we are crossing a road and there is traffic around!

The world around us is – more than ever – a highway of godlessness! How do we cope with this highway if we have to go along it or cross it for some purpose – indeed, for many of us this is a regular challenge! So let us

“not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

especially in the times we have to ‘travel’ on the highway of godlessness. Surely it is not impossible to set some we travel with at least some example?

We meditate on Paul’s counsel to

“walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time” (Colossians 4:5).

Our thoughts travelled along these lines as we read Ephesians 5 today. Paul warned them to

“take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness … it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret” (verses 11,12).

Verses 15,16 should be our motto for today (and all future days)

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil”.

We should indulge in intense heart searching as to how well we are following these inspired words of Paul – making sure they are inspiring us each day.

Many parts of God’s word are a powerful source of advice for heart felt ‘inspiration’ to “look carefully” at all the paths we are thinking of walking along – as well as the ones it appears to be necessary to walk along.

It is more vital than ever to possess

“the wisdom that comes down from above”.

Wisdom which

“is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere”.

This wisdom leads to

“a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17,18).

A final thought on

“making the best use of the time”

is to recall what we read three days ago in Galatians;

“those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (5:24);

and we show we have done this when we “look carefully” at the ‘direction’ we ‘walk’ and how we use our time every day.

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Preceding

Today’s thought “… in a spirit of gentleness” (April 4)

Next

Today’s thought “Let us not grow weary of doing good” (April 4) (publication 2021 April 04)