01 Jul What is the will of God for my life? – July 12

By Yosia Yusuf

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” – Ephesians 5:15-17

One of life’s biggest questions for Christians is, ‘what is the will of God for my life?’ For the young, it is mostly on the question of who to date. For the young adult, they ask this question in regards to jobs and career. For the adult, this question often comes in regards to their children’s future. Ultimately, the question comes down to ‘what decision should I make today in the light of tomorrow?’

Paul commanded the church in Ephesus to walk carefully not as unwise but as wise. The difference between wise and unwise is not in what they know. Two people who have been equipped with the same knowledge can react differently to the same problem. Wisdom is the ability to make the good and right choices with the knowledge one has. What differentiates a wise and an unwise is in the decision they make. A person with lots of knowledge does not equal to a person of wisdom. But you cannot be a person of wisdom unless you have knowledge.

The phrase ‘making the best use of’ in the Greek is ‘exagorazo,’ which can also mean ‘redeem’ or ‘purchase.’ Paul is trying to communicate the importance of consistently making the right decision based on what we know and the time that we have, because the days are evil. Every day we are tempted to do things contrary to the word of God. We live in an evil society where God’s standard is disregarded in many ways. Our job as a Christian is to redeem the time that we have by putting what we know into practice.

There are two applications that we can learn from these verses. First, knowledge in the word of God is crucial. The only way we can differentiate between what is right and wrong is if we know God’s standard in those situations. The only way we know God’s standard is to study His words. There is no shortcut in knowing the will of God. It requires us to put the time and effort to dig deep into His words. Seeking counsel from leaders in church is good but it cannot substitute the importance of a personal study of His words. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” – Proverbs 1:7a

The second application is to put what we know into practice. Too many times we are too concerned about the unknown will of God and ignore that of what we know. Paul called this foolishness. He is reminding the church to be wise by doing what they know to be the will of God today, and worry not about tomorrow. As we learn to constantly put our knowledge into practice and commit to God thoroughly today, He will guide us and help us make the right decision when the time of the unknown will of God comes. We will make mistakes along the way. But as we constantly try to put what we know into practice, we will slowly turn into a person of wisdom. “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” – Proverbs 16:3.