Ephesians 5:15-21
A Wise Use of Time
15Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
16redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,
20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Berean Standard Bible
Paul tells believers to pay careful attention to how they walk—not as unwise people but as wise. Wisdom here is not cleverness or the ability to win an argument. It is the ability to recognize what kind of moment we are in and to live faithfully inside it.
The days are evil, so believers should redeem the time. Paul is not telling them to become frantic or to treat every minute as a productivity contest. He is urging them not to surrender their time to habits and pressures that make them less awake to God and less available to love.
Instead of being foolish, they should understand what the Lord's will is. Instead of getting drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, they should be filled with the Spirit. The contrast is about what directs a person's speech, decisions, and relationships.
Spirit-filled life becomes audible and shared. Believers speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, sing and make music to the Lord in their hearts, give thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of Jesus, and submit to one another in reverence for Christ.
The passage does not picture spirituality as private intensity. It produces gratitude, worship, mutual care, and a willingness to yield our preferences for the good of others.
Questions
1 How are believers told to walk?
AnswerThey are told to walk carefully and wisely, paying attention to how they live rather than drifting through the days.
2 What does Paul say about the time in which believers live?
AnswerHe says the days are evil and tells believers to make the most of their time by living with purpose before God.
3 What does Paul contrast with drunkenness?
AnswerHe contrasts drunkenness with being filled by the Spirit. The Spirit, rather than intoxication, should direct the community's life.
4 What marks the Spirit-filled community?
AnswerIt is marked by worship, gratitude, and submission to one another in reverence for Christ. Its spiritual life moves toward shared good.
What This Means for Us
Making the most of time is not the same as filling every empty space. Sometimes wisdom means turning off the noise long enough to notice God, a hurting person, or a decision we have been avoiding.
Paul also gives us a test for spiritual maturity: are we becoming more grateful, more worshipful, and more willing to consider others? Strong religious feeling that makes us controlling or contemptuous has missed the direction of this passage.
Prayer
Lord, give us wisdom for the time in which we live. Fill us with Your Spirit, make our words grateful and encouraging, and teach us to serve one another with reverence for Christ. Amen.