Therefore be careful how you walk (live), not as unwise men but as wise…

      Ephesians 5:15

How would you say that you are living your life…wise or unwise? Paul reminds us that we should be living lives considered wise in the eyes of God. So what does a “wise” life look like? Consider the words of Jesus:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 

        Matthew 7:24-25

Jesus uses the illustration of a builder. The wise man builds his house on the rock. And when the rains, floods, and wind come, the house withstands and remains solid. So what does the illustration point to as the characteristic of a wise builder? It’s person who hears the words of Jesus and puts them into practice. To “act on the Word” is to build your life upon it. It means that our lifestyles emulate the truth of God’s Word. So in order to live our lives in a way that can be considered “wise,” we should be putting into practice the things that we read in the Word of God and make Christ Himself, the very center of our lives. Contrast that with the foolish builder:

Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

  Matthew 7:26-27

Exact same scenario yet this builder hears the Word of God and does not act on them or put them into practice. So from Jesus’ illustration, we can arrive at the truth that, in order to be considered “wise,” we should be hearing the Word of God and building our lives on the truth. James also reinforces this:

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

          James 1:21-22

Eliminating all filthiness and wickedness from our lives is a wise thing to do. And pursuing the Word of God with humility is another. We should be proving ourselves doers of the Word and not just hearers, for these people deceive themselves. 

In addition to all of this, the essence of living wisely comes from the root of our lives…what’s in our heart and soul. The focus of our lives, how we speak, act, behave, as well as our general lifestyle, should all be centered around the Person of Jesus Christ and the reality that, as Christians, we should be pursuing the eternal and not just the temporal. When we make earthly things our focus, making money, partying, having a good time, and living the “good life,” we are shortsighted at best and missing the mark of a redeemed, saved life at worst. Paul reminds us of how easy it is for some people to fall away from the faith because they have gotten caught up in the pursuit of the temporal:

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:9-10

What happens to those who want to get rich? They “fall into temptation and a snare.” And what comes with this insatiable desire for the temporal? It brings with it, “many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.” We see this playing out in the lives of people all throughout our society. But we would be pretty arrogant if we thought that this could only happen to others. To live wisely, we must guard our hearts against the enticement of material wealth. Paul goes on to remind us that “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” It’s not the beginning of the downfall of a person but it provides an excellent springboard for such activity. With money comes a change in thought, in desire, in priority. Along with the impact that it can have on our hearts, it most likely brings with it a change of scenery and the people with who we know associate. And, tragically, “some by longing for it have wandered away form the faith.” Perhaps that’s the worst of the outcomes, a falling away from Christ and the gospel. That’s effectively trading the eternal for the temporal…exchanging abundant, eternal life for something we will surrender to others as we depart from this life. A pursuit of the temporal most likely brings with it self-inflicted sorrow. Paul says, these people have “pierced themselves with many griefs.” It doesn’t have to be this way. We can choose to follow Christ and experience a life far superior to anything that the world has to offer.

Finally, notice what will happen in the final days before the return of Christ…and I think we are already living in these days:

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

    2 Timothy 3:1-5

Lovers of self, lovers of money, haters of good, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…this is the description of many in our culture today, not to mention the rest of the characteristics Paul lists for us. And here is a real important observation: they are “holding to a form of godliness (religion), although they have denied its power.”  Many of these, who run headlong into temporal pursuits, will hold onto religion, sometimes a religious view that soothes their consciences while they continue to engage in everything that is contrary to the Word of God. Not all of these people will be angry, atheistic types, shaking their fists at heaven. No, some of them will appear to have devout, religious beliefs but their lifestyles will quickly give them away as to what it is they serve and to what their hearts are truly dedicated. Paul says, “Avoid such men as these.” 

Wise or unwise? We would do well to make sure that we are in right relationship to God through faith in Jesus Christ and that our lifestyles are consistent with what a Christian life is to be. 

And He (Jesus) was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself (or his own soul)? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” 

      Luke 9:23-26