Devotion - Be prepared

Eph 5:15-20 - Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The last few days has again reminded me of how uncertain life is. A good lifestyle of keeping a healthy routine may seem to prolong life but its no grantee. life is unpredictable and something only the creator determines when our time is up. With this background its therefore necessary that we set our house in order and live in such a way that when its our time, we are ready. This passage outlines four key principles on how we live as people who are wise, people who are careful.

• Verse 16 - Redeem the time. Because life is uncertain, every opportunity counts. Procrastination is the thief of time. Whether its taking care of the needs of the family or doing something good to your spouse or doing something for God's kingdom, the right time is NOW. Tomorrow is too late. One important thing we need to realize that we need to keep ministry and family in a balance. Any alteration in the balance will result in being unwise and careless. That's exactly what Paul is trying to tell the Christians. Don't be careless with your life. Every "kiros" moment is a God appointed opportunity for a season and a reason. On my brother's death on 25 Feb 2012, CBN News Senior Reporter George Thomas, who knew Kumar personally, left no doubt that his friend had made an impact on numerous lives during his own earthly journey. He redeemed his time well.
  

• Verse 17 - Understand what the Lord’s will is. Because every opportunity is a God given and time is only a season, we really need to understand what is God's will and purpose for our lives. This is key to living a fruitful a and productive life for the Lord. It will be a disaster when having struggled to climb the ladder of our lives, only to find that our ladder has been leaning on the wrong building. A person who does not know what is God's specific purpose for his life is a careless person. A person who fails to seek God's purpose for his life is unwise, a fool.
  

• verse 18 - Be filled with the Spirit. If we want to live a life of transformation and power, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The actual rendering is "keep on being filled." Its a daily process. To be filled with the spirit is to be filled with God's word. There is a need to keep a balance with bearing the fruit of the spirit and manifesting the gifts of the spirit. Both are essential for a sound balanced christian life. Anything extreme upsets the spiritual equilibrium. We need both.
  

• Verse 19 - Encourage one another by psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. How we need to do this more in the body of Christ. Lift up the weak, say a word of encouragement to the those in despair, be of some help to the needy. Be sensitive to the needs of others, especially those who are hurting. Jesus said "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." If only the body of Christ will obey this commandment, the world would be converted in no time. Its so sad that Christians still harbor hatred and bitterness even after many years after the event.
  

Motivation for this devotion came from the message shared by Pst Rodney at Kumar's funeral