Looking Back, Moving Forward
As we stand on the threshold of a new year, it’s natural to look back and assess where we’ve been. But it’s also crucial to look ahead and ask ourselves: How will I live in the year to come?
The Apostle Paul had something important to say about this in Ephesians 5:15-17:
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.
The Question We All Need to Ask
Here’s what strikes me about this passage: Paul’s saying there’s nothing casual or accidental about living the Christian life. It takes purpose, commitment, and intentionality.
So let me ask you the same question I’m asking myself as we enter 2026: Are you living carefully, wisely, and intentionally in the area of your faith?
I’ve discovered something about myself over the years. When I “don’t have time” to spend in prayer or Scripture in the morning, I’m usually not “very careful” in how I live throughout the rest of the day. And when I’m not being careful in my walk with Christ, I’m a sitting duck for the devil. It becomes much easier, and more likely, for me to give in to the temptations in my life.
What “Careful” Really Means
The word “careful” in this passage means “accurate and exact.” It carries the idea of closely examining or investigating something. Paul’s talking about our walk with Jesus, the Christian life. He’s saying we need to closely examine how we’re living, where we struggle and why, and how to successfully navigate those areas.
If you’ve ever read Pilgrim’s Progress (my favorite book outside of the Bible), you know that most of the story focuses on Christian’s pursuit to live the Christian life after he comes to faith. Chapter after chapter reveals what happens when he’s not being “careful in how he lives.” We watch as he makes mistakes, takes wrong roads, listens to bad advice, and often ends up in gut-wrenching predicaments.
But we shouldn’t laugh at the poor guy, because his experience is ours. Through the smallness of our daily surrenders to sin and temptation, we also veer off the road and end up miles from where we should be.
Wisdom Is Skill for Living
Paul’s call to “be careful” by being wise and not foolish isn’t some intellectual exercise. The word “wisdom” in Scripture means “skill for living.” And Paul says that part of what it takes to get this skill is understanding what the Lord’s will is.
If you don’t know what pleases or displeases God, then it’s awfully hard to please God.
But here’s the thing: once we understand God’s will, we then have to do it. Romans 12:2 explains how we learn God’s will:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We have to renew our minds. And how do we do that? By regularly reading, studying, and meditating upon God’s Word, for starters.
Learning to Listen
So often in my prayer life, I want to do all the talking. But someone once asked a question that made me feel really foolish: “If you had a chance to eat dinner with the smartest person in the world, would you really want to be the one doing all the talking?”
And yet, that’s me. Doing all the talking when I pray. Not listening.
I believe a key to a transformed life and a renewed mind is listening to God. And we listen to God when we interact with his Word, whether it’s in private devotions, Sunday morning worship, or in a Bible study with a small group.
I’m able to pray and live much more effectively when I know what God’s will is, when I know what pleases him. Living wisely, the way Paul had in mind, takes place once we’ve considered what God has said about something and then acted on it.
Redeeming the Time
That phrase “making the most of every opportunity” literally means “redeeming the time.” As we step into 2026, this is our calling: to live with such care and intentionality that we squeeze every drop of Kingdom purpose out of the days God gives us.
This isn’t about frantic activity or packed schedules. It’s about living on purpose, for God’s purposes. It’s about understanding that we represent Christ and being careful to look like him in how we spend our days.
Where Are You Now?
So as 2025 ends and a new year begins, what are you regularly doing in your life to help you know what God’s will is? What areas of your life are you living wisely in? What areas need attention?
Who are some people you can enlist to help you live wisely for the Lord in 2026? Who is someone you can help to live wisely?
I encourage you to think about those questions and then ask the Lord to lead you into fellowship with some folks who’ll help encourage one another to live wisely and redeem the time in the year ahead.
Let’s not waste 2026. Let’s make the most of every opportunity God gives us.
Prayer
Gracious God, as we stand at the beginning of a new year, help us to live carefully and wisely. Forgive us for the times we’ve been careless in our walk with you, for the opportunities we’ve squandered, for the ways we’ve conformed to this world instead of being transformed by you. Renew our minds through your Word. Help us to understand your will and give us the courage and strength to do it. Lead us to brothers and sisters in Christ who will walk with us, encourage us, and hold us accountable. May we make the most of every day you give us in 2026, redeeming the time for your glory and the advancement of your Kingdom. In Christ we pray. Amen.
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