Did you know that the Holy Spirit plays an intricate part not only in our salvation but also in our walk with the Lord? Paul mentions the Holy Spirit in all six chapters of his letter to the Ephesians. We are sealed by the Spirit unto the day of redemption (1:13). We have access to the Father by the Spirit (2:18). The Spirit reveals to us the mystery of the gospel (3:5). We have been unified by the Spirit (4:3). We can be filled by the Spirit (5:18), and we can pray in the Spirit (6:18). These are just some of the verses in this epistle that speak of the Holy Spirit.

There is no way we can walk with the Lord without the Holy Spirit working in our lives. That is why Paul challenged the Ephesians to be “filled with the Spirit” (5:18). The Greek word for filled speaks of an ongoing filling and not a once-and-for-all experience.

When we walk with the Lord, the Holy Spirit is continually working in our lives. In the same way, as we continually submit ourselves to the Spirit, He empowers us to do His will. The Holy Spirit is so involved in our walk with the Lord that when we are not being filled by Him, we are grieving Him. Paul cautions: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (4:30).

When we walk (or live) by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). In verses 19 and 20, Paul describes the outpouring of this “filling”—we will worship and sing, “giving thanks to God the Father for everything.” As Spirit-filled people, we will live in a way that glorifies God, in worship and fellowship with like- minded people.

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Doesn’t it seem like the older you get the faster time goes? When you are young, you want time to pass quickly, but the older you get the more you want it to slow down. I plan to celebrate my 54th birthday for the next ten years. Obviously, I am joking. It is impossible to control time, but the Bible does tell us how we can control our response to it.

Paul says, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise” (v. 15). The phrase “be very careful” means that, as followers of Jesus, we should pay close attention to how we live. Paul is warning the Ephesian church about potential danger, a warning that also occurred earlier in the chapter. In verse 14, Paul quotes from Isaiah 26:16, urging the believers in Ephesus: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.” Anyone who doesn’t listen to this warning is unwise!

The King James translates verse 16 as “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” In the Greek, we notice that Paul did not use the word chronos for time. Chronos is the ordinary term for time as humans measure it, in hours, minutes, and seconds. Instead, Paul uses the word kairos which refers to God’s appointed time. He reminds us that God is in control of every moment of our lives, and they will be fulfilled according to His will.

What, then, is our response? Paul speaks to the believers with a mindset of urgency. We are to use our time wisely by taking advantage of each God-given opportunity that occurs in our lives. This is how we make the most of time. These opportunities will soon pass because “the days are evil.” In other words, time is running out!

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It is amazing to see the moon shine brightly during the night. But we also know it is not the moon itself that generates light; it is reflecting the light from the sun. In the same way, as believers, we are called to reflect the light of the Lord in our dark world.

The apostle Paul uses the contrast between light and darkness to show a difference between believers and unbelievers. The believers in Ephesus were in danger of compromise due to their close relationship with those who were disobedient. Paul warns them: “God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them” (vv. 6–7).

We are not the source of our own light, it comes from the Lord. While in our unbelieving state we were identified by darkness, now we reflect God’s light. This should affect the way we walk and talk and live. Paul says that children of light should live in a manner that is markedly different from the world. He cautions that “there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people” (v. 3). The characteristics of God, “goodness, righteousness and truth” (v. 9), are the opposite of the characteristics of darkness. Paul strongly cautions in verse 11, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

Christ’s light shines through us so that those who are living in darkness will be illuminated. He urges in verse 14, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Jesus used this same imagery in Matthew 5:18 when He told His followers to “let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

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