EPHESIANS 5:13-16 – “But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

THEME OF THE DAY: THE DAYS ARE EVIL.  Pause and let the following words of the Apostle Paul sink into our thinking.  He wrote to his young colleague and son in the faith, Timothy, providing a clear and serious description of what the world will be like before the coming of the Lord Jesus – “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).  Notice the emphasis on love, and not in good ways; “lovers of self, lovers of money, … not loving good” and “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”.  But there is more . . .

The Apostle Paul’s description of his current culture is a description of ours.  We live in a world of arrogance, abuse, disobedience to domestic authority, selfishness, godlessness, hatred, slander, given over to debauchery through unbridled lusts, violence and living in constant rebellion towards God.  A summary statement of the Apostle’s description is the five words ending today’s scripture – because the days are evil.

We live the Christian life on an intense battlefield and always to be on mission. Our mission? To be salt and light in a decaying culture needing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.  Do we live with this daily mindset? Are we seeing the world of evil with a sense of our responsibility to engage the evil with the liberating and conquering power of the Gospel?

The Christian life is to be an exciting life, and not just because we walk with the Lord. It is exciting to be in “the Lord’s army” commissioned to be in the battle for the souls of men, women, boys and girls.  And really, is there anything more rewarding than to be an instrument of the Gospel in the hands of Him who is the Gospel? The believers in Thessalonica knew this experience – “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:4-10).

How exciting would it have been to be a part of the revival in Thessalonica?  They saturated their culture with the Gospel and fulfilled their mission to the world.  And so must we!  Yes, the days are evil. Pray we must against it but then be the answer to our prayers by taking the only power to defeat evil into the world – the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus.  After all, it is our mission in these evil days.

PRAYER: Father, make me aware of the spiritual battle raging both in my life and my world.

REFLECTION: We live life on an intense battlefield not in a playground seeking ease and pleasure.