Study notes-(study card at bottom)

Anchor verse one

Ephesians 5:15

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.”
Ephesians 5:15 (NIV)

The phrase translated “be very careful” carries the sense of looking closely, watching accurately, or examining one’s steps.

Paul is not saying, “Live nervously.”

He is saying, “Pay attention to where your life is going.”

A wise person does not drift through life. She asks:

• Is this choice pleasing to God?
• Where will this path lead?
• Is this helping me become more like Christ?
• Am I spending my time on what truly matters?

The verse says, “how you live,” but the underlying biblical image is how you walk. In Scripture, “walking” often represents the whole direction and pattern of a person’s life.

Cross-reference

Proverbs 4:26
“Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.”

Wisdom is not merely knowing Bible facts. Wisdom is applying God’s truth to our actual steps.

You can know the right road and still fail to walk on it.

“Not as unwise but as wise”

Biblical wisdom is not simply intelligence. A person may be educated, clever, or successful and still live foolishly.

Wisdom begins with reverence for God.

Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

To fear the Lord means to recognize His holiness, authority, and greatness—and then order our lives accordingly.

A wise life says:

“God sees farther than I do. His way is better than mine.”

That is the heart of Ephesians 5:15.

Verse 16 — Redeeming the time

Ephesians 5:16 "...making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

Paul tells believers to make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.

The idea is not that every second must be productive in a worldly sense. Rest, quiet, worship, and time with family are not wasted.

Rather, Paul warns us not to waste our lives on things that have no eternal value.

The phrase “make the most of every opportunity” can carry the idea of buying up or redeeming the time.

Time is precious because:

• it cannot be recovered,
• opportunities do not always return,
• the world pulls us toward distraction,
• our earthly life is brief.

Psalm 90:12
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Notice the connection: numbering our days leads to wisdom.

A wise person understands that life is not endless and therefore asks, “Lord, how should I use today?”

Verse 17 — Understanding the Lord’s will

Ephesians 5:17 "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

God’s will is not always a hidden mystery that we must anxiously hunt for. Much of God’s will is already clearly revealed in Scripture.

For example, God’s will includes:

• holiness,
• love,
• forgiveness,
• truthfulness,
• gratitude,
• obedience,
• spiritual maturity.

1 Thessalonians 4:3
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

We often want God to reveal the next ten steps, while He is asking us to obey the step already in front of us.

Understanding God’s will begins with knowing God’s Word.

Verse 18 — Filled with the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18 "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit..."

Paul contrasts drunkenness with being filled by the Holy Spirit.

The contrast is about influence and control.

Alcohol can take control of a person’s behavior, judgment, speech, and reactions. Paul says believers should instead come under the holy influence of God’s Spirit.

To be filled with the Spirit means to continually yield ourselves to His direction.

It is not simply an emotional experience. It produces visible fruit.

Galatians 5:22–23
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

A Spirit-filled person is not necessarily the loudest person in the room.

She may be the one who:

• responds gently instead of harshly,
• forgives instead of retaliating,
• worships during hardship,
• controls her tongue,
• chooses gratitude over bitterness.

That is the Spirit’s power at work in ordinary life.

Verse 19 — Worship that overflows

Ephesians 5:19 "...speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord..."

Spirit-filled living produces worship.

This does not mean every Christian must be musically gifted. It means the heart becomes turned toward God.

Worship is not limited to a church service. It can happen:

• while praying in the morning,
• while reading Scripture,
• while doing housework,
• while driving,
• while enduring sorrow,
• while thanking God quietly.

The phrase “from your heart” matters.

God is not merely looking for sound. He is looking for sincerity.

John 4:23
“The true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth.”

Anchor verse two

Ephesians 5:20 “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This verse is both beautiful and challenging.

Paul says:

• always
• giving thanks
• to God the Father
• for everything
• through Jesus Christ

That does not mean we call evil good.

It does not mean we thank God that sin, grief, disease, cruelty, or loss exists.

It means that in every circumstance, we can still find reasons to thank God because His character has not changed.

We can thank Him:

• that He remains present,
• that He is still sovereign,
• that His mercy has not failed,
• that Christ has saved us,
• that suffering is not the end,
• that He can redeem what we cannot understand.

This is the difference between thanking God for evil itself and thanking God within a painful situation.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
“Give thanks in all circumstances.”

Paul himself lived this. He worshiped while imprisoned.

Acts 16:25
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.”

They were not praising the cruelty of imprisonment. They were praising the God who was still with them inside it.

That is mature gratitude.

The connection between verses 15 and 20

These two anchor verses belong together.

Ephesians 5:15 says:

Watch how you walk.

Ephesians 5:20 says:

Walk with gratitude.

Gratitude is not merely a pleasant emotion. It is part of wise living.

A thankful heart helps protect us from:

• resentment,
• entitlement,
• envy,
• spiritual forgetfulness,
• despair.

When we thank God, we are reminding our souls:

“God is still good. God is still here. God is still worthy.”

Gratitude does not deny the darkness. It refuses to let the darkness erase the goodness of God.

The progression of the passage

There is a beautiful movement through these verses:

1. Watch your walk

Ephesians 5:15

2. Use your time wisely

Ephesians 5:16

3. Seek God’s will

Ephesians 5:17

4. Yield to the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18

5. Let worship fill your heart

Ephesians 5:19

6. Give thanks continually

Ephesians 5:20

This is almost a portrait of daily discipleship.

A wise believer watches her steps, values her time, seeks God’s will, yields to the Spirit, worships sincerely, and remains thankful.

Heart application

A habit of thanking God when you wake up fits this passage beautifully. ❤️

Begin the day by orienting your heart toward Him before the world begins pulling your attention in every direction. Because it will. 

Ever since I was diagnosed - my personal daily habit has been that as soon as I wake up for the day, before even getting out of bed, to thank Him for another day. I've realized that I operate under a constant cloud of uncertainty. It makes every new morning hit very different. The term NED is a blessing and all, but it's not the same as cancer free. I've found a lot of peace in starting each day with Him. 

"Traditionally, Jews begin each day with Modeh Ani, a short, two-line prayer which opens by referring to God as the eternal and living king. The prayer speaks of sleeping as a minor type of death in which the soul leaves the body to spend the night with God. The prayer thanks God for returning the soul to the body, enabling the individual to live another day."                                                                                     ( https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/morning-blessings/ )

This is my go to every morning prayer. It's not pretty or eloquent. But I know God isn't looking for perfection. So it all works out. 

"Thank You, my living and enduring King, for mercifully restoring my soul within me, great is Your faithfulness."

A more eloquent example would be something like this that Jenny shared with me:

Father, help me walk carefully today—not fearfully, but wisely. Show me how to use the time You have given me. Help me understand Your will and obey what You have already shown me in Your Word. Fill me with Your Spirit so that my words, reactions, and choices reflect Jesus. Put worship in my heart and gratitude on my lips. Thank You for Your mercy, Your presence, and the salvation You have given me through Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.

One of my oldest friends and I when we discuss the passing of someone we knew together, we always ask "How?" Hoping that it was peacefully in their sleep. I believe the Jewish tradition holds water, with that said, it makes the thought of dying my earthly death with God in my sleep - the most ideal and prayed for departure when my time does come. 

I find a lot of comfort and peace in that. I pray that you do, too.