Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise people, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. And do not stay drunk with wine, which is wasteful, but stay filled continually with the Holy Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. Ephesians 5:15 – 20
It is an interesting contrast that the Holy Spirit gives us here in these few verses in Ephesians 5. It is actually almost a contradiction, but of course, a life in Christ is a contradiction to the world around us. Paul starts off in these verses telling us that we need to redeem the time because “the days are evil,” but then he says that if we stay continually filled with the Holy Spirit, our mouth will be full of hymns and songs and spiritual songs and our hearts will be making melodies to the Lord, as we perpetually give thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is such a powerful description of a Christian who is abiding in Christ, which of course, is what it means to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. In the midst of darkness surrounding us, life and life more abundant in Christ comes forth in gloriously joyful manifestation.
Paul tells us in light of the fact that the days are evil that we need to make the most of our time and walk wisely, understanding what the will of the Lord is. He then makes it very clear what the will of the Lord is and how to walk wisely and not waste time by telling us that we are to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. To spend one single day, or even one single moment, not being filled with the Holy Spirit is a foolish waste of time. Please understand that when I talk about being continually filled with the Holy Spirit that I’m not talking about some kind of charismatic hair standing up the back of your neck thing. I’m talking about the gloriously practical supernatural life that Jesus lives in us and through us by the indwelling Holy Spirit who keeps filling us as we trust Christ and his adequacy one step at a time.
By the way, I love that one of the overflows of the life that is being continually filled with the Holy Spirit is “giving thanks for all things in the name of Jesus.” Always remember that when we do something in the name of Jesus, we are doing it out of our union with him. In other words, as if it were Christ himself doing it through us because it is. So giving thanks from our oneness with him is to see, feel, and think about anything from Him. He sees, feels, and thinks about darkness and evil days as opportunities for God’s purposes to be advanced. Jesus is an Overcomer, and Overcomers get excited about things they get to overcome.