Watch Your Step

Bible Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20

“Hi, Steven.”

Startled, Steven glanced up. Seeing his uncle, he quickly turned off his tablet.

“Oh, Uncle Todd! I—I didn’t hear you come in.”

Uncle Todd raised his brows. “So I noticed. I just stopped by to see if you’d like to go with me to the construction site of the new bank. I need to talk to the contractor.”

“Oh, cool!” Steven jumped up. “Let me get my coat.”

When they reached the construction site, Steven and his uncle put on hard hats. Shielding his eyes, Steven looked at construction workers walking high up on the tall steel frame. “Wow!” he said. “That looks scary!”

“Yes, it does,” said Uncle Todd. “You’ll never see a steel worker running, jumping, or turning cartwheels on the job.”

Steven laughed and blinked against the sun. “I guess not!”

“Those steel workers up there have to watch every step they take,” said Uncle Todd. “They remind me of a Bible verse that tells Christians how they should walk through life.”

“There’s a verse that tells us that?” Steven asked in surprise. “What does it say?”

“It says, ‘Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise.’ That means to carefully consider all the consequences of what you do.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” said Steven.

“Yes. It would be foolish for those workers up there not to walk carefully,” said Uncle Todd, “and it’s just as foolish for Christians not to live carefully. Since Jesus has freed us from sin and we are God’s children, we need to let that show in all we do and say—and what we look at online.”

Lowering his gaze, Steven was embarrassed to see that his uncle was watching him closely. “You saw what I was looking at on my tablet, didn’t you?” He sighed. “I can never hide anything from you.”

“From me, maybe you could, but never from God,” Uncle Todd reminded him. “Looking at stuff like that is not only wrong, it’s unwise, because once you start, it can be very difficult to stop.”

Steven looked up at the workers walking high above them. “I’ll walk more carefully from now on,” he told his uncle. • Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?

How are you doing in your Christian walk? Do you walk carefully? Or do you go along with whatever everyone else seems to be doing? Everything you do has consequences—good or bad. It shapes your life, and if you know Jesus as your Savior, your life should point to Him. Watch your steps. He’s given you wisdom so all you do and say can show others that you’re walking with Him.

Today’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 5:15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise. (CSB)

Today’s Key Thought:

Walk carefully and wisely