Walk Circumspectly: Measure Twice, Walk Once

If you got a bible, let’s turn to Ephesians 5. 

I used to build houses. And there's a rule you learn real quick: measure twice, cut once. Ever hear that one? 

Here’s the thing about building a house or building. A wall that's off by just a quarter inch at the bottom of the foundation... is off by a whole lot more by the time you reach the roof. Small error at the bottom. Big at the top. A little bit wrong, early... becomes a lot wrong, later. Nate knows this. He builds commercial buildings. So, the general rule is: “Measure twice, cut once.”

That's not just for building stuff. That rule can be applied to life (measure twice, WALK once). And this is something we learn from reading the Word. Ephesians is a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to believers just like you and me - a couple thousand years ago – showing us how to actually live out this new life we've got (as born again believers in Christ). And Paul, in the beginning part of Ephesians Chapter 5, he’s basically saying things like: we can imitate God like a kid imitates a parent... we walk in love the way Christ loved us... and we can leave the junk behind — the gossip, the greed, the garbage talk — because that's just not who we are anymore. We used to be in the dark, but now we are light, so we now get to… walk like it. And right after all that, the first 14 verses in chapter 5, he says in verse 15… Ephesians 5:15, he writes: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise."

Let’s take a closer look at this verse (Eph 5:15) and a few other verses. 

And we’re going to learn three things. 

1. What does “walking circumspectly" mean? 

2. What do we use to measure our walk? What’s our tool to measure. 

3. Why does walking in this way NOT feel like pressure, stead, it feels like power for living an abundant life.

Okay, so…

#1 What does it mean to walk circumspectly?

Ephesians 5:15: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise."

Let’s break down that word “circumspectly.” Circum means around. Like circumference. Spect means to look. Like a spectator. So circumspectly means to look around carefully, all the way around. Like a builder checking her work from every angle.

But the Greek version of that word is even better. I use blueletterbible.com to study. And the word circumspectly is akribōs… pronounced ak-ree-boce'. And akribōs means “exactly, accurately, precisely, diligently.”

That's a builder's word - ak-ree-boce'. It's measuring to the line. It's "level, plumb, and square." "Close enough" doesn’t cut it. It's about following a measured line exactly. Like when you get a circular saw and you cut some plywood sheathing along a measured line as best and as close and as straight as you can. You want to measure as accurately, correctly, and cut as close to the exact line as possible. 

So God isn't just saying "be careful out there." He's saying walk as good as you can, as accurately as you can. When you walk out in the world, put your foot down… right there… where it’s supposed to go. Build your ways, build your life, like you are carefully building a house. Measure twice... walk once. That’s what it means to walk circumspectly. Eph 5:15. 

#2 What do we use to measure our walk?

We use the Word. I can’t be accurate in building… without some type of measured standard. If I’m building something, I can't be accurate to… nothing. I need a line. I need a blueprint. A standard. 

So God doesn't leave us just guessing. He doesn’t just say in Ephesians 5:15, “Hey, Ben. Walk circumspectly, walk carefully. Bye!” God doesn’t leave us hanging.

Look at the next two verses in Ephesians 5. Verses 16-17: "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." And verse 17: "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

There it is. "Understanding what the will of the Lord is." That's what we measure by — that’s the tool we can use… the will of God... and the will of God is the Word of God (Romans 12:2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Ephesians 5:17, Psalm 119:105), and it’s all right here… in our hands.

Alicia and I were walking all over Italy... on an ancient pilgrim path called the Via Francigena. People have walked this way toward Rome for hundreds of years. And we walked a small part of it — from Tuscany, down into Rome — one step at a time.

Now here's the thing. I don't know any of these roads. The paths are unmarked. They are rough, through fields, through forests, along creeks, most are old and narrow, and they twist in every direction, and the signs... Well, they're not always in English. SO… we can’t just eyeball our way through Italy. If I just put my head down and guessed... I'd end up lost. 

So what do I do? I use a tool. I pull out Google Maps. And I follow it. Turn when it says turn. Straight when it says straight. When I’m in a place I've never been before... I walk like I know what I’m doing… because I’m using a standard, that’s the tool we use, something that guides me along the best path for me. I don’t lean into my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

That's akribōs. That's walking circumspectly.

And I have free will. And I miss turns... all the time. If I go the wrong way down a beautiful little Tuscan street… the map thingy never yells at me. It doesn’t make me feel bad - there’s no condemnation (Romans 8:1). It just says, as calm as anything... "recalculating." And from right where I'm standing, lost or not, it gives me the very next… right step.

For me, personally, that's what the Word does for me in my life. When I take a wrong turn, and man, I’ve taken some bad turns in my life — God provides the next path forward (Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:130, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 4:18, Psalm 37:23-24, Psalm 23:3, Isaiah 30:21, Romans 8:28, Romans 15:4, Romans 12:2, Philippians 3:13-14, Philippians 4:13, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 3:16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

Look at Eph 5:16. That phrase "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." That means… buying it up. Making the most of it. Redeem the time. This walk I'm on, this time I have, is a once-in-a-lifetime thing... and I want to get the most out of it… by staying on course… the best I can.

So when verse 16 says "the days are evil"... "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Don't let that scare you. It just means… there's stuff out there trying to send us down the wrong street. We learned this in the foundational class recently, and the intermediate class, right? Distractions. Confusion. Fear. Pressure. Doubt. Worry. Anxiety. Those are the adversary's… little detours. And our answer to all of it is? Walk carefully. Stay close to the line. Walk diligently. Use the Word as a Google Map guide tool. 

That same word — akribōs — gets translated "diligently" in other spots in the Word. And diligent just means careful and steady... doing the right thing because you care about getting it right. So we don't just start strong and then drift off somewhere... we stay on it. Steady. Careful… and steady. On purpose. All the way.

Now... I love wandering around town. Some of my favorite times in Florence right now is when I put the phone in my pocket and we just... walk around. Nothing's to do really. No plane to catch. No place we have to be. But… the moment I've actually got to be somewhere or do something… that's when I walk circumspectly. 

Okay, so far: 

1 - What does “walking circumspectly" mean? Got that. 

2 - What do we use to measure our walk? The Word. 

#3 Walking this way is wisdom, not pressure.

Go back to verse in Ephesians 5:15. It says "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise." Wise (sophos) means you have some skills to form the best plans and use the best tools you got. It’s like a master plumber who knows what she’s doing. 

A fool just runs around in the dark with his eyes shut... and hopes he gets to where he wants to go. No plans. No plans… is no good. 

I am building software right now. And we have a standard by which we build this software. This isn’t stressful. It’s freedom. We don’t stress over every little line of code. We don’t guess whether it is correct or not. We plan and build according to a standard, and that’s… peaceful. 

When you’re a son or daughter of God, you know who you are, what you have, and what you can do with it. That’s wisdom. That’s walking wise. That’s not pressure. That’s freedom. 

Summary: So what have we seen today?

1. "walk circumspectly" means... walk exact. Walk accurate.

2. We measure using the blueprint God gave us. God’s word is his will.

3. This isn't a burden. It's wisdom. It's how we redeem the time and get the most… out of this abundant life... staying on the line, away of the unwanted detours.

Measure twice... walk once.

One more thing. I want you to see who's been doing the building this whole time. Turn back a couple pages to Ephesians 2, verse 10:

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

His workmanship. That's you. You're not a rough draft. You're not a wall that's out of alignment. You are God's own masterpiece of art — he already measured you exactly, you’re built… on purpose, and put together by the best Builder there is. Not a quarter of an inch off. But perfectly, exact, and complete. 

And that verse, Eph 2:10, you’re his workmanship, comes right after Paul says we're saved by grace, not by works. So don't read in verse 10 the phrase "unto good works" and think this something you've got to earn. It's the opposite.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The verse says you’re “created in Christ Jesus” (you're already saved). Created “unto good works” (the good works are just the path God laid out ahead of time). The path “which God hath before ordained… [so] that we should walk in them” (and enjoy walking in them). 

He already mapped the route. And we’re already walking it. You already walking (like Alicia taught on Sunday), you already walk worthy, you walk in love, and you walk in light. So, now, this is you walking circumspectly (Ephesians 4:1, Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:8, Ephesians 5:15)

So I encourage you to pick one thing in your life that’s coming up. Maybe it’s a decision you have to make, or something you have to plan for. Then measure by asking, "What does the Word say about this situation?" And then put your foot down… right there.

Measure twice. Walk once.

God bless you. You're the best.