2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
Today, we continue our look at how to live with the blessings outlined in the first three chapters of Ephesians by examining EPH 5: 1-5, (the first part of) living in the light. Our Lord Who loves each of us profoundly knows we will have to battle (as EPH 6: 12 says) with "the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers or this dark age." He first equips us to do so successfully in Christ's name, and then, He inspires writers like Paul to give us specific directions on what to do with the blessings [EPH 1-3] and the full armor [EPH 6: 10-20] that He gives us.
EPH 5: 1-2, "Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like Him. Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave His life for us as a sweet smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God." How perfectly these words mesh with RO 12: 1-2, which God leads me to cite often! See how they stack up when compared to Christ's very own words in JN 13: 34-35, "And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are My disciples."
As I write, it is not my purpose to offer advice as if I were sinless-I'm far from it. So, I will use God's words through Paul as much as possible so as to not even suggest such a thing. EPH 5: 3-5, "Since you are God's people, it is not right that any matter of sexual immorality or indecency or greed should even be mentioned among you. Nor is it fitting for you to use language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar. Rather you should give thanks to God. You may be sure that on one who is immoral, indecent, or greedy (for greed is a form of idolatry) will ever receive a snare in the Kingdom of Christ and of God." A good friend of mine served on a committee for the regional governing body of another church denomination. Part of the job of that committee was to decide if pastors accused of sexual indiscretions should be allowed to go on serving God or be defrocked. She told me about some of the trouble this kind of behavior caused within congregations. Sometimes these pastors were accused when they weren't guilty of it, and that too caused much consternation and possible loss of one's reputation. I know from having counseled married couples dealing with this problem just how horrible the consequences to families can be of sexual immorality and/or bearing false witness. I can certainly understand the need for David's fervent prayer in PS 31: 3-4, "You are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as you have promised. Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me; shelter me from danger."
I, myself, struggle with one of the sins mentioned in this passage, that of swearing. I was raised in an inner city setting and have three older brothers. I can assure you that the "swear box" placed on the dinner table each night when I was a child was filled with nickels, dimes, and sometimes quarters, the physical evidence that all four of us struggled with my father's directive to "clean up our language." The quarters were for particularly brutal linguistic misconduct, and yes, some of them came out of my allowance. I'm not proud of that, or of my occasional slips nowadays when I'm particularly frustrated. So, I stand nailed by EPH 5: 4 and JAS 3: 10, "Words of thanksgiving and cursing pour out from the same mouth. My brothers, this should not happen!" In the "MasterLife" course on discipleship that I am taking, one of the four units deals with "The Disciple's Personality." This unit teaches us the importance of allowing our flesh to be crucified by Christ and opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit. When that happens, that is the personality of the "Spiritual Christian," the person who has emptied his vessel of sin and human agendas so the Spirit can take over control of his life. That is the person I want to be. How about you?
No discussion of this passage would be complete without discussing the damage to individual lives, congregations, and our society that greed does. The recent stores about Enron Corporation's horrific failure are one example. People who worked for that company have lost their entire retirement savings, and it's investors have been bled dry as this company failed. Documentation that is vital to revealing the exact cause and who is at fault for it has been destroyed. Accusations run rampant, and a few greedy people have walked away with millions. Christ's teaching on greed is exemplified in MK 12:17 where the issue of paying taxes comes up between Christ and His disciples. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." The same concept for us personally is reiterated in RO 13: 6-7. Greed in our individual lives or within congregations can only lead to trouble. If it is allowed to go unchecked, it leads to spiritual death, just as EPH 5: 5 makes clear. We must each examine our lives and make a "full court press" on identifying any sin in them, no matter how subtle or overt, and with God's help, work hard to expunge it.
PRAYER: O Lord, we stand before You today as sinners in need of Your help in our battle against the forces of evil in our own lives. Without You, we can't overcome them. With You, meaning Your presence, the direction You give, and the encouragement You offer, we can defeat this evil. We appeal to You in deepest gratitude for the hunger for Your word, access to it, and willingness to listen for Your commands that You have given us. Help us to have the discernment to recognize sin in our lives, even the most subtle of sins, and to have the courage to take whatever steps are necessary, no matter how painful, to get rid of it. If we will take the advice You send us through Paul in this EPH 5 passage, we will have traveled that hard road that leads to the narrow gate which opens the way to eternal life. In PS 77: 11-12, we are reminded of the enormity of Your omnipotence. "I will remember Your great deeds, Lord; I will recall the wonder You did in the past. I will think about all that You have done; I will meditate on all Your mighty acts." You and Your Son have the power to help us through this struggle. We plead to You to help us be better at trusting and obeying You, better at appreciating the unparalleled and loving sacrifice You made of Your Son on the cross, so that we could be fitted for victory in spiritual warfare and look forward to eternal joy, peace, and fellowship with You. We humbly pledge You our adoration, worship, trust, obedience, loyalty, diligence, honor, glory, praise, and thanks. In Christ's name, amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to continue discussing living in the light emphasizing EPH 5: 6-20. We are not alone in facing the challenges to our faith that come from the forces of evil. Sometimes these challenges reach us in our places of greatest vulnerability. Our loving Abba knows that and arms us to work through them. He loves us so much that He wants us to become strong where we are now weak. This moves our sanctification forward and perfects us so that we will be ready to respond to that last trumpet by meeting Christ in the air [1 THESS 4: 13-17]. God wants us to attend the wedding feast of the Lamb and to revel in life eternal united with all other believers. Those are the goals of the greatest Source of love we will ever have. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn