2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
As I was looking over EPH 5: 6-20, some important words from Christ were brought to my mind. Let me share them with you. MT 6: 22-23 [also LK 11: 34-36], "The eyes are like a lamp for the body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eyes are no good, your body will be in darkness. So if the light in you is darkness, how terribly dark it will be! LK 11: 36 adds , "If you whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be bright all over, as when a lamp shines on you with its brightness." Today, I am led to continue discussing as much of the EPH 5 passage as space permits. If I don't finish, I will continue in tomorrow's message. One further passage which comes to mind before we return to the EPH 5 passage is MT 5: 14-16, more words from Christ regarding light. "You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead he puts it on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven."
To place this discussion in the context God means for it, we must remember that we are looking at how to use the blessings outlined in EPH 1-3 to live "in Christ" and to successfully wage the battle we are faced with in spiritual warfare. One of the biggest challenges that Paul had to face in working toward unity and edification in the early church was the onslaught of false teaching to which these Christians, young in the faith, were exposed. The Ephesian Christians were confronting long-standing practices of the occult and polytheism from without the church. And, there was always the danger of false teaching from people who misunderstood God's will and his teaching from within the church. The devil tried to reach these people where they were most vulnerable, just as he does with us today. EPH 5: 6-9, "Do not let anyone deceive you with foolish words; it is because of these very things that God's anger will come upon those who do not obey Him. So have nothing at all to do with such people. You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord's people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light." There are two levels of understanding that must not be missed here. One is the believer taking responsibility that he understands well what God is teaching, and that it is implemented in his life. That kind of discernment is accessed by means of the Holy Spirit by studying the word, prayer, and ethical behavior choices. The other level of understanding, equally important, is one's recognition of his part in carrying out God's will for his congregation, so that the congregation can be a lighted lamp for those who might one day come to faith. That also means that the congregation is joining God in His work. False teaching and giving in to the desires of the flesh are the adversary's weapons designed to interfere with God's will and work.
GA 5: 22-23, "But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these." I am led to cite these verses, to show God's consistency in presenting His will to us. Now, look at EPH 5: 9-11, "...For it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth. Try to learn what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the worthless things people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light." One of my favorite verses to cite is PS 119: 105, "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path." When we look at debacles like the recent demise of Enron Corp., we can see a practical example of what happens where darkness, the work and attitudes of Satan, are in control. Greed is surely not a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The act of destroying crucial accounting paperwork which would have served as a trail leading to the culpable parties for this largest of bankruptcies in America's history is ample evidence that the adversary leads his followers to carry out their dirty deeds in secret. That is because Satan fears the light. Naturally, I hope that the government agencies investigating this mess will get to the bottom of it, but if they don't we can take comfort that God will! God will bring justice.
The most important message we can take out of this so far, is that we must learn God's will and carry it out. RO 12: 2, "Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by the renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God-what is good and pleasing to Him and is perfect." Dear Ones, I encourage you to join me in memorizing this verse, so that we can use it every day of our lives.
PRAYER: O Lord, the Psalmist when composing a song about confidence in Your protection in PS 62: 1-2, expresses an attitude we should all have. "I wait patiently for "God to save me; I depend on Him alone. He alone protects and saves me; He is my Defender, and I shall never be defeated." When we think of situations like what happened at Enron, we should know that You allow such things to happen to teach us important truths that we too often forget. PS 73: 18-20, "You will put them in slippery places and make them fall to destruction! They are instantly destroyed; they go down to a horrible end. They are like a dream that goes away in the morning; when You rouse Yourself, O Lord, they disappear." The problem that being lost under the adversary's control brings is suffering for the innocent. We know this, but we also know that You are a just God Who won't let this go unchecked. You give us specific instructions for how to use Your blessings, as You did in EPH 5: 1-20, because You want us to know Your will when the enemy strikes. Since Christ and the Holy Spirit are Your very own second and third persons, the main message of PS 62: 1-2 is of great importance not only to Jews but also to Christians. We accept Your command to do whatever is necessary to know Your will and to follow it. We humbly confess any sins in our lives, so as to empty our spiritual vessels for Your Spirit to fill them. We yield control of our lives to the leadership of Your Son and willingly allow Him to lead us to victory in the spiritual warfare we must face. Your love, guidance, correction, teaching, and encouragement are precious to us. We thank and praise You for them. You have our loyalty, adoration, worship, diligence, trust, obedience, honor, and glory, which we offer at Your altar today and always. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen
Tomorrow, I am led to continue discussing EPH 5: 12-20 as we learn more about living in the light. In the meanwhile, take great comfort in knowing that our Lord loves us so much that He is rooting us on to victory against our mutual enemy. We must meditate today on how this impacts ethics in our society and our own personal decisions and actions in learning God's will and carrying it out. We do not go into battle unarmed and have no reason to fear defeat by the adversary if we will only stay grounded in the word and open to Christ's leadership of our lives. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn