1 Therefore,
be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. 2 And walk in
love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and
fragrant offering to God. 3 But sexual immorality and any impurity or
greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for
saints. 4 And coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable,
but rather giving thanks. 5 For know and recognize this: no sexually
immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in
the kingdom of the Messiah and of God.
6 Let
no one deceive you with empty arguments, for because of these things God's
wrath is coming on the disobedient. 7 Therefore, do not become their
partners. 8 For you were once darkness, but now [you are] light in
the Lord. Walk as children of light- 9 for the fruit of the
light [results] in all goodness, righteousness, and
truth- 10 discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Don't
participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead, expose them. 12 For
it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in
secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made clear, 14 for
what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper,
and rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you.
15 Pay
careful attention, then, to how you walk-not as unwise people but as
wise- 16 making the most of the time, because the days are
evil. 17So don't be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will
is. 18 And don't get drunk with wine, which [leads to] reckless
actions, but be filled with the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in
psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music to the Lord in
your heart, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in
the fear of Christ. ~ Ephesians 5:1-12 (Holman Christian Standard)
The
book of Ephesians was written by Paul while he was in prison about 60-62 A.D.
Paul is writing to encourage the believers in Ephesus while they were under
persecution to walk as fruitful followers of Christ, to continue to serve in
unity and in love.
This
letter from Paul is still relevant some 1952+- years later. We are still called
to be imitators of Christ because we are beloved children of a loving Father.
We must live in love the same as Jesus lived His life in love to the point of
giving Himself for our sin, not His but our sin. We know the law, sexual
immorality and any impurity and greed of any kind ought not to be anywhere near
us, this is how we should be as saints of God. The same goes for foul language,
indecent joking, hate speech for anyone even our enemies are not just for
Christ followers, rather we need to be tendering our thanksgiving for all that
the Lord gives us. Remembering and knowing that no sexually immoral or impure
or greedy person, no one who is an idolater has any part in the kingdom of
Christ Jesus our Lord and of our Father Yahweh-Tsidkenu (The Lord Our
Righteousness).
As
then so it is today that we cannot allow anyone to deceive us with pointless
hypothesis it is because of these things that God’s penalty is coming on these
rebelliousness. Consequently do not become caught up in their madness, we were
once lost in their darkness but because of Christ diligently pursuing us we are
now God’s city on a hill, a light into the darkness. We know that the fruit of
the light Christ shines through us is the goodness, righteousness, and truth
that is Christ discerning what is pleasing to the Father. We are not to take
party to Satan and his lies to this world; we are to shine light upon it, to
reveal all that they do in secret. Verse 14, “Get up, sleeper, and rise up from
the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you.” These words are so powerful and
meaningful to a world living in dark. We must be the light to shine on the
darkness.
We
are chosen to be the light, to walk among a lost people as wise, making to most
of the time we have here to overcome the evil. We cannot expect a people caught
up in the distortion of truth to listen and see the light in us if we are
living as they are, getting drunk, being reckless. The Good News is that we
have authority from Christ to raise above all the darkness and be the living
light, walking together in love and sharing that love with a lost world. It is
not based on our abilities and our salvation is not based on our outcomes. Our
sins and defects have been discharged, freeing us of any debt, not to once
again go back into the darkness and become one of them again, but free to live
a life of Christ, free to be a lighthouse to a sea of dark and blinding stormy
seas. Free to call upon Yahweh-Rapha, the Lord Who Heals, to not only
strengthen us but to give us the ability to be His people, walking together in
love in a world lost, a world in turmoil, a world living in hatred. We my
brothers and sisters are the sheep that Yahweh-Rohi, Lord Our Shepherd has
chosen to be the ones to seek and find the one lost sheep.
Are we walking in love, seeking His counsel and
giving thanks to the Creator? Amen. <><
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