Ephesians 5.1-14 (4)
Pray Psalm 103.1-4.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies…
Sing Psalm 103.1-4.
(Old 100th: All Creatures That on Earth Do Dwell)
O my soul, bless the LORD’s great Name!
His many benefits proclaim:
He pardons sins and heals disease,
and from the pit grants us release.
Read Ephesians 5.1-14; meditate on verses 8-10.
Who are you?
Preparation
1. How does Paul speak about us?
2. To what can this lead?
Meditation
Did you catch that progression of verbs here? Were, are (understood, but there), walk, find out.
We were darkness, that is, unrepentant sinners and rebels against the Lord.
Now we are “light in the Lord.” Wherever we go, we bring the light of Jesus, the light of truth, the light of love.
So we walk like who we are. We all know the old saying, “If it walks like a duck, it’s a duck.” Well, if we “walk” like children of light, that must be who we are. If we love God, His Law and all His Word, and we understand these to be the Jesus Path that we want to walk as well, the fruit of the Spirit—goodness, righteousness, truth—will be evident in us because He brings out Jesus in us.
And this leads to finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. That is, knowing more of God’s will. God reveals His will to us as we are obedient to what we know. Obeying Him, we grow in Him, and He shows us more of His good and perfect will, by opening the Word more clearly and by the leading of His Spirit. The more we are who we are and walk like who we are, the more God will enable us to learn His good and perfect will for our every next step.
Be who you are! Let the Word of God daily speak to you of Jesus and His love for you. Let it shed light on your every next step, and don’t allow even a hint of darkness a foothold in your soul. Be, walk, find out. Because your “were” is no more, and the world needs your light.Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Now you are light in the Lord” to find out what is “acceptable to the Lord” (Eph.5. 8, 10).
“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the first born of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Gen. 4.3-7).
This story is self-explanatory. Some things never seem to change. Same song, second verse.
We have an opportunity to be light, to be obedient—to walk as children of the light, and we choose otherwise. But it does not have to be so.
We have been called to “find out” from God’s Word what is acceptable to Him.
Jesus says to us, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5.14, 16).
Paul said, “you are not in darkness…you are all sons of light and sons of the day.
We are not of the night nor of darkness” (1 Thess. 5.4, 5).
So what are the characteristics of those in and of the light?
We are busy bearing the fruit of the Spirit, having “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5.22, 23) as the hallmarks of our identity—exemplifying our every action, deed, and thought.
Because we are, in Christ Jesus, “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that [we] may proclaim the praises of Him Who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Pet. 2.9, 10).
Mercy and grace to help when sin is at the door.
Mercy and grace to choose light over darkness.
Mercy and grace to guide us daily into His Word to “fight the good fight” (1 Tim. 6.12);
finding out what is acceptable to the Lord and doing it.
As His lights in the darkness.
Reflection
1. Can you see any areas where you need to shine more brightly for Jesus?
2. What are the keys to keeping your light glowing, growing, and expanding?
3. Whom will you encourage today to let their light shine for Jesus?
Sinners, like men in the dark, are going they know not whither, and doing they know not what. But the grace of God wrought a mighty change in the souls of many. Walk as children of light, as having knowledge and holiness. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) Commentary on Ephesians 4.25-28
Pray Psalm 103.19-22.
Pray that God will make you a light of truth and grace to all the people in your Personal Mission Field. Pray for each person and opportunity you will have today. What will being God’s light require of you?
Sing Psalm 103.19-22.
(Old 100th: All Creatures That on Earth Do Dwell)
He rules upon His throne in heav’n;
His sovereign rule o’er all is giv’n.
You angels, bless the LORD, rejoice,
who live in strength to heed His voice.
All you who serve Him, bless the LORD,
all you who heed His righteous Word!
Let all throughout the cosmos whole
unite to praise Him, with my soul!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are looking at the place of God’s Law in the life of the Church. Our Read Moore podcast continues working through The Gospel of the Kingdom, looking for the true Gospel of the Lord. The Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
