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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Ephesians 5:15-17
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Speak truth.
Avoid anger.
Don’t steal but rather work for a living and be charitable.
Be mindful of the words you let come out of your mouth.
Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit.
Get rid of bitterness, rage, brawling, slander, and malice.
Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving.
Follow God’s example and love as Jesus did.
Turn away from sexual immorality, impurity, and greed.
Watch out who you associate with, especially people who are disobedient and live in darkness.
As Christians, live as people of light and bear its fruit.
Through the first eleven messages in this series, these are the qualities found in someone who puts on a new self after placing their belief in Jesus as Savior.
Today, we look at the next to last exhortation from the Apostle Paul found in the fifth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians. Look again at his words here:
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. vv. 15-17
As we have seen, much is expected of a Christian once they become a new creation in Jesus. The challenge is that much more time has been spent living in a sinful world and change isn’t always easy, especially when it is so radical in nature. A new Christian faces many decisions that will force them to choose between doing what they did before Jesus or rejecting past behaviors. Those decisions may also involve behaving in ways they wouldn’t have before, maybe never.
So how can a new Christian believer make the right choices?
As we see in today’s verses, a lot of caution is required and part of that cautious approach is to not act on impulse but rather to seek wisdom so to avoid acting foolishly and violating God’s expectations for those who follow His Son.
Note here that I say seek wisdom because no person has the kind of wisdom within to be able to meet the God’s standards. They can’t rely on their own will because that will is inherently flawed and so they need to seek assistance from a source of wisdom that will always lead them the right way and that wisdom comes from the Lord through the Holy Spirit.
You’ll remember how Jesus promised His followers that God would send a Counselor to them who would lead and guide them as He did after He departed this earth. Indeed, after Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit descended on a group of believers in Jerusalem and He has descended on Jesus followers ever since, dispensing the very wisdom of the Lord on all Christians who would receive it.
Want to make sure your life is where it needs to be after coming to Christ and putting on a new self?
Commit yourself to seek the wisdom of the Lord via the Holy Spirit every day and carry out His will. It’s the only way any believer will be able to avoid falling into the trap of sin as they live through days that are becoming increasingly evil.
Tomorrow, we will finish this series by talking about the importance of worship and do so on the Lord’s holy day. I hope you’ll come back to catch the series finale.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com
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