Friday, January 7, 2022
With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the
Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their
minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because
they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They
have no sense of shame. They live for
lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about
Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned
the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your
former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead,
let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on
your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our
neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And
“don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while
you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work,
and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use
foul or abusive language. Let everything
you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to
those who hear them. And do
not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing
that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger,
harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead,
be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God
through Christ has forgiven you. Imitate
God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Ephesians 4:17 – 5:1
Yesterday’s devotion was of “Epiphany” the dawning of the light, coming
of the Day Star, Jesus, born to set us free, to become Epiphany’s children of
the light.
Apostle Paul does have a lengthy list here, of what it means to shed
the darkness and live in the light. The
list includes an entire change of actions to go with the metamorphosis of mind
and spirit. It’s something like the
children’s song: If you’re happy
and you know it, clap your hands, stamp your feet, say ‘amen’, do all three! There’s an echo from the sarcastic among
us: If your heart is happy, tell
your face about it.
Well, sarcasm can be funny, but never when it hits close to home. The whole point of matching the actions of
our lives with the change Christ brings to our hearts, is exiting a life of
darkness into God’s marvelous light. (1
Peter 2:9) That is
no small thing – darkness is easy, because you can do anything you want, and you
can blissfully ignore the consequences. When
life falls apart, you just go on to the next thing you want to do and let
everyone else bear the mess you left behind.
Living in the light, however, means agape’ love, doing the right thing
for your neighbors, family, friends, and even your enemies. That’s a more demanding way to live, but
whoever said following Christ down the Via Dolorosa with a cross on your back
would be easy? If you can think of
anyone who said that, make sure you notify the local psyche-ward of their
whereabouts; they need supervision!
For You Today
If
you’re reading this, or watching on YouTube, go back to the beginning and
re-read Paul’s shopping list of light replacing the darkness. Read it slowly, looking in the mirror. Is that what Epiphany’s child looks like?
[1] Title and Other Images: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
For other posts on this text
see Catch and The Fullness of Time
