Devotionals

As followers of Christ, you and I should have a fear of the Lord, that means we choose to place Him in the highest position of honor within our lives and our hearts bow in reverence to Him. It makes sense to you and me because Christ is our wise Counselor, and we seek to be filled and guided by His Truth and wisdom. However, those who do not profess Christ often oppose much of what you and I stand for within Christ. Paul reminds us that we are to discard everything that is not of Christ, in fact we are to count it all as garbage:

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)

James goes on in today’s passage to give us specifics about what it means to live honorable lives led by the Spirit in Christ’s wisdom. He clearly points out how we are to avoid the world’s dark disorder and evil of every kind; and that we are to seek God’s wisdom to grow us in ways of being peacemakers.

Friends, I shared the challenge during yesterday’s time of worship at the end of service. I agreed with what Pastor Mary said during the sermon, that no one can take our salvation away from us, and that we have a choice to stand on the Rock of our Salvation, Jesus, each day and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with Christ’s righteousness, peace, and joy. Standing in this place of wanting more of what Jesus offers us is wisdom and it means we are in alignment with God as a part of His Kingdom of Heaven, and that we want to be peacemakers. It also means that we oppose the dark kingdom of this world that is ruled by Satan. You and I will not allow Satan to come anywhere near our most precious and pure treasure…our Salvation.

James 3:13-18 NLT
True Wisdom Comes from God

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your wisdom. Holy Spirit, please help to guide me with Christ’s wisdom. I choose to have more of His righteousness, peace, and joy operating in a through me, today. I am so grateful to be a resident of the Kingdom of Heaven. Help me, Lord, to remain focused on what you need me to do for Your Kingdom and please keep all of the darkness of this world away from me. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro: Leading into our passage, today, Stephen (a wise servant, miracle-worker, evangelist in the work of Christ) has been accused of dishonoring the temple of God. Disrespecting the temple was not his motive; Stephen was simply trying to explain that God is greater and more important than the temple. In fact, God inhabits hearts that are open to the truth and are willing to seek him by faith. According to Stephen, these teachers had made an idol of the temple rather than allowing the temple to show them something about God and what is required to enter his presence. They missed the obvious.

The temple was a visual tool to understand the holiness of God and how to have access to him. Everything in the temple pointed to Jesus Messiah and the salvation he would bring. The altar represented the need for a sin sacrifice to receive forgiveness—Jesus became the necessary blood sacrifice for us once and for all. The basin for washing represented the cleansing that Jesus would bring to our unrighteousness through the saving and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. The lampstand represented the Light of God’s presence that would lead us into the truth—Jesus the Living Word of God. The showbread reminded God’s people he wanted to be their Life and Provider—Jesus is the grace of God. The incense represented the repentant prayers of the righteous—those who would believe and trust in Jesus to enter God’s presence and receive mercy. The curtain that once separated the people from the holy of holies—the Ark of the Covenant—represented God’s desire for relationship, but sin could not enter; so through the covenant of Christ’s love that tore the curtain, believers can now boldly approach the throne of God.

So, in response to the religious leaders’ accusations, Stephen sets out for these temple warriors the many ways they had actually rebelled against God as they occupied the temple and blindly went about their traditions. They had made the temple an idol to be worshiped; therefore they missed and murdered their Messiah when he arrived. Because they did not want to hear the truth about their sinful errors, they eventually silenced Stephen. We serve a God that cannot be contained or controlled; so, may we submit our hearts and lives to the King of creation and live with his miraculous help each day. Have a blessed weekend.

Acts 7:46-51b NLT
46 “David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who actually built it. 48 However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,
49 
‘Heaven is my throne,    and the earth is my footstool.Could you build me a temple as good as that?’    asks the Lord.‘Could you build me such a resting place?
50 
    Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’
51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving your life blood for saving us, forgiving us, cleansing and sanctifying us, illuminating us, feeding us, listening to us, and abiding with us. Thank for giving us new life and guiding us to the right way to live. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Gratitude is a powerful attitude. It has the power to turn a negative spirit into a positive one. Gratitude can change a perspective and open hearts to seeing things in light of God’s truth and love. When our moods are low, expressing gratitude will be a lifter for our souls. There are many things for which we can be grateful; so, when we are able to give thanks for the continual blessings of God—for things we can see and even things we cannot see—we have chosen to focus on the goodness of God rather than ourselves. If you need more spiritual energy, then begin to praise the Lord and you will find new strength. God is not far away and he inhabits the praises of his people—his holy presence rests upon the hearts of those who honor him and proclaim his goodness (Ps 22:3).

In our passage today, David desires for the holy presence of God to rest on himself and the people as they make plans once again to take the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. Scripture tells us David failed to accomplish his mission the first time because he and the Levitical priests [leaders] did not seek the Lord’s counsel for “how” to move the Ark (2 Sam 6:7). However, from his previous failure, David now understands the importance of seeking the Lord and becoming familiar with God’s ways. David successfully relocates the Ark and appoints the Levitical priests the role of leading praise as part of worship (1 Chi 16:4). It is no wonder David is called a man after God’s heart (1 Sam 13:14).

This is a good lesson for us, today, as well, because this passage teaches us about our worship and the importance of coming with the right attitude—gratitude. So, like David, I encourage us to “continually” search for and seek the Lord. We are so incredibly blessed at Connect2Christ Church by our worship team and the songs of praise that fills our worship environment every Sunday. I am so grateful for our times to gather as worshipers. When all of us come together to express our sincere gratitude to God, it is a very powerful time in the Spirit. Be filed with gratitude and enjoy God’s blessings, today.

Psalm 105
1 
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
    Let the whole world know what he has done.
2 
Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
    Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
3 
Exult in his holy name;
    rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
4 
Search for the Lord and for his strength;
    continually seek him.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the goodness you pour upon our lives every day. We proclaim your greatness and we sing praises to your name. Like David, we press in and seek to become familiar with your ways in order to bring you glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: I have always appreciated great leaders and have enjoyed many times serving under their leadership, as well as serving along side them. John Maxwell, author, motivational speaker, and pastor, has taught on leadership for many years. His thoughts about leadership have always resonated with me. Here’s one of my favorite quotes: “True leadership requires serving others full time; potential leaders are ready and willing to do so” (John Maxwell; Maximum Impact).

Christian leaders have a huge responsibility to model and lead others into a deeper dependance upon God. This requires humility in serving: 1) submitting to Christ’s authority, 2) integrity by consistently adhering to Biblical principles, and 3) denying of personal will and yielding to God’s will. Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mat 16:24). If we proclaim Christ, we must all follow our Leader. The beauty of Christ’s Body—the Church—is found in the power of the followers as we each position ourselves under our genuinely holy Leader—King Jesus.

In this world, not everyone who says they are a leader is a godly one. Verbal confession is not enough; taking action, meeting needs, and modeling righteousness is the role of a leader. A leader is a servant of others and is willing to make sure everyone under his or her charge is empowered to do what God has created them to do. Therefore, humility is the other side of the leadership coin, because some ministry tasks the Lord places before a leader is a test to reveal what motivates him or her. If the motive is wrong, the focus will be corrupt, and everyone will wind up in the “proverbial ditch” (Mat 15:13-14). When the motive is love for God and neighbor, we can all get on that page and serve in ways that brings glory to God.

In our passage today, Jesus is the faithful servant who does the will of the Father despite what he must suffer. Jesus has just healed the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath and you would think the religious leaders would be filled with praise for the work of God in their midst. However, that is not the case. These self-proclaimed “leaders” are focused on dogmatic minutia instead of the wholeness of people and their restoration with the Lord God. Gentle, meek, and lowly is the Way…

Matthew 12:15-21 NLT Jesus, God’s Chosen Servant
15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, 16 but he warned them not to reveal who he was. 17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:
18 
“Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen.
    He is my Beloved, who pleases me.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
    and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 
He will not fight or shout
    or raise his voice in public.
20 
He will not crush the weakest reed
    or put out a flickering candle.
    Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.
21 
And his name will be the hope
    of all the world.”

Prayer: Lord, you have model for us the heart of a suffering Servant. You have been willing to lead us onto the narrow path of your Kingdom. Thank you for helping us understand that true leadership is marked by our willingness to be humble servants who obediently yield to Kingdom work knowing you will give the direction and power we need to fulfill it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: The Hebrew word for ‘grace’ is khen [pronounced w/throaty ‘k’hen] and is associated with undeserved favor, relief from distress, mercy, and honor. The word khen is exclusively used when someone with a higher status looks kindly and compassionately on the helpless [those with a lower status]. Because of Christ, we find grace in the eyes of Father God. The work of grace is to bring restoration—dignity, wholeness, and peace—to broken and hostile souls. Grace is God’s beauty, glory, and delight extending to His creation. God is gracious to those who cannot save themselves, so he gives the Gift of khen.

In the Talmud (Jewish teaching/theology), khen is associated with words like: recognition, repentance, tabernacling, and resting. The Gift of khen connects us to salvation, sanctification, and the blessing of God. We are saved by grace through faith when we believe in Christ (Ephesians 2:8). Therefore, saving grace connects and offers God’s favor to the underserving [repentant humanity] through belief in Christ as our Redeemer—the One who paid the penalty for our sin and marks us as forgiven and belonging to God. Sanctifying grace connects us in God’s favor so believers can humbly grow in the holiness of God’s character; in this way we align ourselves with the will of God. The blessings of khen is the favor we enjoy as we tabernacle with God and rest in Oneness to live for his purpose.

In our passage today, it is evident that God has been working khen in the hearts of Issac’s sons by blessing them both. At one time, Esau had threatened to kill his brother Jacob for deceiving their father and stealing his birthright blessing. But now Esau is able to see his brother through the eyes of saving khen and forgive him. God has worked in Jacob’s heart, as well, because he is humble [takes the posture of a servant bowing before royalty] and is able to see his brother through the eyes of sanctifying khen. Only God can make this kind of change in human attitudes and actions. God sees you through the eyes of grace and he is making a masterpiece of you because he loves and delights in you, too! (Ephesians 2:10).

Genesis 33:1-11 NLT Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and his two servant wives. 2 He put the servant wives and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him. 4 Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

5 Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, “Who are these people with you?”
“These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob replied. 6 Then the servant wives came forward with their children and bowed before him. 7 Next came Leah with her children, and they bowed before him. Finally, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed before him.

8 “And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?” Esau asked.
Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship.”

9 “My brother, I have plenty,” Esau answered. “Keep what you have for yourself.”
10 But Jacob insisted, “No, if I have found favor [khen] with you, please accept this gift from me. And what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God! 11 Please take this gift I have brought you, for God has been very gracious to me. I have more than enough.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau finally accepted the gift.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for extending to believers your saving and sanctifying grace; for blessing our lives with your amazing presence, transforming love, and holy character. We do not always see the work of your grace while it is happening within us, but thank you that all things hidden are eventually manifest outwardly. You are our blessed Hope. May we continue to learn and follow your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

During yesterday’s sermon Pastor Mary mentioned that she trembles with fear each time she allows the Holy Spirit to move through her to deliver God’s Word. This doesn’t mean that Pastor Mary is afraid of the Lord, it means that she serves the Lord with reverent fear, and that she rejoices with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)

Friends, there will always be people (the weeds as Pastor Mary described in great detail yesterday) who will feel uncomfortable with the sovereignty of God. These people wish to rule their own lives and so they attempt to hide their sinful deeds, thoughts, and hearts from God within the darkness of this world. The Word of God reveals that there is no hiding from God, it is impossible for believers and unbelievers alike because God is all-knowing or omniscient. God has the perfect knowledge of all things, He does not have to learn anything, because He is the Creator of everything. He is also present everywhere at the same time, or omnipresent; and He has unlimited power or is omnipotent.

As believers, we should be filled with the highest level of confident hope that we serve a God Who is all knowing, Who is everywhere and in everything, and Who has infinite power. This Truth is revealed in today’s passage. Our God knows exactly what we need and what we do not need within our lives because He knew us before we were born. Think about it, God, the Creator of everything, knitted each one of us together before we physically entered this world. I don’t know about you, but today’s passage gives me great hope and allows me to see that I need to cry out for more of God’s power to manifest within my life because He clearly has it for me. God laid out every moment before I was born, and so I need to keep aligning my heart with that very special plan that He has for me and to keep moving forward with Him. Friends, He has a very special plan for each one of you, so cry out to Him today for more of His power and for His guidance.

Psalm 139:13-18 (NLT)

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!

18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for including me in Your creation. Please forgive me, Lord, when I try to make plans apart from the great plan that You have for me. Holy Spirit, please continue to guide my steps, and quicken my spirit to know when I am straying from God’s plan. Lord, please cover me with Your grace, fill me with Your power, and guide me by Your wisdom. Help me to see what You need me to see, to hear what You need me to hear, and may my heart be moved by only what You need it to be moved by. Protect me from the evil one, as I live out my days for You, Jesus. I ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro: I’m a veggie and fruit eater. I love salads filled with all kinds of goodies (no cheese, please) and delicious fresh fruit is like dessert for me because I really do not crave refined sugar sweets. Scripture teaches us a lot about fruit, but just like when we go grocery shopping, not all fruit is good to eat. Sometimes fruit looks really good on the outside, but is rotten on the inside. Let’s remember there was righteous seed-bearing fruit, as well as good-looking unrighteous fruit in the Garden of Eden.

Today, as Christ’s followers, we are to hunger for God’s goodness and produce the righteous fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Producing the fruit of God’s love— is a commandment in the life of Christ’s followers (John 13:34). Love for God leads us to obey his commands (1 John 5:3). Authentic love for our neighbor leads us to push aside our selfishness to come along side others and share the gospel of peace that is available with God through Christ (Mat 22:35). Fruit production is about character and actions and we lead others to God with the good fruit of the Spirit of Truth. Actions speak louder than words.

In the Old Testament, prophets brought messages to the king and the people. The king was responsible for seeing to it that God’s will was done among the people. So God provided prophets to help guide the people. Some prophets—called anointed prophets—genuinely shared a message from God for the king, so he could lead the people toward righteousness. This was not always a popular message, because it shined a light on the people’s sin and many times these prophets were killed in order to silence them. Some other prophets—called false prophets—were deceptive; they came saying they had a message from God, but in reality they arrived to share a message that everyone wanted to hear and would make the prophet popular. Their message never addressed sin in the light of the truth.

In our passage today, Jesus is concluding his Sermon on the Mount where he has been guiding people in recognizing righteous actions that please God, as well as warning them about unrighteousness that is being taught by false prophets. Therefore, Jesus wants the people to know how to tell the difference in their teachers. Jesus instructs his people to continue to move forward in the truth—walking the narrow way into God’s presence and Kingdom living (Mat 7:13). Live the truth, today!

Matthew 7:15-20 NLT The Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving us a hunger for spiritual fruit. Please continue to help us produce the fruit of righteous living. May our actions identify the fruit of the Spirit living within us. Fill us with your love, today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: You never know what you’ve got till it’s gone is an idiom that always resonates value within me. I hold onto it, because it reminds me to live each day enjoying my relationship with God, the reality and power of the truth, the blessings I have been given in my loved ones, my calling and work, the people around me, and my freedom; all imparted to me because of the love of Jesus. In this selfish and self-aggrandizing world, it is all too easy to become spiritually distracted from the truth and take these blessings for granted until they are no longer available.

The work of sin is to distract and divide humanity from the truth of God’s love. In the beginning, when Eve saw the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge—the fruit God said was off limits—it outwardly appeared extremely desirable to the senses and distracted her from the truth. Yet, inwardly that fruit, when eaten, quickly divided the heart and brought both physical and spiritual death.

In our passage today, David asks God to deliver him from evil, as well as heal and reconnect his divided heart. David wants help being loyal to God; he knows he cannot live in a way that honors and glorifies him without divine intervention. He needs a Savior. He needs the Lord.

So, our faithful and loving Lord created a way for humanity to regain what the enemy robbed in the garden. For this reason, salvation in Christ begins in the heart of human beings. There is grace for today; tomorrow is not promised. While there is time, please tell others about the need for Christ. Like David, may we crave an undivided heart. Love is the Way…

Psalm 86:11-13 VOICE
11
O Eternal One, guide me along Your path
    so that I will live in Your truth.
Unite my divided heart so that I will fear Your great name.
12 
O Lord, my God! I praise You with all that I am.
    I will rightly honor Your great name forever.
13 
For Your loyal love for me is so great it is beyond comparison.
    You have rescued my soul from the depths of the grave.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for guiding our understanding of the Truth. Continue to teach us to walk in wisdom, by staying connected to Christ. Holy Spirit, grow the fruit of love within us, so we can live as victorious sons and daughters. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: The other day I was trying to describe something complex in structure and layout to my husband, but I was struggling to find the right words; so, I quickly grab a piece of paper and drew a picture. There is an old adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” It simply means a picture can bring together complex or perhaps multiple ideas and convey them with a single image. Truthfully, the picture I drew as I spoke was a lot more effective than just my words.

The Old Testament is filled with words and images which form pictures that convey truth about God—the Creator of heaven and earth. The New Testament Gospels contain many lessons that explain truth by drawing visual word pictures. For example, Jesus told parables that brought together complex spiritual things and ideas so his listeners could understand the mystery of God who brings blessings, as well as judgment. Jesus wants people to know the love of God for humanity, as well as the anger of God against the sin living within. Human beings were created to bear the glory of God not the sin of the world.

In our passage today, Jesus is focused on getting clarity to his disciples—those who have committed themselves to his message and way to be in right standing with Father God [Gospel of Grace]. Jesus has spent a great deal of time speaking with the crowds and dealing with the Pharisees, but now he is specifically focusing on those who are listening to him and taking his Word into their hearts. When humanity seeks God’s will, spiritual understanding is released.

Jesus knows the hearts of those who are sincerely seeking him to bring righteous salvation from sin; their hearts return to God (which means a reversal in direction and living). Therefore, Jesus allows the disciples to receive the spiritual truth and understanding from his illustrations and parables. The parable of the four soils found in Matthew 13:1-9 speaks of sown seed in soil and reveals a separation of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [filled with living water] from those who are simply full of themselves [dry as dirt] (Mat 5:6). “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:6-7). Thank you, Jesus!

Matthew 13:10-17 NLT
10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets [mystery] of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.    They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,
‘When you hear what I say,    you will not understand.When you see what I do,    you will not comprehend.
15 
For the hearts of these people are hardened,    and their ears cannot hear,and they have closed their eyes—    so their eyes cannot see,and their ears cannot hear,    and their hearts cannot understand,and they cannot turn to me    and let me heal them.’

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

Prayer: Lord, with all our knowledge of your Word, please give us understanding. As we seek you, we know you will provide the Truth for our hearts. Thank you for abundant life and our freedom in the Spirit. In Jesus’ name Amen.

Intro: The biblical definition of confuse is: to mix or blend things so that they cannot be distinguished. Therefore, confusion is associated with a lack of clarity, misunderstanding of the truth, and a state of disorder. According to Scripture, God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Cor 14:33). So, confusion is the work of evil; it is sent by the enemy to divide, separate, and destroy the Truth. Because of sin, the world is confused about God and his authority to set the standard for his human creation.

Even though the world is confused by sin, believers can live in the clarity of the Truth. The Holy Spirit lives in believers and convicts us of sin—gives us a new way to think—so we do not make a practice of what we know is unrighteous. True, we all sin, but because of the light of Christ and his Word, we know what grieves God and we quickly repent and seek to live separated from those things the enemy uses to bring confusion. Remember, obedience to God thwarts the work of evil.

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul asks the believers in Ephesus to stop sinning: any thought, word, or action that does not conform to God’s will. Now, you might think no believer would be all right with lying, stealing, or acting out their rage or lust; however, Paul has to correct the believers because they are, in fact, acting just like unbelievers.

This can happen when we grieve the Holy Spirit by not honoring his conviction in our hearts. When we choose to grieve the Spirit, we open a spiritual door and confusion enters to harden our hearts and darken our minds. Things that were once clear are now distorted. So, Paul releases the following challenge to the early believers as a warning: Get rid of your evil behavior…and imitate God in everything you do (Eph 4:31, 5:1). Such a great reminder for us, as well.

Ephesians 4:17-5:2 NLT Living as Children of Light
17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles [unbelievers] do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 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. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 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.
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,[put his seal/mark on you] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Living in the Light
5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Prayer: Lord, please help us to listen and obey the convicting work of the Spirit. We want the Holy Spirit to guide us, so we do not fall into a state of confusion over things you make clear in your Word. We want our lives to glorify you as we choose to live in the truth. So, please help us live in the Light. In Jesus’ name. Amen.