EMMDEV 2011-12-02 [Ephesians] Godly Living #4: Wisdom, the Spirit and Thanksgiving.

Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians5:15-20

In the final part of this section (5:1-20) on Godly Living, Paul gives three practical habits that will help us to live for God's glory.

Firstly, we must learn to be wise. The world around us is overwhelming and helter-skelter. It bombards us with information, choices and peer-pressure. We must learn to be wise and make the most of every opportunity. We need to learn to cultivate a cool head in the midst of all the hustle and bustle. This means clarifying our priorities, considering our options and being brave enough to say "No." It means we learn to ask "What does God want me to do?" at every opportunity.

Secondly, we must learn to be filled (the Greek is a present continuous tense - "keep on being filled") with the Spirit. Paul uses drunkenness as an analogy. When one is full of alcohol, it controls our words, perceptions and actions. To stay drunk one must keep drinking. To be full of the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit. To remain that way, we must keep sipping and to sip is to say "not my will but Yours..."

Thirdly, we must cultivate an attitude of gratitude. When we are counting our blessings and choosing to praise, we stand a much better chance of staying focussed on God and making the right choices. When we brag about what God has done in our conversations and in our songs we open the doors to be filled with His Spirit and to receive wisdom. An attitude of gratitude softens our hearts and transforms our actions.

So, to sum up: Chapter 5:1-20 is a powerful section about Godly Living. It is summed up in imitating Christ and living in love, but warns us about downward spirals, calls us to live in the light and gives us three habits to master: Wisdom, Spirit-following and Gratitude.
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Have a great weekend!
Pls pray for Emmanuel and Grace congregation as we host 130 HIV orphans at a Christmas Party tomorrow and record the Christmas Day Service for SAFM on Sunday Night.

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/