Devotional on Ephesians 4:17-32
“Living as Light”
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As shared
by Pastor-Evangelist, Rev. Don Schink, © 2005
Sonlight Ministries of New Mexico
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Sonlight
Ministries of New Mexico
17So I tell you this, and insist on it
in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility
of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and
separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to
the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they
have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of
impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20You,
however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of
him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You
were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self,
which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new
in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created
to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore
each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we
are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin"[d]: Do not let
the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the
devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer,
but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have
something to share with those in need.
29Do not
let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for
building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you
were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness,
rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ
God forgave you.
As new creations in Christ, we are
not to compromise by the world’s standards.
We are to insist on it!
We are to stand firm! Paul
did. He was writing this letter while
imprisoned for taking a stand for his faith.
He knew what it meant to pay the price for that which is true and
right. The Gentiles as spoken of here
represent those whose understanding is darkened regarding truth in spiritual
experience due to lack of acceptance of the gospel. They walk in darkness due to rejecting Jesus Christ, the Light of
the world, the true Source to bring the lost to salvation. As such, the lost harden their hearts to the
truth. As such, their consciences
become seared, losing sensitivity. So
they give themselves over to immorality, constantly walking in sinful desires
and actions with little or no regret for the damage caused, the hearts broken
and the downward spiritual spiral that they are traveling on.
I rescue shelties that are abused or
abandoned. I have an adorable
senior-age female named, Shelby. Shelby
has slowly been losing her hearing and eyesight. When we let her outside in the daylight, she can still walk
around the ˝ acre sheltie pen with little difficulty. But recently when I would let her out at night, I noticed that
she has started to walk into things.
The outside porch lights are not enough for her to see. So she has gotten to the point where if I
don’t take her out on a leash, she simply runs into objects.
When a person is spiritually blinded,
they run into situations that are sinful, immoral, and dishonest, having become
hard-hearted, insensitive and spiritually blinded. The cure is to repent, confess and forsake all known sin, turning
away from that lifestyle by the power of the Holy Spirit. As one comes out of darkness into the true
Light of Christ, all things become new. The shackles fall away.
There is a new revealed light of victory, a new freedom in Christ,
resulting in victorious Christian living.
Paul talked about putting off the old self, putting on the new
self. The old self must be abandoned as
it has become corrupted. It is no
longer good. The new self, created to
be more and more like God, is created in holiness and righteousness of heart
and lifestyle. The old is gone. All becomes new! Thus the Bible refers to this experience as being
“born-again!”
As such, we now find the power to put off the “old self.” We walk away from those things that we know
to be unwholesome, unrighteous, being renewed in the attitudes of our hearts
and our minds. We are to get rid of
anything that does not honor God and His precious Word. The Holy Spirit, in His sanctifying
fullness, enables us to do so.
As we pray today:
1.
What
clearly speaks to you from today’s Scripture?
2.
What do
you plan to do to improve your own walk in Christ?
3.
What ways
can you share these truths to enable and empower others for effective Christian
walk and witness?
Please note:
You are welcome to share this daily devotional in your local churches, but I suggest that you personalize it. You do not have permission to publicize it or to make money from it in any form. May God richly bless you as you minister for Him with rich spiritual rewards of seeing many souls saved and sanctified for all eternity! Please let me know whatever helpful results you may get from this!
With Warm Sincerity in Jesus’ Love,
Rev. Don Schink, Pastor-Evangelist
Sonlight Ministries
Tijeras, NM
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