Ephesians 5-A “As Beloved Children”

S = 5:1-2, 8b-9, 15 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God…Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord… Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise…”

 

O = We are to be imitators of God as loving children are imitators of their parents. The heart of imitation here is that of “following” (not that of a cheap copy) which actually works very well with the idea of “walking” after God’s example in Christ. Walking is a common biblical metaphor for the way we live, for our lifestyle and some modern translations translate the Greek word peripateo that way. So what attributes of God comes to the forefront for us to imitate? What is the way we should live as a result?

• Love—we are to walk in love (v.2)! We are becoming who we are. Because we are beloved by God we love. We begin to show a family resemblance…so we walk the way God walks (giving). Verses 3-8 speak of false-love paths (taking) to avoid for Jesus doesn’t walk that way.
• Light—we are to walk in light (v. 8-9)! Our life is about being authentic and visible not skulking in the darkness of a false identity. What those who walk in the light desire to discern the will of God because they desire to please him. Why? Because he loves us! Our lives will expose the unfruitful darkness around us not by our criticism and contempt but by our being “good, right, and true” (v.10).
• Wisdom—we are to walk in wisdom/carefully (v.15)! We are not to be foolish in what we do (false working) but to understand the will of the Lord because Jesus did. We are not to be drunk (false filling) but be filled with the Holy Spirit because Jesus was.

A = Do I try to imitate/follow God first of all in love or in holiness? Love has the power to draw me into a life of holiness, but self-righteousness will not draw me into love. I can avoid the paths/habits of people, but it can be motivated by pride, and selfishness rather than love. I know my walking in love is a grateful response to his giving himself for me when I had nothing to give to him. My love for God is also confirmed by my obedience to his commands and by how I show love to others. This week I will be intentional about walking in love, light, and wisdom… not to gain God’s approval, but because he already calls me his beloved.

P = O Lord, help me to be more warm and approachable to others and show me how to keep love (informed by holiness) at the forefront of my lifestyle. Help me to live-into my true identity as your beloved child not filling my life with what numbs and kills but with your Spirit that brings life and joy and peace! Amen.

2 Chronicles 29:1-3, 17-18 “Spring Cleaning”

S = “Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old… And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them…“They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils.”

O = Hezekiah was fairly young when he became king—how many 25 year olds could be trusted to make wise and godly decisions? Yet Hezekiah did…and he started by removing the obstacles to wholehearted worship of the One True God. He didn’t need the first 100 days of his administration to make a plan about what to propose. The very first day of the first month he did what was in his power to do. In our culture many wait can’t wait until they are 16 so that they can drive, 18 to vote, 21 to drink, and 25 to rent a car. Hezekiah became king and right away challenged the priest and Levites to clean out the filth and false gods that were literally clogging the temple courts. It took eight days for the large group of workers just to reach the front porch of the temple (v.17) and another eight days to clean out the temple itself. It had become an unholy hoarder’s house rather than a place of true worship. After 16 days they finished the work and began to repent and covenant with the Lord with a massive sin offering. It seems that they recognized that it wasn’t just the sins of their fathers that was the problem, but their own sin as well. They had to first consecrate themselves, then the house of the Lord, and the people.

A = How often do we think about our complicity in “the sins of the fathers?” Our western philosophy is individualistic in the extreme and doesn’t fit with a biblical world-view that tends to see us all as connected. What can we do about the sins of the past? We can confess and stop doing them, consecrate ourselves and together start the dirty work of clearing out the filth—from our hearts, from our families, from our churches, from our society. Is there some way in which we have devalued the worship of the Lord? Does our heart and life look like a hoarder’s house—unable to repent of and renounce the socially acceptable yet clogging sins of laziness, gluttony, self-indulgence, love of money, dishonesty, etc.? What could we clean out this week as the Holy Spirit leads and empowers?

P = O Lord, I confess my sin and the sins of my fathers even in this land of plenty. We have not followed you with an undivided heart. We have not treated all people justly, we have not been thankful for your care as we should have been. O Lord, forgive us!   May we never allow our hearts to grow cold and our relationship with you our Savior to fall into disuse (like the temple in Ahaz’ day). May we be as available and committed to you and as privileged to be a part of the sudden change you want to bring into our midst, as Hezekiah was. O Lord, please empower us by your Holy Spirit even today! Amen.