Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Christmas - January 4


Psalm 85, 87, 89:1-29

Joshua 3:14 – 4:7

Ephesians 5:1-20

John 9:1-12, 35-38

The recent passages from Ephesians have among the most practical verses I know in the Bible about practical Christian living. Today’s excerpt does not change that streak. It mentions several sins specifically, probably because they were issues with which the church was dealing, but it by no means is meant to be a comprehensive list as some would have it be. There can be no comprehensive list of sins, for as long as man has an imagination, man will be able to come up with previously unimagined sins.

The author implores the people to live a Godly life, not continue in the ways they had before being introduced to Christ. The writer begins this selection with the direction in verse one and two to be imitators of God and to love as Christ loved us. When we do such things, then those sins of old no longer are part of our lives. They have been replaced by new ways. The author continues with warnings that there will be deceivers and people who will come forward with “empty words.”

Let us genuinely become imitators of God with a love that equals that of Christ. Such behaviors not only transform our own lives, but the lives of all we encounter until we have changed our world into the world God would have. God does not expect more from us than we are able to do; living as he would have us will is entirely within our achievement by his grace.

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