Ephesians 5: 6-21
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Therefore do not be partakers with them;
How many college professors are teaching subjects they have no experience in, only theory? How many teachers are promoting ideas that have never been proven to work in real life? These are empty words. They sound nice, but they have no substance. They are deceptive, and the world falls into these lies.
We are not to even listen to them, for we are vulnerable to their deceptions and susceptible to their offers. Don't fall into it. Check them out.
for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light
(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Because we used to live in the darkness of the world, we can be comfortable in the ways we're familiar with; but now we're not to live like the world any more. All the concepts and ideas that used to inform us must be re-evaluated to see if they are good and right and according to the truth of Scripture.
We need to re-learn how to "do life" as God's children, taken out of the darkness and brought into the light. Open our eyes to see the reality before us. Use the things of the world for the glory of God, rather than just our own profit.
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;
for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.
Don't fall for their "great offers" to get into these questionable activities that they say are so profitable. If you're attracted to it, consider what they say in light of righteousness, and investigate who these people are. And call them out if they're promoting deceptive or corrupt ideas. But don't gossip about them.
But all things become visible when they are exposed to the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
When you shine the light on them, consider what you see, and look for what is there. Then you will be able to judge whether it is righteous or not.
For this reason it says,
Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (Isaiah 60: 1).
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
Wake up from all the worldly projects and endeavors and programs that you used to participate in, and go forth into a new path, learn new ways, and join or start new programs. Carefully consider this new path, that you are obeying all the requirements of loving one another, and doing nothing that would harm or detract from them.
making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
He says that the days are evil. The world around us is evil, and every day we live in it we are exposed to that evil. So we need to pay attention to use the limited time we have each day to not waste it, but to use every moment in the wisdom of the Lord.
So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
We are to be able to discern what God would want us to do in every situation, not making foolish decisions, or refraining from making a decision, which is also foolish.
And do not get drunk on wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
We are not to be controlled by worldly substances that alter our sensibilities, but we are to be controlled by God's Holy Spirit who lives in us, and think and live as He directs us.
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
always giving thanks for all things in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
When we do this, we will find that we have a song in our heart, some tune playing in our head, usually something we heard recently. Do you listen to Christian radio? This is a good way to put positive music into your head, and on your mind. This makes a good reminder to be thankful to God for all the blessings He showers on us every day.
and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
And this will also move us toward serving one another, as Christ came to serve us, walking in His steps; loving our neighbor as Christ has loved us.
O my Father, You have loved us so much, and it is your love that runs the Universe You made. And it is Your love that energizes all life. Life itself is spiritual, even normal human life is spirit, and when our spirit of life leaves, our bodies are dead. And Your Spirit in us gives us Your own eternal life.
So we need to cooperate with how You designed this Earth for us to build our world upon it, for You made it to run on love, too. And Your Spirit is the oil that helps it to run smoothly. When we let Your Spirit control our thoughts and attitudes and words and actions, then we will love You back, and we will love those You love, Your children, and all You have created.
When we get caught up in the world's ways, we do damage to ourselves, one another, and this very Earth You made for us. The worlds ways lie to us, to make us believe that selfishness is how to get ahead, or that we are humanly able to change what You have determined. But these worldly ideas are not Your thoughts for us, and lead us away from Your best for us all.
As Your children, Father, teach us how to learn Your ways, how to listen to Your Spirit when He whispers into our spirit, saying, "This is the way, walk here." Show us how Your ways are so much better than anything the world can dream up, and how Your ways work when the world's ways fail.
Don't let us fall back into the world's ideas, where we used to be. Keep us walking each step on Your narrow path that leads to Light.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 5: 1-5
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
"I want to be just like you, Dad!" should be our quest.
and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
The way to be like our Father is to love. God is Love, and Christ Jesus loved us so much that He gave up His life as our Sacrifice. His offering to the Father is a fragrant aroma, just as the offering of our prayers also rise like fragrant incense smoke (Revelation 8: 3-4).
But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;
and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
We should not even joke about what is not moral or pure or honest. Don't mention any of these at all. Don't pollute your conversation. Keep your communications totally above-board, sharing the blessings with thanksgiving.
For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.
If someone lives a lifestyle that is not moral or pure, and desires to possess what other people own, this is an indication that they do not have God's Spirit living in them to strengthen them to do right. So they would have nothing in God's Kingdom if they're not going there.
O my Father, You are so good! Please help all of your children to think Your thoughts, and as Your Son's hands and feet, help us go into the world to show them Your love in us for one another.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, Lord God Almighty, sovereign King of the Universe; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever, Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 4: 25-32
As we put on the new man, as we read yesterday, this is how our behavior will change:
Therefore, laying aside falsehood,
Speak truth each one of you with his neighbor (Zechariah 8: 16),
for we are members of one another.
We are not to be deceitful with one another, any more than you would lie to your own hand! We are all body-parts in the body of Christ. Honest truthfulness is how we will live together now.
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
and do not give the devil an opportunity.
When our rough edges rub on one another, this can cause disagreements. And we still may offend one another. But if we get angry with one another, then we are to resolve whatever issues have caused the anger, so that we can have peace together.
Otherwise, if we let it fester, then that opens the door of vulnerability and the devil will take advantage of us. This is serious. Let's talk out our differences as adults, without getting personal.
He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
Here's another weakness some of us have, even as Christians. We are to respect one another, not eyeing their belongings or taking advantage of them. We are to use our talents and abilities to provide something of value that others are willing to pay for, even if it's getting a job working for a paycheck. We need to be responsible for pulling our share of the load, and taking care of our own needs, as much as possible.
Then when we're honestly receiving our own income, then we can manage our finances in such a way as to be able to also share with others who do not have the ability to meet all of their own needs, or when someone has a special need.
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
This concerns our talk. We need to be aware of the words we are using. My late husband became a Christian as an adult, and he had formed a bad habit of using bad language. When he was saved, this was the first indication to me that his salvation was real. But even though he learned to use other adjectives and adverbs instead of swear words, it seemed that when he was angry, or was just not paying attention to what he was saying, those coarse words still snuck out.
He wasn't alone in this snare. Many of us may not use those particular coarse words, but we may still be thinking unkind thoughts about someone else, and some derogatory language may slip out of our lips. Even if we're just "thinking out loud." So we all need to pay attention to how we see one another, and choose our words well, before we open our mouths. And we need to find something positive to say, that will encourage one another, to build up their confidence in the Lord. This will give grace to those who hear.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the Day of Redemption.
We cannot chase Him away, but all these things will grieve God's Spirit in us. We certainly don't want Him to be sorry for saving us, so we would do well to remember He is right here with us, listening to everything we say, hearing our thoughts, and reading our hearts.
This verse reinforces the permanence of our position in God's family. He has sealed us up, and no created thing can break Almighty God's hold on us. We are His, and we will remain His, all the way to that Day of Redemption, the Day of the Lord, when King Jesus returns to rule this Earth as our sovereign Lord over all lords and King over all kings.
That's when our Redemption is complete, when our mortal bodies are swallowed up by our spirit bodies, and the Father declares that we are His adult children and gives us the authority under the Son to assist Him in His government.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Let's look at these words: bitterness is pikria, "acidity, poison."
Wrath is thumos, "passion (as if breathing hard), fierceness, indignation."
Anger is orge, "violent passion, vengeance." This is a word that conveys even stronger emotion.
Clamor is krauge, "an outcry (in notification, tumult or grief)," crying out loudly, making a scene.
And slander (evil speaking in the KJV) is blasphemia, "vilification, railing, blasphemy."
We need to be laying aside all these negative attitudes toward our brothers and sisters in Christ, along with all malice, kakia, "badness, depravity, malignity, trouble," which covers all these, along with every other piece of "caca" that might slip out of our hearts through our mouth.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
When we put away all these negative attitudes and ways of thinking, then we will be able to let God's Love into our hearts, to be able to share it with everyone else in our lives, whether we like them or not. Other believers we find difficult to get along with, we need to pray for, that God's goodness would be upon them, and for God to show us something in him or her that we can like and honestly compliment them on it. To be able to see them with our Father's eyes, giving them the benefit of the doubt, and accepting them as they are.
As we live in this world, our feet are walking through the dust and dirt of the world, but when we wash in the water of the Word regularly, then we will be clean. And when we pray for one another, we will find them easier to get along with without the former strife.
This is something we all are in need of paying attention to. All of us are human, and we all have different personalities. Not every person is naturally attracted to every other person, and sometimes we are actually repelled. But when we're brothers and sisters, God makes a way for us to all get along. We just need to follow His ways, regardless of how we feel.
I've found that I cannot feel myself into new actions, but I have acted my way into new feelings. That's why we are to obey. Even if we don't feel like it, our feelings may be lying to us. But when we do what we know is right, then our feelings will catch up.
God loves us all, with all of our different personalities and faults and weaknesses. And He even likes us when we were His enemies, to call us to Himself and want us to be with Him. He has forgiven us of so much, we ought to forgive one another freely, also.
Even when we need to forgive frequently, over and over, for the same offense. In our humanity we need to teach our feelings to catch up with our wills. Sometimes this takes time and repetition. But when we persist, it will come to pass.
O my Father, You have forgiven me so much, and You continue to forgive me every day as I mess up in something every day. You are so gracious to me, teach me to be persistent with others as You are with me. Father, I want to be like Jesus; continue to show me His character in the details I need to change to be like Him. I know You are remolding me into His character, little by little, step by step. Keep me faithful to You in everything I do.
Use me, Father, to influence many others to follow You, to love You as You love them, and to grow up through the childhood and schooling of this world, into the maturity of adulthood in Your family.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Son of the Father, the Lord God Almighty, King of all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 4: 17-24
We saw last time that the body of Christ is to grow up into the full stature of a mature man. We are all members of that body, we're the body parts. So each of us needs to pay attention to how we're cooperating with God to function in the body in a healthy way.
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk,
So we are not to live like we used to, like the rest of the Gentiles still do.
in the futility of their mind,
being darkened in their understanding,
Thoughts of the mind are always the root of our attitudes, which produces our life. And their thoughts were useless, because they were in the dark and don't understand.
excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
and they, having become callous,
They have ignored God, so they have excluded themselves from Him who is life, because of their hard hearts; and the hardness has produced callouses from the constant rubbing of pushing God away.
have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
They are trying to fill the hole with sensual experiences, greedily pursuing more and more forbidden pleasures. But it's never enough.
But you did not learn Christ in this way,
We learned that Christ does satisfy, He fills that hole that worldly pleasures never can.
if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,
If you heard God's call to come to Christ, and received the teaching of His truth, then you found that He did fill that emptiness.
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
When you were saved from sin, then you didn't need that old lifestyle any more, and threw it off like a tattered garment. That outfit was wearing out, being used up by all the lies we were deceived by.
and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
The thoughts of our mind are to be new ideas to replace those old ones.
and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
We have new clothes to put on, beautiful, well-fitting, dressy, suitable for God's royal children, made with the cloth of righteousness and holiness and truth.
We're not in the dark any more, we've been rescued from the gutter of the world, we've been cleaned up and given new clothes to wear that are just like our Father's, and are now in school learning how to be His royal children.
And it all starts in our mind. We need to change how we think, to see things clearly, so we can educate our thinking processes to know and practice the truth.
We are to wash out all the deceptions that we used to believe, by overflowing them with God's Word: His Son and His scriptures.
How are we to do this? Tomorrow we will see.
O my Father, You have provided the redemption we need to survive. We were slaves to our own fleshly desires, killing ourselves in living our lives in rebellion against all that is good and healthy.
You saw us and had compassion on us, lifting us up out of the dirt and grime and washing us in the blood of Christ, pristine clean. Then You forgave us of all the rebellion and defectiveness in our DNA, and put Your own Spirit of Life in our spirit, clothing us in new garments of light and truth as Your own children.
Now You are teaching us and training us up to learn how to live our lives according to Your goodness and righteousness; Your truth.
Father, help us to wash out all the wrong ideas that have led us astray in the past. Let them flow away in the dirty "bath water" that is thrown out, and let us think Your thoughts, according to Your ways. Teach us how to do all the things You planned for us to accomplish as Your hands and feet, to grow Your family, and to grow up Your children to maturity.
We need You, Father! We cannot do any of this without You! Keep us in Your hand, keep our feet walking straight on Your narrow path that leads to Light. Continually lead us, not letting us stray to the right or to the left, or wander away, or slip into a ditch, or run ahead of You, or lag behind. Keep our feet stepping in Your steps, until we reach that eternal Day!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, Lord God Almighty, King of all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 4: 11-16
We saw yesterday that Christ's descending into Sheol to bring Paradise to Heaven was connected to the giving of gifts. Today we will see some of the gifts He has given the church.
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
These are the primary gifts that Christ gave the church to build this living building, and to grow this body of Christ.
The apostles were the ones to lay the foundation to this building, for the rest of the builders to lay the living stones upon, to use this picture.
The prophets received the information directly from God to form the doctrines of Truth, and to receive the understanding of what God had already told His people.
The evangelists are the ones who evangelize the people, who tell others the good news of the Gospel that Christ fulfilled the Law and the Old Testament prophets to save us from sin and redeem us into His Kingdom. We are still doing this work, and we will until He returns.
The pastors and teachers are those who also are still working to shepherd God's flock and to educate the believers.
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
Those with these gifts we just described are to do their work in order to prepare the people to do the ministry of the church. The evangelists bring the people to faith into the church, and the pastors and teachers help them to grow so they can minister to one another. The people are the ministers. The members of the church are the ones who help the body to grow up.
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
The body of Christ is to grow up into the full stature of a mature man by each member growing up in the Lord, being nourished on the Word of God, and being helped through all the lessons and tests of this world by ministering to one another.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
Therefore, we must not be childish in our attitudes, being influenced by all the worldliness that surrounds us.
but speaking the truth in love,
This is key, right here. What we say and how we say it. We must know the truth in order to talk about it, and we must love one another to converse in a compassionate way. Bare truth is harsh, and compassion without truth is deceitful and confirming of evil. We must have both together to succeed.
we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the Head, even Christ,
Only this will promote the healthy growth of each one of us as individual members, body parts, so we can all work together as one body into Christ.
from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
The Head, Christ, fits us all together so that each of our contributions to the health of the body will cause it to grow up into that measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. This will be accomplished in our loving one another as Christ has Loved us. Love is the foundation of all Truth and the Law, because it is the energy of the life of creation. God's Love puts order into the chaos.
The apostles and prophets gave us the body of Truth to form the doctrine we are to believe (as opposed to dogma, what we're told to believe because they say so, without substance). So we have the Truth to believe and teach others, because we love them. This Truth and love must go together--it is not loving to deceive, even if it seems compassionate.
O my Father, Your Word tells us that You are Love! Love is the very essence of Your being. That's why we can trust You and depend on You to always do what is right and good.
Teach us how to marry Truth and Love in our thinking processes, so that we can think Your thoughts, not our own.
Father, sometimes we cannot see far enough ahead to understand what You have allowed in our lives is for our good, because it just seems painful right now. But we know that You see the end from the beginning, and we need to comfort and encourage one another compassionately in Your truth. That will enable us to help one another to grow up in our faith and knowledge of You, and to trust You more in every circumstance. When we can't see the future, we can trust the One we know who holds the future in Your hand.
You have told us that You are working out everything, both good and bad, in our lives, to turn out good for us, for our benefit. We can trust You to do this. Because in Your generosity, You want us to enjoy all the benefits of Your goodness, for all time and eternity.
We will not see the bulk of all the goodness You are planning for us until we are with You for all eternity. But You do let us experience some of it, more or less, in this time while we're still here in the world. And what we do with what You give us here will determine what we will be able to enjoy then. So teach us to use the things of this Earth and the events that happen to us here to build up Your body, Your temple, and to grow up to adulthood in Your family.
Father, help us each to work on ourselves, and to minister to one another, so we can all grow up into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Your Son. When His body has gathered all its parts, and we have all grown up through the schooling we are subjected to in this time-line; then He will return, we will graduate, and this era will end, ushering in the manifest Rule of our King on His throne, governing with Him under His direction, to manage the world on this Earth in the manner in which it was designed! Our Golden Age!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, Son of the Father, Lord God Almighty, King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 4: 7-10
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
The gift Christ gave each of us is according to His measure, as He recognizes our differences in our abilities and capacities. (For example, look at the Parable of the Talents, in Matthew 25: 14-30.)
His gifts seem to be related to His descending and ascending. Let's look at this:
Therefore it says,
When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men (Psalm 68: 18).
(Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the Earth?
He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
Let us look also at Colossians 2: 14-15 for more information about this. It says,
...nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
This tells us that, when Jesus had finished His sacrifice on the cross and His body was buried in the tomb, then He "descended into hell," or actually Sheol, the Place of the Dead. Jesus described this place in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, as having two distinct areas, the Paradise side which He called Abraham's Bosom, and the fire side, which we refer to as Hell.
Since the blood of animals cannot wash away sins, but only cover them, then the Old Testament saints could not go to Heaven, so they went to Paradise. Then when Jesus' blood splattered the sides of His altar, the cross, then their sins were washed away, as He fulfilled the personal sacrifice.
So while His body was in the grave, He descended into Sheol to organize all the saints there into a triumphal procession in full view of all the rebels and demons on the fire side, and led the whole Paradise side into Heaven.
Now the only part of Sheol that is there is the fire side, or Hell.
Now, since Christ's blood has washed us thoroughly pristine clean, we can dwell with God where He lives, without suffering damage.
I also discuss this in my entry, What Was Jesus Doing?
O my Father, You are so wonderful to Love us so much to send Your own Son to be our Savior. Your Love is so deep and wide and long and high that we cannot even fathom how far it will reach! I know that the blood of Christ can cleanse even the worst serial killer or depraved degenerate to be crystal clean!
Please send me, send my words, send my body out into the world, proclaiming Your Gospel of Truth to all those who are wanting to know You. Lead me to those lost sheep who are tangled or trapped to rescue them, drawing them into the safety and protection of Your one fold with one Shepherd.
Fill Your house to be overflowing, Father, with all of your uncountable children, that every place at Your grand Banquet Table will be filled, that we all will enjoy fellowship with You and one another forevermore.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Son, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 4: 1-6
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
Paul's mention that he's the Lord's prisoner will be brought out later in this chapter, tomorrow.
He is begging his readers to live up to the Lord's expectations of them, in the light of all He has done for them, listing some of the attitudes that they need to do this:
with all humility and gentleness with patience showing tolerance for one another in love,
being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Humility is seeing ourselves as Christ sees us, not worth any more or less than any other believer; gentleness is needed to deal with one another without our rough edges cutting one another; patience is needed to not rush the responses of one another; and tolerance is putting up with others' habits that get on our nerves, without lashing out. We are to love one another as fellow brothers and sisters in God's family, making the effort to get along with each other, putting the other's needs before our own.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
We all are members of one body with Christ as our Head, because we all have the same Holy Spirit of Life giving us life. The Father called each of us into His family with one hope of our calling to the final destination that God made us for. There is one Lord who is our Boss, the Head of our body, directing and doing through us as His hands and feet. We all believe with one faith, the truth of His death and resurrection for us; and there is only one baptism that we picture with our water baptism, the immersion of each of us into the body of Christ.
We acknowledge only one God, the Father-Progenitor, who made all things through His Word, the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit--He is the One who thought us all up, and we are His imagination, so we "live and breathe and have our being in Him" (Acts 17: 28). That makes Him over all and though all and in all. We, as His imagination, are all inside His mind: if He weren't thinking about us, we wouldn't exist!
So Paul is begging these believers in Ephesus to clean up their lives and thinking. To realize who they are in Christ, and to love one another with Christ's Love for us: that unconditional, sacrificial care for each other that He displayed in taking our death upon Himself.
We are all body parts of one body, so if one part hurts, we all feel the pain. And when one part is honored, we all enjoy the pleasure. And the body we are, is the body of Christ, so we need to realize how He would live in our circumstance (WWJD).
We are to leave all the ways of this world, and the cultural evils of our societies that we live in, and show the World who God is and how much He Loves us!
O my Father, what You have done for us is so stupendous! I am trying to get my head around even a part of what You have already accomplished for us, for us to enjoy the benefits, as You receive the credit, the glory for having done it all!
O Father, You are so great, so good, so powerful, so smart and wise and clever! Everything that You plan, You have already finished. And You have designed us to be Your own children, intimate members of Your royal family. And You have us in school here on this Earth, in this world we have made on it; and all the trials and lessons and testings we encounter here are growing us up, and preparing us to be ready to be Your governors and kings and queens, managing Your universes.
Please help us all to realize how important we are to You right now, and to cooperate with You in living in this world without being of it, recognizing that our home is in You, in Your eternity, enjoying fellowship with You and with one another forever.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, Son of the Father, King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
