Careful Walking
Eph 5:15a Careful Walking
What comes before this vs? " ( ESV-" Look carefully how you walk...")
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise"
A new book just came out on Caring for one another by Ed Welch ," Imagine . . . an interconnected group of people who entrust themselves to each other. You can speak of your pain, and someone responds with compassion and prayer. You can speak of your joys, and someone rejoices with you. You can ask for help with sinful struggles, and someone prays with you.
The goal of this book is that these meaningful relationships will become a natural part of daily life in your church. .." ST Augustine wrote, " The first way to truth is humility; the second way is humility, and the third way is humility." " Humility simply acknowledges our many sins and limitations, and it responds with, ' I need Jesus and other people.' " " It is an attractive package that includes trust in God's control, confidence in the Lord's forgiveness and love, and an openess that comes not from having to be someone but from resting in Jesus."
As we think about this verse from Ephesians about submission ( to rank under others) what are the main components of this in our careful walk?
" Pride of position and the authoritarian spirit are destructive of fellowship. ...there must be a willingness to serve any, to learn from any, to be corrected by any, regardless of age, sex, class or any other division." Foulkes in The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians.
Is the Christian life meant to be constrictive? Is the joy and reality of our lives being squeezed out by rules? Some would say that is what they think Christianity is. No, " the apostle is not merely negative.He does not simply seek to take away joy and pleasure from men's lives. He would replace them by a higher and a better." Foulkes
What are these characteristics? He says it above vs 9," For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.."
Is my truth God's truth? Probably not always as we are still in the flesh and we are not yet in heaven without sin, where we see God face to face. One day we will have perfect bodies, minds and lives.
We can be wrong. We can have gaps in our knowledge, experience and wisdom. We can learn from the Scriptures, others, and of course the Holy Spirit can direct us to do the right thing in opening doors, closing doors, and illuminating our minds that we may make right spiritual choices here and now.
Can it be difficult? Can we trust others if they may not be entirely honest in their dealings with us? Not all the time, but we can ask God to shed His light and love and grace to our thinking so that we may make good and wholesome choices in this life . Are we growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour as Peter asks in his second letter?
He makes mention of things we need to add to our faith in Him----all diligence, supply virtue, and in your virtue knowledge, and in your knowledge self-control, patience , and in your patience godliness, and in your godliness brotherly kindness love.
Conclusion---as Peter said in his letter, " Wherefore brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
What comes before this vs? " ( ESV-" Look carefully how you walk...")
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise"
A new book just came out on Caring for one another by Ed Welch ," Imagine . . . an interconnected group of people who entrust themselves to each other. You can speak of your pain, and someone responds with compassion and prayer. You can speak of your joys, and someone rejoices with you. You can ask for help with sinful struggles, and someone prays with you.
The goal of this book is that these meaningful relationships will become a natural part of daily life in your church. .." ST Augustine wrote, " The first way to truth is humility; the second way is humility, and the third way is humility." " Humility simply acknowledges our many sins and limitations, and it responds with, ' I need Jesus and other people.' " " It is an attractive package that includes trust in God's control, confidence in the Lord's forgiveness and love, and an openess that comes not from having to be someone but from resting in Jesus."
As we think about this verse from Ephesians about submission ( to rank under others) what are the main components of this in our careful walk?
" Pride of position and the authoritarian spirit are destructive of fellowship. ...there must be a willingness to serve any, to learn from any, to be corrected by any, regardless of age, sex, class or any other division." Foulkes in The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians.
Is the Christian life meant to be constrictive? Is the joy and reality of our lives being squeezed out by rules? Some would say that is what they think Christianity is. No, " the apostle is not merely negative.He does not simply seek to take away joy and pleasure from men's lives. He would replace them by a higher and a better." Foulkes
What are these characteristics? He says it above vs 9," For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.."
Is my truth God's truth? Probably not always as we are still in the flesh and we are not yet in heaven without sin, where we see God face to face. One day we will have perfect bodies, minds and lives.
We can be wrong. We can have gaps in our knowledge, experience and wisdom. We can learn from the Scriptures, others, and of course the Holy Spirit can direct us to do the right thing in opening doors, closing doors, and illuminating our minds that we may make right spiritual choices here and now.
Can it be difficult? Can we trust others if they may not be entirely honest in their dealings with us? Not all the time, but we can ask God to shed His light and love and grace to our thinking so that we may make good and wholesome choices in this life . Are we growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour as Peter asks in his second letter?
He makes mention of things we need to add to our faith in Him----all diligence, supply virtue, and in your virtue knowledge, and in your knowledge self-control, patience , and in your patience godliness, and in your godliness brotherly kindness love.
Conclusion---as Peter said in his letter, " Wherefore brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
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