Then Jesus said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20Matthew 28:18-20
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
18 Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! ¹⁹ . Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.

WP-Bible plugin

The whole world… that’s a pretty big order. I was watching a news show this morning, and the reporter commented that the city of Tehran in Iran has the population of Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City combined. When the cameras panned the skyline, the city seemed to go on and on in every direction, so many people. And that’s just in that one city. Our objective, given to us by Jesus himself, is the entire world.  That scope is truly beyond my comprehension.  But that clearly is our job, our goal, our command.  With a job so incomprehensible, where do we start?

Oddly enough, I believe the very first place we must visit is our own hearts. If our hearts are not properly directed and motivated, we will never get past our front door. So, what is our proper direction and motivation?

Our direction or power can come only from the Holy Spirit. I am not talking about a dramatic, emotional experience with God’s spirit, although those have their place and merit on our Christian walks. What I am talking about is a moment by moment walk with God, where we are confessing our sins to him as they occur (so that fellowship with him is not broken), and asking God to fill us with his Holy Spirit so that everything we do is in his power and not our own.

Then when we teach school, buy groceries, work in the office, and cut the grass, we do it all in the power of the Holy Spirit.  If we are practicing that kind of dependence on God, it is a natural thing to be used by him in the lives of those around us to share God’s love and forgiveness with them. Whether it is at work, at home, in leisure activities or in an intentional appointment with someone, sharing Christ with those we come in contact with is a natural overflow of being filled with the Holy Spirit.  It just makes sense that God would talk about himself to others through us.
If that’s the direction or power source for evangelism, what is the motivation?  Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:11, 14-152 Corinthians 5:11, 14-15
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Bringing People to God ¹¹ We know what it means to respect the Lord, and we encourage everyone to turn to him. God himself knows what we are like, and I hope you also know what kind of people we are. ¹⁴ We are ruled by Christ's love for us. We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died. ¹⁵ And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us.

WP-Bible plugin: “Since then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.  What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is plain to your conscience.  For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Our motivation is love. Not our love for the world, for I fear we would have little of that to offer. It’s Christ’s love for that lost and dying world, like sheep without a shepherd. For some reason, Jesus looks at this world that ignores him, rejects him and persecutes him, and he loves it. He loves each individual despite their sin. And that love can flow through us, to motivate us to want to speak to those around us that don’t know God. He beckons the lost to himself through us, if we are willing to obey God and be his representatives in this world.

Yes, the scope is beyond our understanding and our means to reach. The world is huge, and we are small. But God has placed tiny pieces of “the world” all around us. Our families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances, and even strangers are around us in need of a personal relationship with him. We can open our mouths and allow God to use us. We can open our schedules and make time to be with those who need to know. We can open our wallets and give to missionaries who go to places we cannot and will not go. We can open our hearts to join in prayer for ourselves and others to be ministers of reconciliation.  And if each of us were obedient to do these things right here that he has for us, and if Christians all over South Carolina and the United States were obedient, and Christians all over this world were obedient to do and say the things he has commanded us to do, “the world” would not seem like such a huge and daunting goal.

Every giant accomplishment on earth began with many small steps that led up to the final product.  The question for us is, “are we willing to take those small steps that will lead to the world being reached for Christ?”

points to ponder

• What is directing and empowering my life?
• What motivation force is controlling my life?
• Am I practicing being filled with the Holy Spirit?
• Am I willing to be obedient to God and be used by him?

prayer

Lord Jesus, I don not know why you love me and choose to use me in your plan here on earth. I acknowledge that I often fail to listen to you, and fail to speak for you in my relationships with others.  I know you have put them in my life for a reason, and I ask for you to fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I can speak for you. Show me what this world looks like to you. Help me understand your love for people, and your role for me.  I love you and desire to be used by you on this earth. Give me the courage to take the first steps of obedience. Amen.

So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.

Ephesians 5:15-16Ephesians 5:15-16
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
15 Act like people with good sense and not like fools. ¹⁶ . These are evil times, so make every minute count.

WP-Bible plugin

There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Everything Has Its Time ^{3 1} Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. ⁷ for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking.

WP-Bible pluginb

Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.

Colossians 4:5-6Colossians 4:5-6
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
5 . When you are with unbelievers, always make good use of the time. ⁶ Ws . Be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message. Choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions.

WP-Bible plugin

When I was a kid, I remember hearing a song in church about the need to value the time we’re given in our lives and not take a single day for granted. The song was entitled, “Plenty of Time” by a lady named Connie Smith. It talked about how we go through life hearing about God and the Truth of His Word, but we so often procrastinate in giving our lives over to Him, thinking, “Oh, I’ll do that sometime later because right now I’ve got ‘plenty of time.’”

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. James 4:14James 4:14
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
14 What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears.

WP-Bible plugin asks the question, “How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” We must not put off until tomorrow the opportunity we have to build a relationship with Christ today.  We don’t know that tomorrow will ever come for us. And, if we already have a relationship with Jesus, we must not put off today’s opportunity to grow in that relationship and to invite others to give their lives to God. Just as we’re not promised tomorrow, neither is anyone else.  We must make the most of every chance we have to share Jesus with those around us who may not have yet given their hearts over to Him.
It is so easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life; the mundane, routine, “get up and go about the day just trying to pay the bills, clothe the kids, feed the family, please the boss” way of living. But, while those things are important, they are not the primary reason for our time on earth. We are here to worship God, to serve Him, and to help others learn to do the same. When we lose sight of that, we fall into the pit of aimlessness, regret, confusion, and a feeling that our lives have no purpose.

How many people do you know who have said they just want to know what the purpose of their lives is? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life, was consumed by millions of people because that’s exactly the kind of life everyone wants, but few people actually feel they have it.

We must be living our lives on purpose for Christ, everyday, because there is a very definite timeline for when this life will be over and we will have no more opportunities to accept Christ or invite others to do so. The Bible says that though no one but God the Father knows the exact hour when Jesus will return to earth and call His children to live eternally with Him in Heaven, THAT DAY IS DEFINITELY COMING! You can and are staking your life on that truth, one way or another!

We must sense the urgency to seize every opportunity we have to share God’s love and His message with those around us. We must realize that TODAY could be the day when Jesus returns!  Do you really believe it could be today? Do you live in such anticipation of His return that it actually effects your actions today, or are you succumbing to the mind-set that you have “Plenty of Time?”

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.  First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.  Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-171 Thessalonians 4:16-17
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
16 With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God's trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life. ¹⁷ Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky. From that time on we will all be with the Lord forever.

WP-Bible plugin

Make no mistake, Jesus is coming back! There is a point in the human timeline where all will be completely said and done and all our work on earth will be over. When that day comes, whether in our lifetime or another’s, will we have done everything we could to share Christ and live our lives for His purpose? Don’t waste the time you’ve been given.  It is precious and it is fleeting. No matter how much time you may think you have, the truth is you really don’t know.  Share Jesus today!

Plenty of Time, Connie Smith
I got up on Sunday morning went to the church at ten
I listened to the words I’d heard time and time again
The preacher spoke of sinful lives, it seems he spoke of mine
But I was young, I had plenty of time.
I walked on down life’s pathway living as I wished to live
Out to beat the other fellow, how to get what life could give
Making money isn’t sinful having fun is not a crime
So I’ll just wait, I’ve got plenty of time
Plenty of time to decide where I’m bound
To eternal darkness or to a Heavenly crown
I’m just a young girl not yet in my prime
So I’ll just wait, I’ve got plenty of time
Before I knew what happened life scenes had passed away
And millions stood before God’s throne
For it was judgment day
Now eternal darkness beckons and the name it calls is mine
But I thought that I had plenty of time
Eternity waits I’ve got plenty of time
To think of all the days that Christ could have been mine
Now my chance is over, earth’s days are left behind
And here am I, I’ve got plenty of time.
Now I’ve got nothing but plenty of time.

When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?”

“The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know.”

Acts 1:6-7Acts 1:6-7
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Jesus Is Taken to Heaven ⁶ While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?” b are you now going to give Israel its own king again?: Or “Are you now going to rule Israel as its king?” ⁷ Jesus said to them, “You don't need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls.

WP-Bible plugin

Then Jesus answered, “I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”

Pilate replied, “You are a king then?”

“You say that I am a king, and you are right,” Jesus said. “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

John 18:36-37John 18:36-37
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom doesn't belong to this world. If it did, my followers would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. No, my kingdom doesn't belong to this world.” ³⁷ “So you are a king,” Pilate replied. “You are saying that I am a king,” Jesus told him. “I was born into this world to tell about the truth. And everyone who belongs to the truth knows my voice.”

WP-Bible plugin

“When God?”

“When are you going to show yourself? Look at all these heathens, cursing your name in traffic! How they make my life miserable! Could you just step out from the clouds and let them know how upset you are about what’s going on? Show me some retribution, some payback for all me and my friends go through!”

You might be able to imagine this mental conversation, today, and in the minds of the disciples as they talk to Jesus. Is it finally time? Are you going to finally give them “what they deserve”?

Jesus is our king. All too often that means very little, a trumped up title for a gift-giving Santa Claus. It meant the world to the early followers of Christ. It was enough of a claim to send the religious elite into a murderous tizzy.

The early disciples took their limited knowledge of scripture, and the claims of Christ, and made a simple logical leap that Jesus had to correct. “The Messiah is the king in David’s line and Jesus is the Messiah; therefore he’s a king! Maybe he’ll overthrow the Romans tomorrow and setup his eternal kingdom!”

Jesus wanted to be clear. He had no intention of setting up a worldly kingdom, political or otherwise. There would be a time and a place for that, but he wasn’t about to share those details.

One might ask, “Why?” Why not be clear about the when? And it seems reasonable to want to know. Jesus, however, with all the wisdom of God, keeps his mouth closed.

I have a simple reason, born out by the passage of Acts we have looked at. Jesus knew that the disciples focus was misdirected. They weren’t on the same page, yet.

Here, Jesus was attempting to spread the Kingdom of God, a family relationship with the God of the universe. This relationship had the power to transform the heart of people around the world. To shake the way things were done, the way people interacted. To shape the way God could work to heal the hurting, free the oppressed, offer hope to the down-and-out.

The disciples are thinking about getting even. Not to say that they aren’t in tune with the holiness of God, his great sovereignty, even zealous for God to be seen in all his power and glory. But they had missed the point. They expected God to think the same way power-craving people do. “God’s power was to be an overwhelming force that crushed those who didn’t believe.” Instead, they are told of a power that would indwell them and allow them to communicate God’s love to the nations.

Jesus is our king. He rules an everlasting kingdom made up of those connected by His Spirit. He longs to see that Kingdom advance. More than any hope for growth we could have, Jesus sees the full power and potential of a church empowered. A people empowered. Individual lives lived intentionally through prayer and humility, bleeding into the lives next door.

more scripture

For further study on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the relationship to our new life and power, and the “kingdom of God”, turn your eyes to John 3. The popular kid’s story goes far deeper for an adult with eyes and ears ready to see and hear.

Why is thankfulness important?

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me…The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to the one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!

Psalm 50:14-15, 23Psalm 50:14-15, 23
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
14 I am God Most High! The only sacrifice I want is for you to be thankful and to keep your word. ¹⁵ Pray to me in time of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor me. ²³ The sacrifice that honors me is a thankful heart. Obey me, i Obey me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. and I, your God, will show my power to save.

WP-Bible plugin

Man’s chief end is to glorify God (Henry, Piper). Ultimately the greatest reason one should seek to develop a thankful heart is that this is what brings the Lord glory. This is our ultimate goal and purpose in life. Rather than requiring sacrifice, the Lord longs for us to respond in praise and thanksgiving. This is what brings Him greatest glory as His creation recognizes His goodness, His blessing, Himself, and responds in joyful thanks. A heart that responds with thanksgiving in all circumstances is a heart that trusts, a heart that knows God and rests in this knowledge.

One cannot truly be thankful without seriously considering the situation and the cost (or benefit) incurred. And while it is a natural response to be thankful for blessing, it is a supernatural response for one to praise the Lord in the midst of pain; to be thankful for the pain. And yet, how much more is the Lord glorified when his children thank Him in the midst of difficulty and strife, when they respond in thanksgiving through the power of the Holy Spirit and view their circumstances as light and momentary troubles that soon pass away in light of eternity with Him?

A thankful heart is not one that naturally develops, but one the Lord must grow in each of us through time and experience, blessing and pain, making the repeated choice to receive the cup given to us and to respond obediently, and yes, thankfully, because you trust that all is done for His glory and your good, and in the end you see Him that much more clearly.

What does a thankful heart look like?

Dave, at 18, looked like a cross between Genghis Khan and Buddha. He was magnificently large, over 300 pounds on a 6 ft. frame…But he was gentle and deeply kind. He loved children, and they loved him…The gentleness of the Good Shepherd was in him…He had been with some of the youth on an afternoon trip to a local island. Big-D wanted to see the view from atop the cliff above the shore…Near the top, a large boulder, embedded in the ground, perched at the edge of the cliff. Dave sat on the boulder and everything gave way. He dropped 90 feet to his death…Carol and I met half an hour later in the parking lot of the townhouse complex were Dave’s parents lived. We were the ones to break the news. We looked at each other, too raw to speak. We prayed. But honestly, I hardly believed in God right then. I was angry with Him, if He was there at all…Dave’s mom, Justine, opened the door and she lit up. “Look who’s here to see us” she called to John, and he came over to the door grinning. But they could tell, looking at the two of us, something was wrong, terribly wrong, and they stopped smiling…”there’s been an accident. David’s dead.” And then I saw a miracle. Justine began to worship. The first words out of her mouth were “O God, You chose him, You chose my David. O Lord, thank You that You chose him, and he is with You right now, seeing You face-to-face. He’s dancing in your throne room right now. Lord, I love him. I love you. I miss my son, Lord. I need Your strength. But thank you that You chose him.  (The Holy Wild)

So what does a thankful heart look like? One who is thankful moves from a disposition that is humble and submitted to the Lord. There is a recognition that this life is not your own. There is a willing acceptance of the Lord’s will in your life, both the difficult and the good. There is a quiet belief that the Lord consistently moves ultimately out of goodness and love for those who are His.

Furthermore, one who is thankful lacks a sense of entitlement. In Luke 17:12-18Luke 17:12-18
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
12 As he was going into a village, ten men with leprosy w leprosy: See the note at . came toward him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and shouted, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” ¹⁴ Jesus looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” x show yourselves to the priests: See the note at . On their way they were healed. ¹⁵ When one of them discovered that he was healed, he came back, shouting praises to God. ¹⁶ He bowed down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was from the country of Samaria. ¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Weren't ten men healed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Why was this foreigner the only one who came back to thank God?”

WP-Bible plugin Christ heals ten lepers, yet only one (a Samaritan) returned to Him praising God. Did Christ owe it to them to bring healing? A thankful heart recognizes blessing and responds. One who is thankful consistently lives with a sense of their own need for the Lord and His consistent grace in their life. A thankful heart lives out of deep understanding that the Lord always moves for His glory and your good.

How do we develop a thankful heart?

Paul writes to the Ephesians a story of immense depravity, a heroic rescue, and a restored life (see Ephesians 2:1-10Ephesians 2:1-10
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
From Death to Life ^{2 1} . In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. ² You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God. ³ Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else. ⁴-⁵ But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God's wonderful kindness is what saves you. ⁶ God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. ⁷ God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. ⁸ You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. e treats us much better than we deserve: The Greek word charis, traditionally rendered “grace,” is translated here and other places in the CEV to express the overwhelming kindness of God. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. ⁹ It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. ¹⁰ God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That's why he sent Christ to make us what we are.

WP-Bible plugin). We often use these verses to explain salvation to someone who does not know the Lord. However, Paul wrote to believers. Why would he feel a great need to remind us of our own story of salvation? Luke 7:36-50Luke 7:36-50
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Simon the Pharisee ³⁶ A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee's home and got ready to eat. r got ready to eat: On special occasions the Jewish people often followed the Greek and Roman custom of lying down on their left side and leaning on their left elbow, while eating with their right hand. This is how the woman could come up behind Jesus and wash his feet . ³⁷ ; ; . When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. ³⁸ Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them. ³⁹ The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher, what is it?” Simon replied. ⁴¹ Jesus told him, “Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. ⁴² Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn't have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn't have to pay it back.” “You are right,” Jesus said. ⁴⁴ He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn't give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You didn't greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You didn't even pour olive oil on my head, s washed my feet ... greet me with a kiss ... pour olive oil on my head: Guests in a home were usually offered water so they could wash their feet, because most people either went barefoot or wore sandals and would come in the house with very dusty feet. Guests were also greeted with a kiss on the cheek, and special ones often had sweet-smelling olive oil poured on their head. but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love.” ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Some other guests started saying to one another, “Who is this who dares to forgive sins?” ⁵⁰ But Jesus told the woman, “Because of your faith, you are now saved. t saved: Or “healed.” The Greek word may have either meaning. May God give you peace!”

WP-Bible plugin describes an encounter between Christ, a Pharisee, and a prostitute. The Pharisee has invited Christ into his home, yet fails to treat him as an important guest. The woman, however, comes before Christ broken and humbled, honoring Him with her repentance and recognition of her desperate need of Him.

Christ responds “…her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little” (v. 47). It is not that the Pharisee had little to be forgiven—we are all far worse than we could ever realize. It is that he realized his need for Christ so little. When you see how great your sin is, you then see the depth of forgiveness and mercy shown you. A heart which truly grasps this reality cannot help but respond in love toward the Lord, with great thankfulness.

application

Spend time in Ephesians 2:1-10Ephesians 2:1-10
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
From Death to Life ^{2 1} . In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. ² You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God. ³ Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else. ⁴-⁵ But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God's wonderful kindness is what saves you. ⁶ God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. ⁷ God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. ⁸ You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. e treats us much better than we deserve: The Greek word charis, traditionally rendered “grace,” is translated here and other places in the CEV to express the overwhelming kindness of God. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. ⁹ It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. ¹⁰ God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That's why he sent Christ to make us what we are.

WP-Bible plugin.

• How does Paul describe your life before Christ? (v.1-3) What is the tone of these verses?
• Where does the tone shift (with what phrase)?
• How is God depicted? Christ?
• What is your natural response to this truth?
• What do you fear most? If the Lord allowed this to occur in your life, if He willed it for your life, could you respond thankfully, trusting that all He does is for His glory and your good?

prayer

Father, thank you for the greatness of your love for us! Thank you for being our hero, for rescuing us from our own depravity, our deep lost-ness, even while we were enemies of You. Your love is great. May we never forget this. Open our eyes to our need for you. Open our eyes to your work in our lives moment by moment. May we never take this for granted. Grow in us thankful hearts that honor and glorify you alone.

So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.

Ephesians 5:15-18Ephesians 5:15-18
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
15 Act like people with good sense and not like fools. ¹⁶ . These are evil times, so make every minute count. ¹⁷ Don't be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do. ¹⁸ Don't destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life.

WP-Bible plugin

There are many Christians who are content to simply get excited about God on the weekend, but the rest of the week act as if Christ did not even exist. They live a life of spiritual detachment, believing all the right things but lacking any spiritual will-power to obey. This is not the way God intended it!

God intended us to live in the power of his spirit continually. This passage from Ephesians tells us to be continually filled by the spirit. It is a command. “Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you…” may not make that clear, but in the Greek the word-forms we find are powerful and clear. More literally, we are commanded, “Do not keep on getting drunk with wine…instead, keep on being filled by the spirit.”

The phrases “be drunk” and “be filled” are both present tense commands in the Greek. Now, present tense in Greek means that the action should be described as habitual or progressive (ongoing). What is clear is that this is not intended as a one-time event, or even a limited encounter. We are to be regularly and repeatedly filled with God’s spirit.

In addition, the command is in a voice which tells us that we are to submit to the action. We are to allow the spirit to fill us. That is why the NLT says, “Let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.” We are not supposed to work up some emotional event that is “being filled with the spirit”. No, we are told that the spirit is going to attempt to fill and control us, and we should be ready.

Why would we want or need to be filled continually, on an ongoing basis? Why is it so important to treat our time as if it were God’s; to hand over our priority-setting? There are three reasons that I want to look at: comprehension, opportunity and maturity.

Ephesians 3:16-21Ephesians 3:16-21
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
16 God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers ¹⁷ and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love. ¹⁸ . I pray that you and all of God's people will understand what is called wide or long or high or deep. h what is called wide or long or high or deep: This may refer to the heavenly Jerusalem or to God's love or wisdom or to the meaning of the cross. ¹⁹ I want you to know all about Christ's love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is. ²⁰-²¹ I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen.

WP-Bible plugin tells us about comprehension and being strengthened by God. Verses 18-20 remind us …may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is… Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. So we know that God has placed his spirit within us to continually help us know Him.

That means when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are able to better understand God’s love. We are able to better grasp his character. We can see how he is merciful, just and still forgiving. We can see how he shows compassion to those we overlook. All these things are made available to our minds when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:16Ephesians 5:16
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
16 . These are evil times, so make every minute count.

WP-Bible plugin tells us to, make the most of every opportunity. If we refuse to be filled by the spirit, allowing our priorities to dictate our schedule and our involvement, then we will not act on the opportunities God places before us. We might not even see them. Please God, help us to see these opportunities. Help us to submit to your will, being filled by the Holy Spirit so that our eyes might be open and our hearts ready to serve!

Finally, Galatians 5:22-23Galatians 5:22-23
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
22 God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, ²³ gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.

WP-Bible plugin tells us about the maturity that comes when we are controlled by the Holy Spirit: But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is full circle, from us seeing these things in God’s character, growing through the opportunities God gives us, to living in maturity through God’s spirit.

prayer

Jesus, help me to submit my time and schedule to your will. It is so easy to get swept up in the day’s details and end up at the end of the day wondering what happened. Whether it is on the golf course, lounging on the couch, at work at the coffee-counter or on the playground at church, help us to be ready to serve, filled with your spirit.

Help us to see how important it is. We can see lives changed and experience spiritual growth in our own lives more than ever before. We can see you do something in our community that is nothing but miraculous. Lord, help us to believe your word, what you say you are willing to do if we would trust you. Help me to comprehend the great love that moved you to die for me.

Send me – habitually, repeatedly, every day.