Ephesians 5:8 – you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)
Ephesians is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I love its challenging call to live differently than the world. This has been an emphasis of mine as a pastor and as a preacher. I suppose pastors – like all people – have certain things that they emphasize. Some pastors emphasize missions, others salvation, while others focus on evangelism. All of these are vital to the Christian life, but my emphasis has always leaned toward our call to live in ways radically different than the world. No one can discount the unmeasurable worth of salvation, but grace is not cheap, and we must not lessen its value by ignoring the biblical call to holy living (sanctification).
In this passage, Paul reminds us that we are to be light to the world. Jesus told his followers the same in Matthew 5:14. Paul gives us an imperative in verse eight: “Live as children of light.” We must give careful consideration to our actions. Our words and our behaviors should be a witness to the light that lives within. Verse fifteen tells us to be very careful in how we live. In the Greek, the word we translate as ‘careful’ literally meant to be accurate. As we seek to live holy lives, we must be sure to be accurate – we must ‘hit the mark’.
Today, let us examine our walk and our witness. Are we hitting the mark? Does our life accurately depict the life of a disciple of Jesus?
Posted by Ramón Torres
Wake up Christians we live in dark times. We stay silent, resistant to expose the dark lies of some political and religious leaders to the light of truth.