Live in Light
Epistle to the Ephesians
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
8 For 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. Ephesians 5:1-10
The first two verses of this chapter are really a follow-up to the last chapter. He has told them to grow up. Don’t be tossed around, back and forth, by every teaching that comes your way. Don’t live as the gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. Love your neighbor as yourself – just as Christ taught us. In the first part of this chapter Paul is concluding those thoughts by telling us to follow God’s example and walk in the way of love just as Christ demonstrated. This kind of obedience is a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Jesus is our example.
Some people say we live out in the country. Yes, somewhat. I think of living on a farm but will concede that we live away from the city. We can drive in one of two directions, fifteen miles away to buy groceries. We do not have streetlights, but we have city water, city natural gas, and electricity, but we had to put in our own septic system. We are not living off the grid. We do have neighbors close by. So maybe it’s quasi country living.
We’ve recently bought several LED lanterns. We have flashlights and candles, but we’ve experienced several power outages where we are truly living in darkness. I’d like to say this does not happen frequently, but I don’t really know yet. We’ve had about four outages in the one and one-half years of living here. Twice because of snow and ice and twice for unexplained reasons.
Paul has said to grow up and follow Christ’s example and then he is very specific about the kinds of behaviors that are improper for God’s holy people and the kinds of behaviors that have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Don’t be deceived. Don’t be partners with this behavior. God’s wrath will come on those disobedient to this teaching. This teaching is followed by “live as children of light.”
So, grow up. Follow Christ’s example and live as children of light.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
It’s hard for us to live in darkness. The Tennessee Valley Authority did not expand to the area where my dad grew up on a farm in North Georgia until the 1940s. They did not have electricity. I know they had some oil lamps, but farmers tended to rise at daybreak and go to bed when it was dark – or very close to it. They would do some things by lamplight, but this was limited.
We need better light than flashlights or candles during our power outages. That’s why we purchased LED lanterns. We no longer live or know how to live without electricity. As Christians we live in the light of Christ and need to forget how to live in darkness. We should not participate in the behaviors of those who still live in darkness. We show that we live in the light of Christ because that light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Paul tacks on, I don’t mean to imply that it’s added lightly, find out what pleases the Lord.
Find out what pleases the Lord.
That statement isn’t incidental – it’s huge. Make it your responsibility to find out what pleases the Lord. Live your life with this objective in mind. Don’t be satisfied with anything less than pleasing the Lord.
Live as children of light.
How you live matters.