Ephesians 5:15-21
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. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
God is the Creator who made life and order coexist in the world He created, to be moved by His will without any mistake. Therefore, the destroyer of His order is Satan and he is an enemy of God and of people. God created everything and set time in the world; time is a sign of order. His gave humans commands to protect them by keeping order between Him and them.
However, they were deceived by Satan, destroyed the order of God and ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God told them not to eat. Humans are eternal so the judgment and the punishment that they will receive are also eternal. Hell where people under sin will receive eternal punishment is cruel and miserable.
The Bible clearly says, Hell is the place of punishment where the destroyer of God’s order will go. God didn’t neglect people who are punished, He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior to take up all our sins; Jesus is the only hope for human race (John 3:16). Jesus wanted us to be saved from sin even taking up the cross. He carried all our sins and took our suffering on the cross (Phil 2:5-8).
The grace given by the Lord is huge and unlimited; there is no way to pay it back till death. So if you are in Jesus, you should make the most of every opportunity. You should try to use your time only for the Lord. Even if we try to express thanksgiving for the grace of the Lord as much as possible, it cannot compare to the life of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Although we have received this great grace, the sinful nature and temptation of the world makes us forget it. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit (Gal 5:17), and the sinful mind makes us forget the grace of the Lord (Rom 8:5-8). God tells us to rule over the sinful nature and mind by the Spirit. Therefore, the way to live faithfully for the Lord is to live by the Holy Spirit.
The Lord asked the disciples earnestly to live by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, 16:13, 15:26; Acts 1:8). God gives a lifetime to save people and make them live with thanksgiving for His grace. God sent the Holy Spirit to let us work for impossibilities because of the sinful nature. The Holy Spirit touches and moves us. Therefore, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are willing to live by the Lord’s will. If you don’t live by the Holy Spirit, your lifetime will go to waste and only iniquity will be left. God has prepared a reward in heaven for people living by the Holy Spirit, being faithful and giving thanks to God.
Let’s give thanks to God and glorify Him by being faithful with the Holy Spirit and let’s prepare our reward in heaven and glory for ourselves without limit.
2013.7.26
