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Thursday, November 13, 2014

Filled with the Spirit | Ephesians Study

Ephesians 5:15-18
(15)  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
(16)  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
(17)  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
(18)  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Right after "understanding what the will of the Lord is" comes the exhortation about wine. There are many arguments I've heard about temperance from the Scriptures, however, this seems to be the strongest. We are exhorted to walk wisely and redeem the time, then added to that, understand the will of God and not be drunk with wine. Drunkenness alters the mind. If a Christian is drunk, how can they be sure that they are following God's will? How can they be sure that they are walking wisely?

The Christian should be filled with the Spirit. I believe this exhortation applies to all of the previous exhortations:
     - walk circumspectly, as wise -- be filled with the Spirit
     - redeem the time -- be filled with the Spirit
     - understand the will of the Lord -- be filled with the Spirit
     - be not drunk with wine -- be filled with the Spirit


"(9) And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (10) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (11) If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? (12) Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? (13) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:9-13)

4 comments:

  1. Sorry I've been off the radar for awhile. The end of the semester is upon me and it's going to get busier. By God's grace I will be done on Dec. 8th! Yay! A verse that I read today is:
    "The Lord bless you out of Zion,
    And may you see the good of Jerusalem
    All the days of your life." (Psalm 128:5).

    I saw your post with the songs from the band Noblesse. They are a band in Romania. My family and I were missionaries there. The problem is they are part of the Seventh Day Adventist cult, so I personally would not listen to them just because I know their background...(not them personally, but the cult, I mean)

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  2. Hey Becky!

    Thanks for commenting! Yeah . . . this week has been crazy busy for us as well, and then settling down home with a nice flu. :) I imagine you're counting down those days! ;)

    Hmm . . . thanks for the info on Noblesse. I hadn't personally looked into their group - perhaps it would be wise to make that habit before I share things.

    By God's grace,
    Amanda

    "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God;" 2 Corinthians 3:5

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  3. I apologize, re-reading my comment, I hope I didn't sound like I was condemning you or something about the Noblesse band! I just wanted to give you that information, knowing you would have no way to know their background. :)

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  4. Hey again!

    No, I didn't take it as a "personal condemnation." :) Thanks for apologizing, though!

    ~Amanda

    "Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy, at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

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Thank you for stopping by! I pray that you have found something that encourages you today. Thank you for taking the time to give me a little comment - they always brighten my day. :) I usually stop by and reply to as many comments as I can, but sometimes it takes me a week or so. But if you asked a question, be sure to check back!

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)