Daily Devotional Monday 28th September 2020

by William Moody

Ephesians 5:17–21

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

(ESV)

Having spoken quite considerable about the ways of darkness Paul now considers the more positive righteous living that is needed.

This living begins with taking time to understand what God’s will is (v17). You don’t just drift into faithful living, thoughtful consideration is vital if we’re going to walk in God’s will.

Paul contrasts being drunk on wine which leads to a life of waste to being filled with the Spirit which produces a life of fruitfulness (v18).

The Spirit produces a life of praise (v19) which comes not just from the lips but importantly from the heart also.

The Psalms here could be the Old Testament Psalms, the hymns older hymns and the spiritual songs newer pieces. Here we see a variety of praise.

Is your heart full of praise and thanksgiving to God (v20)?

It is interesting that after speaking about praise Paul highlights the need for a submissive attitude to each other (v21).

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®),
copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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