Reading: Ephesians 4-6
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour (Eph. 5:1-2).
Being an adult in today’s world is anything but easy. In addition to having to live inside the boundaries of civil and criminal law, we also have a multitude of social constructs and expectations that define how we should act and what we should think and feel in any given situation. Making it even more difficult is the constant fluctuation of societal norms. What is considered ‘right’ and ‘true’ is fluid and primarily determined by the vocal majority at any given time. As Christians, we are often confused and confounded by the world around us. We wonder how we can honor God while still actively participating in society. The truth is, we are overthinking it. We do not have to find our own path; we just need to follow the one Jesus already laid out for us.
Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Matt. 16:24). If we look closely at the Gospel of Christ, we find that Jesus lived His life fully immersed in the world around Him. He did not shut Himself away from the needy and the desperate. He did not shun the sinner nor turn His back on the immoral. Instead, He welcomed them, showing them kindness and hospitality. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples (Matt. 9:10). While at no time did Jesus ever embrace the sin, He loved the sinner with the fullness of God’s mercy and grace, and in the process, He modeled for all future Christians the exact manner in which He expected us to engage the world.
Be ye therefore followers of God. Many today go through their lives confident that they are followers of God on the basis of their church membership and their recognized Christian status in the community. They believe themselves to be entirely righteous in all that they set their minds to, and they revel in the assumed approval of God for every action they undertake. Caught up in their own sense of accomplishment and pride, they never notice how different their path is from the one that Jesus walked. Although they profess ‘faith,’ they have never experienced grace, and consequently, they are unable to share that grace with others in need.
Unless we approach God with the humble, open acceptance of a child, we will never truly be followers of God. We must trust Him in all things and accept Him as Lord of our lives in deed as well as in word (I John 3:18). If we are followers of God, then we will tread the path that He trod, trusting Him to lead us to glory as He sees fit.
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven(Matt. 18:3).
Thought for Today: God expects His followers to shape the world, not control it.
Cross Reference:For Eph. 4:8: See Ps. 68:18. Eph. 4:25: See Zech. 8:16. Eph. 4:26: See Ps. 4:4. Eph. 5:31: See Gen. 2:24. Eph. 6:2-3: See Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16.
Word Studies:4:13 perfect (does not mean perfection) = sincerely desiring to be obedient to His Word; 4:14 carried about . . . by the sleight = led astray by false doctrine; 4:16 compacted = knit together in true unity; 4:18
Pray for Staff:Gilbert Palafox • Government Official: Rep. Greg Landsman (OH), Rep. Grace Napolitano (CA),Rep. Kevin Hern (OK),Rep. Nancy Mace (SC) • Country: Korea, North (24,851,627) Eastern Asia • Major Language: Korean • Government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom • Prayer Suggestion: Pray and praise God that the answers to your prayers are granted through the grace of God (Is. 30:19).