I AM LIGHT (Ephesians 5:1-20)

I AM LIGHT (Ephesians 5:1-20) Monday So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. ~ Ephesians 4:17-24 We see that Paul doesn t mince any words as he warns the Ephesian believers not to harden their hearts by turning back to their former way of living before they came to Christ. He charges them to live the new life in Christ by insisting they change the attitude of their thinking. Over the years I have had a few of these Paul challenges! One that was a game changer was in my third of five years of Bible college. I was rolling in to my off-campus house, and my roommate was still up when I walked in. It was unusual for him to be up at 2:00 am. I came in and said, Hey, and proceeded to the kitchen to find something to snack on. But he said, I need to talk to you about something, and then asked me where I was. I braggingly said, Over clubbing at a college dance club near the University of Cincinnati. Then the conversation changed and he said, Man, I don t get it; why are you here, why have you chosen Bible college and to go into ministry. He said, Not only are you breaking school rules, what would the senior minister and the parents of the kids you work with in your part-time youth ministry think of what you are doing. I was brewing inside and felt judged because I knew of some of the things he did before he became a Christian and came to Bible college. I felt like he had no place to say anything. But I knew in my heart he was right, and conviction was taking over, because God is always calling us to a better/new way to live. He went on to say, Veihl, if I ever hear about you going to these type places again, I will inform the school, as well as the church, because those kids don t need to have someone who is living a double life leading them. In that moment, I think I knew how the Ephesians must have felt as Paul was insisting they not go back to their former way of corrupt living. My roommate went on to say something that moved my heart past embarrassment, guilt, and anger. He said, If this is the life you want, go for it. Drop out of school and the ministry, but don t drag Jesus and those kids through the mud with you! Then the defensive wall came crashing down, I embraced the truth of how wrong I had been, and God used him to change my heart and mind. My roommate took a strong stand that early morning and put our relationship at risk because of the relationship he had with God! This will always stick with me, even now nearly 30 years since that conversation. It changed my focus towards school, towards the way I ran, towards ministry, and the type of woman I wanted to pursue as a wife. That s why on November 21, 1993, at Southeast Christian Church my roommate who told me the hard truth was my best man! Can you imagine how much the Ephesians later appreciated Paul for telling them the truth as they reflected on the joy they had walking in a right relationship with God and having a purpose-filled life because he boldly challenged them out of love? So here is my challenge for you this morning: reread Ephesians 4:17-24 and reflect on what God might be insisting you to here. Where does your life need to be realigned to a new way of living? Then pray over what it is He wants to change in the attitude of your mind and the actions that follow. Jim Veihl

Tuesday I AM: Light The Light Leads the Way Our lives as followers of Jesus we are radically marked by Him. Think back through this I AM series. We have looked at our identity as it is found in Christ: We are BLESSED (Ephesians 1:1-3), we are CHOSEN (1:4,11-12), we are ADOPTED (1:5-6), we are REDEEMED (1:7-10), we are SAVED and SENT (2:1-22), we are INVITED TO PRAY (3:20-21), we are GIFTED and CALLED (4:11-16), and we are LIGHT (5:1-20). The reality of this newfound identity is grounded in Jesus. He is the source and the foundation of who we are. Read Ephesians 5:1-20. Paul calls us to be imitators of God and to do so by living the life that Jesus lived, a life marked by love and sacrifice. In order to be light, we must let Light lead the way. Read John 5:1-20. I love this story because of the example that Jesus sets forth on what it looks like to be led. His response to the Jewish folks who were upset about Him breaking a law and healing on the Sabbath should be a mark of our every moment in life, I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does (vv.19-20). This is the relationship for which I strive. To be so in tune with what God is doing and how His Spirit is moving that I do only what the Father asks of me. Nothing less. Nothing more. Not everything that God calls us to makes sense. Looking back at the story in John 5, I ve always wondered why God didn t have Jesus heal everyone at the pool of Bethesda. John recounts that there were a great number of disabled people there. Some who had been coming to that pool, hoping to be healed for years, and Jesus only heals one of them. Why not all of them? Not everything God calls us to do makes sense, but He is faithful and promises to be with us. Often revealing just enough for us to follow in step with Him. We are called to trust and have faith in who He is (Isaiah 42:16 and Psalm 119:105). How is God leading you? Where is He leading you? What might He be calling you to? Are you able to discern the Holy Spirit s prompting in your life? Think of a time when you felt God leading you and you followed. Think of a time when you felt God leading and you did not follow. How have those moments shaped how you listen to God? Have those moments made it easier for you to recognize God s leading in your life? Michael Watson

Wednesday The Light is Often Imitated Have you ever had an off-brand version of a food you love? When I was growing up, my absolute favorite cereal was Lucky Charms. There are not many things better in this life than Lucky Charms marshmallows. In an effort to save money, occasionally my mom would by the off-brand version of Lucky Charms. The cereal looked the same on the outside, but it didn t taste magically delicious. It tried to be the real thing, but it was just an imitation. In 2 Corinthians 11, some false teachers have infiltrated the church. These teachers were well spoken but just imitating being follows of Jesus. To make matters worse, they were trying to discredit Paul. In response, Paul gets straight to the point in his letter to the Corinthian Christians: These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Here is the reality false teaching will always surround us. What s worse is that it regularly comes disguised as an imitation of God s Truth. The real question is how do we sift through what is true and what is false? God s Truth has a distinct taste. The way to begin understanding what is true starts by spending time in the Bible. Most false teaching is simply a twisted version of God s Truth. To be honest, Satan is probably one of the best Bible scholars, and he has done his homework. He even shows up to tempt Jesus by using Scripture (Matthew 4:5-7). God s Truth has a distinct taste. The more you spend time in the Bible, the better you will understand the distinct flavor of God s truth. In turn, you will better recognize the bitter flavors of false truths. That s exactly what Jesus did when he responded to Satan s temptation from Scripture. Take a moment to read Psalm 119:97-104 (NLT). Teachers (good or bad) always produce fruit. Both good and false teachers can look and sound true, but the real evidence is found in their lives. Take a look at the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:15-20 (NLT). People always trust actions more than words, and good or false teachers can be identified by the fruit (actions) produced in their lives. This is where the transformation of a life in relationship with God happens. So, where do we go from here? I think there are two questions to ponder this week. How are you intentionally spending time developing your taste for God s Truth? Next (and this is the big one), what kind fruit is being produced in your life? Both are great questions to ponder this week. I would recommend doing so over a bowl of Lucky Charms. Andy Clark

Thursday Today, take a few minutes to flip to the Gospel of Matthew, read chapter 5, verses 14-16. These words from Jesus happen to be in the middle of what we call the Sermon on the Mount, one of the most well-known teaching speeches given by Jesus. In those three verses, Jesus tells His audience one very important thing about who they are. It just so happens His words apply equally to us today. He says, You are the light of the world. Who is the light of the world? You are the light of the world! Jesus uses an example with which His audience would have been quite familiar. Back in the day when the luxury of electricity did not exist, once the sun went down the only source of light would have been an oil lamp. Jesus is about to make the comparison of a lifetime! A household wouldn t light a lamp to put it under a basket, but instead place the light on top of a stand for everyone to see! In the same way, our good works and deeds should shine for all the world to see. A few things can be said here in regard to light. Light is something that is meant to be seen. It is not only meant to be seen, but it is impossible not to be seen amidst the darkness. As Christians, we are meant to be a source of light in the darkness that so often surrounds us in this world. I can t help but boil it down to this: this light should shine through our actions. James 1:22 says it plainly: Don t just listen to God s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise you are only fooling yourselves. There is a type of person who hears the word but does not do the word, and that person is deceived. We must not only be hearers of the word, but also doers of the word. We cannot be a people who come to church on the weekends, hear the teaching, and then forget about that of which we are called during the rest of our week. Jesus didn t say, Let your light shine inside the walls of the church. He says, You are the light of the world! What would Jesus look like wearing your clothes, pulling out of your driveway, going to your school or your place of work? This quote by St. Francis of Assisi is quite fitting: Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words. Our actions should be a source of light in this dark world; we should be begging people with our lives to take the truth we have as believers in Christ. One last vital thing before you get on with your day Jesus says our light is to shine before all so that they see our good works and, give glory to your Father who is in heaven. We shine, not to look bright ourselves, but to point to the One who makes us shine in the first place! Kelsea Sunderhaus

Friday Follow God s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 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. ~ Ephesians 5:1-2 Take some time to read today s verses a few times over. If you have a Bible app on your phone, read it in a few different translations. Be sure to apply some fresh eyes each time you read it and try to commit it to memory! Family resemblance is deeper than skin. Whenever I look at pictures of my dad when he was younger, I m reminded where I get my nose. Now, my ears, that is totally my grampa s fault, and I m still trying to grow into them. But it s crazy to see pictures of my father and see just how much I look like him. There is a family resemblance. You can tell he is my father and I am his son. We look a lot alike; but, when I look at my life, how I live, the choices I make, the actions I take, my prayer is that my life still looks like my dad s. He is someone who has always loved Jesus, loved his wife, his kids, his grandkids, and everyone else. And he has loved them well. He has set an example for me to follow. In the same way, God, as our Father, has set an example for His kids. He calls us to be imitators, to model our lives around His, to walk in the way of love just as Christ has loved us. He calls us to bring light to darkness, to live in that light, to be children of that light. Ephesians 4:24 says, You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God s likeness righteous, holy, and true (NLT). A spiritual family resemblance isn t a prominent nose or protruding ears; it s a life fueled by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control because that is the example of the Father. When people see your life, do they see these qualities? Which qualities seem to come more naturally for you? Which ones, not so much? Live like you are loved and love like you are loved. As Christ followers, we live from a place OF love, not FOR love. The love of the Father is a love we already have. It s not something we earn, but something we accept and embrace. We are so used to earning what we have that we often lump love into the pile. But this is the kind of love our world struggles to understand because we make the word love mean less than it does. I love Chick-fil-A sauce, but not the same way I love my wife. Love looks like sacrifice. Love looks like the way Christ loves us. That love for us equips us to love others and love them well. To my 10-year-old son Ezra, love looks like helping others before you help yourself. (Yes, he is helping me write this devo.) My hope is that my son and my daughters have the best definition of what love is so that they can share that love for others and with others. I pray they walk in the way of love and that they learn that from me. Are you living from love or for love? What needs to change? What does love for others look like in your life? In John 13:34 Jesus says, So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples (NLT). This love is how our King has chosen to make Himself known to our world. This love is to be known by how we live, by how we love. Who are your others? How might God be calling you to prove to the world who your King is? Ben Woods