McMahon Life

Ephesians 5:3-4; 5:15-20

But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints.  Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving.

Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because  the days are evil.  So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I think the distinction Paul is making here is very important.  He says, instead of impurity and vulgarity, let there be thanksgiving, and instead of drunkenness, be filled with the Spirit.  This is the distinction I think Paul is making: if we try to NOT do the bad (or even to see how close we can get to what is wrong without crossing the line), we are focusing on the wrong thing. The point is to focus on what is good (read Philippans tomorrow!).

If we are constantly offering words of thanksgiving, then our mouths will be filled with wholesome, uplifting talk and there will be no room for vulgarity and impure talk.  If we strive to at all times be filled with the Spirit, then the idea of drunkenness (practiced to elicit a feeling or experience) will be out of the question because  the focus is on being one with God.

Let us be people that no longer ask, “where is the line, how much can I swear, how crude of jokes can I tell?”  But let us be people that draw as close as we can to our Savior and Lord through constantly giving thanks for all and in all, and by being filled with the Spirit and expressing that through forms of worship, prayer, and thanksgiving.  It seems to me that “thanksgiving” comes up a lot with Paul – I think he values this extremely highly.  When I look at our culture, we tend to be a very ungrateful people (myself included), and our sense of entitlement hinders our intimacy with God.

Father in Heaven, forgive me for lacking gratitude.
Forgive me for the impurity that has resided within me and has come out of my mouth.
I truly desire to follow you, to be in unity with you, to walk intimately beside you.
Help me to walk in purity – of mind and of action.
Help me to walk in gratitude – of word and of heart.
Thank you for all you have done for me, and above all,
thank you for Jesus.
Amen.