Ephesians 5:15-20, August 14-20, Year B:

Straight AheadPaul tells us several interesting things in this passage. First, we are to be wise. We are to walk circumspectly, and not foolishly. This is appropriate for the context. Paul is talking about conduct and bearing fruit. Reminding his readers to be wise and to understand the will of the Lord is a kind of summation of the passage. Second, we are to be filled with the Spirit. The apostle is not primarily concerned with the evils of drunkenness here, but with the filling of the Spirit. I have heard this verse used by legalists to warn against the evils of alcohol; but such a use is an example of using an unrelated Scripture to prove a doubtful point. And finally, we are to give thanks for all things. We give thanks, even for difficult and unpleasant things--not because we're glad for the sickness, or the job loss, or the death of a loved one, or other disappointments and heartaches in our lives; but because we know that the various circumstances of our lives are ultimately under the control of God. We are thankful that we are in His care, if we belong to Him through Jesus Christ. (Remember that this epistle was written to Christians.) We are thankful that nothing happens to us without God. We are thankful that He is ultimately watching over us. Nothing surprises Him; and somehow, it will all work toward the goal of conforming us to His image. Now, a couple of housekeeping notes. I am placing this post early because I will be out of the pulpit on August 20 and out of town. I wanted this entry to be on time. Second, some of my blog readers may wonder why I post lessons on the epistles about once a week. It is because I am the moderator of a group on the Ecunet Web site entitled, "Lectionary Epistle Notes." It was suggested that in addition to posting these messages on that Web site, I might also post them on my blog. That way, some people who see them on Ecunet could refer others to the blog, who are not Ecunet members. I appreciate all the encouraging comments. Enjoy.