Ephesians 5:3–5

Ephesians 5:3-5 

English Standard Version 

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  There's been any number of debates about sex in the church over the last few centuries.  And they're worth having -- when we submit all of life to God, that includes our physical lives.

  But while we have untold hours of debate about sex, do we also have debate about greed and covetousness?  In the church, we often get so focused on sexual sins that we forget there are other sins.  Here in Ephesians 5, Paul is putting greed on the same level as sexual immorality.  We tend to think one is more serious than the other, but the Bible teaches us that all sin separates us from God and corrupts our relationships with one another.  We can do greed in private, and no one else will know about it... but it still rots us, hollowing us out, and we need Christ to redeem that part of our lives as well.  

  So let us lay everything before Christ.  When we confess our sins, we should include everything.  Christ has come to heal and restore, thanks be to God!

Ephesians 5:1–2

Ephesians 5:1-2 

English Standard Version 

  Every trip through the airport involves a walk by Auntie Anne's pretzels, where the aroma of sugar covered pretzels wafts across the concourse and always smells amazing.  I don't know that I've ever actually had one, but the smell always brings joy.  

  Paul talks about Christ's death as a fragrant offering, and I think of it the same way.  Christ dying on the cross is meant to waft around the community, bringing joy to those who were trapped in sin because they see the depth of God's love for them.  It's strange that it would be death on a cross that would bring joy, but such is the love of God -- it will pay any price to redeem you from sin and despair.  So the more we contemplate that, the more we are pushed to love one another, and so we then walk in love because of the great love with which Christ has loved us.  The offering of Christ moves around the world, touching hearts, changing lives, and pointing us towards the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:31–32

Ephesians 4:31-32

English Standard Version 

  Most of us have boxes that we've moved from place to place and still haven't unpacked.  There is a weight there that we barely notice -- it just blends into the background.  

  Bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander can do the same -- we carry them for so long that they become a part of us, and we don't notice the way they weigh down the soul.  When I run for President, maybe this will be my slogan -- imagine how much more at peace we'd be as a country if we could set down our anger and malice and wrath and be kind to one another, rather than react out of fear or bitterness that we've been carrying around for years.  If we realized the incredible gift of forgiveness that we didn't deserve and thought about how that should shape our interactions with others.  Think about how that could change a family, a community, a country!  Who can you start with?

Ephesians 4:28–30

Ephesians 4:28-30 

English Standard Version 

  I think about the passage in Matthew where Jesus tells us that the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.  It's like an overflow of a dam -- our words reflect what is within us.  The more grace and wisdom we take in from God, the more we reflect that back to the world, and in the same way, when we do not invest in our relationship with God, it's easy to be less gracious to others, because when we understand the grace God has extended to us and root ourselves in this daily, we're more likely to be gracious to others.  

  This is why Paul is telling the Ephesians that the thief should no longer steal -- if he continues to steal after converting to Christianity, it's evidence that his conversion isn't very deep.  In the same way, we're called to treat one another in a way that reflects the work the Holy Spirit is doing in our own lives, thus reflecting the grace of God to the world.