Ephesians 5

For the first time in a long time, I had a quiet time reading my Bible the past two mornings. Time and time again, I find myself drifting away from the Lord. I get so caught up in MY life and MY world that I forget about Him and spending time with HIM! It never fails that when I drift from the Lord, I open myself up to the attacks of the devil. I find myself under spiritual, mental, emotional, and even phyical attack. It's like swimming and playing out in the ocean. You get caught up fooling around or beating the waves, and before you know it, you've drifted and then you find yourself trying to stay afloat in the ocean and you struggle and struggle and can't understand why you are going through all this trouble and getting nowhere. The ocean is no longer fun. It's drowning you. Then, you realize, "Oh, yeah, just put your feet down on the Solid Rock, Shannon." When I take my eyes off the Lord, it doesn't take long before I'm struggling. My wonderful husband helps me realize that I've taken my eyes of the Lord and gets me back to the Solid Rock. Jay is my helpmate, my best friend. I am so thankful that the Lord gave him to me. Together, we help each other and grow in our marriage as we grow in the Lord.

So, I was reading Ephesian 5 today. What an awesome chapter! The 4 main topics are: Walk in Love, Walk in Light, Walk in Wisdom, and Marriage. It hit me how we are to walk in love....total unconditional love just as Jesus Christ has shown us. He died for MY sin in MY place so that I can accept the FREE gift of salvation from our Father in Heaven. He didn't have to do that. God's Word, the Bible, says that the cost of my sin is death. Every mistake I've made, every rule I've broken, every commandment I've broken... God says that the penalty is death. Yet, Jesus took my place, paid for my sin so that I can not only have everlasting life and get into heaven, but so that I can have a RELATIONSHIP with the Lord. So many people believe that just by going to church or believing in a god will get them to heaven, but that's not so. There's so much more than just filling a pew or seat on Sunday. It's about relationship. We are to love God and be imitators of Him. In Eph. 5, it says to be imitators of God as dear children. As I think about that and I look at Jadyn, I think how she so openly and willingly loves people. She is trusting, nonjudgemental, and happy. Whenever I don't feed her soon enough or change her diaper soon enough or even spend enough time in the day with her, she still greets me with a smile and open arms. It doesn't matter to her if I look nice or smell good or have done great things. She still loves me....unconditionally. That's how I'm supposed to imitate Christ.

The next part of Eph. 5 says to Walk in Light. Jesus is the Light of the World. We live in such a dark and fallen world...I can't even watch the news anymore without being disturbed of all the killings and robberies going on around us. "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light...finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." (Eph. 5: 8,10). Things we try to hide from the Lord by keeping them in the dark will become the next area of attack in our lives. When I have something bothering in me in the back of my mind and I don't deal with it, it continues to fester and grow and before I know it, at some point, it can become a stronghold in my life. "But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light." (Eph. 5:13). When I don't hide things from the Lord or even from my husband, for that matter, I don't leave room for darkness to grow. I turn it over to Him and where there once was darkness, the Light of Christ now shines. Not to say that the dark corner won't try to return, but as long as I turn it over to Christ, and then His Light will overcome. Think of how powerful a little match is when it is lit in a dark room...the Light of Lord is beyond measure of that! My mind cannot grasp that! Those who don't know the Lord, have not given their hearts to them, they walk in darkness. Many people don't even know it that they are walking in darkness...no hope, no light....they are a dead man walking. But Eph. 5:14 says "Awake you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light". It says He GIVES you light...no strings attached! It is a free gift! Praise God! How thankful I am for the Lord's Light in my life. I pray that His Light shines through me that when people look at me, it's not Shannon they see, but Jesus Christ shining through me....

Then there's Walk in Wisdom. Walk in the Wisdom of the Lord. He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us and give us wisdom. The days are evil, full of foolish men. We must be careful and walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, for the days are evil. "Redeeming the time".....How soon until the Lord's return? How much time do we have here on Earth. All you have to do is turn on the news and hear of global warming, wars, killings, robberies, earthquakes, fires, this and that and you wonder...how long do we really have? How long do I have to tell people that there is a God Who loves them and saves? Redeeming the time....

And as fear so often tries to set within my mind and heart, I know that I cannot live in fear. His word says in Eph. 5:20 "Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ". I thank Him that in the midst of this fallen world, in the midst of the darkness around me...I have Hope, I have the Light of the world...I have Jesus Christ living in me and the Holy Spirit guiding me. And I know that this world may fall away, but the kingdom of heaven will not! I know that when the Lord returns for His Bride, the church (all those who believe in Him), I will be ready! That leads into the last part of Eph. 5...Marriage. God compares the church as a bride preparing for her groom. Jesus is the Groom and He will be coming for His bride...the church. Eph. 5 talks about husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church, even giving Himself for her. And just as wives desire love, husbands desire respect. I need love and my husband needs my respect. I am to respect my husband. He is the spiritual leader of our family. Just as Christ deserves my respect as He is the Groom and I am part of the church, the Bride. I pray often that Jay will continue to seek the Lord and that the Lord will give him wisdom as he leads this family.

Eph. 5 has so much in it! I can chew and meditate on it for days and I think my mind would still be blown away at the Word of God. I know this is long, but it's my thoughts...jumbled as they are. I am thankful to the Lord for saving me. I am thankful that He is my Light and my Salvation. I'd be lost without Him....