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 Ephesians 5 - Opportunity to Shine

        Today you and I have an opportunity to shine.  Let's do so.

        Do we live as people of the light?  Do we take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness?  Instead, do we expose them?  We know that we can live godly lives with the Spirit of Christ.  God promises that as his children we can produce good fruit even in our old age (Psalm 92:12).

        Yet, oh my, what a challenging chapter.  No immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God (Ephesians 5:5).  Have you ever seen aspects of those dark traits in modern churchmen?  Scary thoughts - like a horror movie, but real.  At the end of the day, will those be our defining characteristics?  I trust Jesus to save me and to give me eternal life.  And I want the answer to that question to be absolutely not.  Those are not our traits.  Let's be honest before God.  His Scripture exposes who we really are.  

        We must live as children of the Light, moral, pure, and worshipping God alone.  The things of this world offer us nothing.  Nothing under the sun is truly new (Ecclesiastes 1:9). 

        This doesn’t mean that we don’t live life to the fullest and flourish as God promises we should.  We can and we will.

        Love your family, friends, work, church, and every good gift that coms down to you from the Father.  Love travel and good food if that is your thing.  But make the most of the opportunities the providencial hand provides today.  I love my grandsons and my children.  They are my pride and joy.  These things are from God and I thank God for His goodness.

        Lord Jesus, help us to be mindful today that we are children of light and we must be determined to live following God’s light in us.  Amen.


John Marshall (fourth chief justice of the United States Supreme Court) as sculpted in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

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