A Pause to Ponder God's Word
"Get In Step"
These are desperate days. As trite as this statement is, it is important for us to be reminded of the reality that we live in evil, desperate days. One glance of the daily news brings this reality to the forefront. Wars, rumors of wars, fathers pulling guns on their seven year old son’s football coach, parents murdering children, kids killing schoolmates and teachers, public officials resigning in disgrace due to inappropriate sexual activity, company officials embezzling funds causing company’s collapse and on and on we could go. These are desperate times. How are God’s people to respond to such desperate days?

Scripture implores us to “be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:15-18)

Eugene Peterson does an excellent job in The Message capturing the essence of the Greek test paraphrasing verse 15: “Watch your step. Use your head.” The wise person is going to take great care in how they walk; seeking to align their steps with God and His will (“understand what the Lord’s will is). The wise person will take full advantage of every opportunity to get and stay in step with God.

Being very careful to keep in step with God and His will awakens us to our need and His desire for us to be filled with His Spirit. There is no other way for us to live holy lives. We refuse to live intoxicated lives, giving our lives over to anything other than Jesus Christ. Rather we are continually filled with the Spirit, empowered and equipped to live wholly for God. We are not containers who one time get filled up and we are set for life. Rather, we consecrate our lives to Him by faith wherein He cleanses us through and through filling us with His Spirit. But we rise to walk in step with Him. This means daily consecrating ourselves to Him thereby growing, being stretched, maturing, learning, becoming more like Christ and constantly being filled with His Spirit.

As we live the Spirit-filled lives, as we walk in step with God our lives erupt in worship to Him. We “speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” We “sing and make music in our hearts to the Lord always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (vs. 19-20). And we live holy lives in the church, our marriages, our families, our places of employment and in the world (5:19 – 6:18)

Beloved, these are desperate evil days and it is essential for us to strive together to keep in step with God and His will.

Keep Close to Jesus
Pastor Gerry


A Pause To Ponder God's Word is written and distributed by Gerald Whetstone, Ordained Elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene. These devotionals may be transmitted, duplicated, used in part or in entirety without permission for nonprofit purposes only. Responses welcome. To Subscribe Click Here.
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