August 12, 2020

Today’s Hope is a little different than previous devotionals. I hear God taking us in a new direction with these devotionals and I know it will only be a direction of goodness and joy. Hold on LadyBugs, we are on a journey with the King and it is sure to be overwhelmingly joyful!!
I was studying out in quiet time today, one of the things that came to me was Ephesians chapter 5 verses 1-21. This is a long section so be patient with me as we walk this pathway in Today’s Hope.
In the first part of Ephesians 5, we are reading instructions from Paul as he is writing to Ephesus about the behavior of believers. These are not light scriptures by any means, yet at the same time, they are very fundamental to our walk with Christ. If we are to be the salt and light of the earth, then we must know the basic instructions of what that walk should look like to others who are seeking hope and love in a chaotic world.
The first two scriptures are us telling something that we have read many times throughout God’s word. “Walk in love” as Jesus has given Himself as an offering for our sins. Then the next 16 scriptures are the strong stuff. These are the verses that really get in our face about how we should be dealing with the sin and association with those who are entangled in the webs of the enemy. Then we have a shift change in the last 3 scriptures of this passage. These verses are where we get instructions on behavior that will draw us closer to God.
LadyBug, if you have ever needed reasons to talk to yourself and sing and dance around the house, well here is your scripture. Provided that you are speaking God’s word over yourself and singing praises of thanksgiving unto the Lord.
In verse 19 we are encouraged to speak to ourselves with psalms and hymns; and to also sing songs of praise and thanksgiving. We all know that this joyful behavior is contagious, I am sure that is why God has instructed us to do so. When those who are lost or hurting see the joy of our praises, their heart will begin to be enticed.
We then have the last verse of the section, verse 21. Oh, this one is so precious. We are asked to walk in submission to one another. How better to show the love of God than to let others see us serving one another in love and compassion.
Let us sing a song and give thanks daily as we seek to serve and love one another.
~Cyndi Kay
Ephesians 5:1-21