4:7-5:14 - God
wants us to ‘grow up in every way into Christ’ (15). We are to ‘walk in
love’ (2), a life which is ‘pleasing to the Lord’ (5:10). It is so easy
for us to settle for something less than God’s very best. We settle
down into a state of spiritual complacency. What does God have to say
about this? - ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God’ (30). He gives us
His wake-up call: ‘Awake, O sleeper…’(5:14). God says to us, ‘Awake,
awake, put on your strength… Shake yourself from the dust, arise’
(Isaiah 52:1-2). Have you become ‘lukewarm’? - ‘Be zealous and repent’.
Christ says, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My
voice and opens the door, I will come into him’ (Revelation 3:16,19-20).
What will you say to Him? - ‘Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in
today. Come in to stay’.
5:15-6:24 - ‘Be
very careful how you live’ (5:16). This is for all of us - in every
situation of life. How are we to live? We are to ‘be filled with the
Spirit’. We are to have ‘reverence for Christ’. We are to live ‘as
servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart’. We are to ‘be
strong in the Lord’. We are to ‘pray at all times in the Spirit’. We
are to ‘to love our Lord Jesus Christ with love undying’
(5:18,21;6:6,10,18,24). Careful living emerges from true spirituality.
It is not a matter of rules and regulations. It is a matter of love for
Jesus. We’re not to be like the Pharisees: ‘On the outside you appear to
people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy’,
‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from
Me’ (Matthew 23:28; Mark 7:6). Take care - because you love Jesus!
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