RPG Adults
YE WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY (III)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18
Ephesians 5:1-20
Ephesians 5:18
“Be filled with the Spirit.”
YE WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY (III)
(d) Being Filled with the Holy Spirit: “Be filled with the Spirit” (v 18), or literally, “keep on being controlled by the Holy Spirit” not only on Sunday or during devotion time, but always and perpetually. A drunkard is controlled by alcohol, and he loses self-control, easily falls into temptations, and behaves foolishly. When we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, He will produce in us His good and spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance or self-control, righteousness and truth (Gal 5:22-23; Eph 5:9).
We are to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit and His will (1 Cor 12:11). The Holy Spirit is the Author of God’s Word, so when we say that we are submissive to the Holy Spirit we must be submissive to His Word as well. A Spirit-controlled Christian “can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth” (2 Cor 13:8), will “glorify” Jesus Christ alone (John 16:14), and magnify God’s Word above all (Ps 138:2). Surely he will never question nor criticise God’s Word. It is foolish to be controlled by our sinful nature, Satan or anything in this world. Let us be wise to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and His Word with our full submission.
(e) Singing Praises to the Lord and Giving Thanks Always: Under the control of the Holy Spirit, we shall not speak in tongues, but shall speak to one another in “psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v 19-20). Truly, it is the kingdom of heaven in our heart when our heart is tuned to the Lord in singing and praising Him with thanksgiving wherever we are and whatever we are doing. And we will not complain or murmur when something wrong happens to us or when we expect something to happen but it does not.
THOUGHT: It is foolish to be controlled by anything else except the Spirit.
PRAYER: Father, please help me submit to the control of the Holy Spirit.