Often Paul the Apostle got on a roll when corresponding with the various churches under his watch. I picture his scribe feverishly scribbling to keep up.

In one short section of his letter to the church in Ephesus Paul hit bullseye after bullseye:

Walk in the way of love.

Not even a hint of sexual immorality.

You are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Make the most of every opportunity.

Be filled with the Spirit.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Every point deserves careful thought and study on its own. Indeed, sermons have been preached and books written on each. Paul popped them off one after another, like a vocal artist at top form.

The Lord’s ideas for living with each other clearly emerge: love, submit, don’t waste opportunities. But how can a weak individual like myself do any of this?

There’s the beauty of it all. Paul underscores the power source—be filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit.

Otherwise I cannot do any of this for very long. But the Lord provides a way to actually live such a life, and for that Paul reminds us to give thanks. The Lord gives us ways to best live with one another, and the Lord gives us a relationship with the Holy Spirit to do so.

Ephesians 5 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Thomas Bormans