FOLLOWING THE WAY
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Opening Prayer
Jesus, you call me to follow you, to trust you for my salvation, and to live as you lived. Empower me with your Spirit today.
Read EPHESIANS 4:25–5:2
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:26 Psalm 4:4 (see Septuagint)
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What encourages you most to follow Christ? What inspires you to worship him?
The call of Jesus is not to agree with a certain philosophy, to follow a rigid ethical code, or to respond to a prophetic summons. The call of Jesus is to follow him, the person we see revealed in the Gospels and the ongoing activity of Christ in our lives and the world today. We follow, not as employees or disregarded slaves, but as beloved children in God’s family. In your family, what characteristics or traditions were there? Maybe it was reverence for the elderly, places you visited, or meals you ate on particular days. God’s family is to be known for truth, unity, peace, honesty, purity, encouragement, kindness, forgiveness, and compassion.
That list sounds wonderful, but we can be all too aware of the times we or others fall short of that ideal. We need to make sure that we do not miss a key element in this text, the role of the Holy Spirit. Placing our faith in Christ is not a momentary action, something we do once and then we are left to our own devices to try and be a better person by sheer willpower. When we receive Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit1 and this means God’s power is immediately at work in our hearts and minds to bring about transformation. The question for us is: do we partner with the Spirit or grieve the Spirit?
God’s gift of his Spirit is remarkable because the relationship into which we are invited is a truly intimate one. Through our actions and choices, we can celebrate the Spirit’s presence, or we can grieve the Spirit. Over time, as we cultivate a relationship with the Spirit, it is as though our spirit is increasingly saturated with the Holy Spirit as our thoughts and actions become more aligned with those of Jesus.
Apply
Spend time praying to the Spirit and enjoying his presence with you.
Closing prayer
Thank you, Father, for the gift of the Holy Spirit, my ever-present counselor. Help my relationship with him deepen; help me to be more and more in tune with his voice.
1 Eph 1:13
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