Ephesians 5:17-18 ESV
“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery…”
This word “drunk” has to do with inebriation and
intoxication. Inebriation - To exhilarate, confuse (puzzle), or stupefy (daze) mentally
or emotionally. Intoxication - overpowering exhilaration or excitement of the
mind or emotions; to cause (someone) to lose control of his faculties or
behavior.
And, it isn’t just alcoholic beverages which can cause this
to happen. Some drugs (medicines) can do this. The news media can do this, too,
as it can be very hypnotic and mind-manipulative. Social media especially can
have a hypnotic and addictive affect on people, much like alcohol or drugs.
Sin can do this, too. Especially sexual sin and lust can
overpower the powers of reason in the mind and can lead people to do very
stupid and harmful things to themselves and to others.
So, a person can get drunk on sin and drunk on lust, which
often leads to adultery and extramarital affairs and divorce, because the “drunk”
think they are “in love,” but it is “lust.”
And, so they end up doing very foolish things, often not caring
what the consequences of their utter stupidity might be. For, they mentally
block out the potential consequences, and they only focus on the heightened
pleasure of the moment and that feeling of exhilaration which they get from
their “drug” of choice. And, it doesn’t matter to them who gets hurt.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and SELF-CONTROL. We, who belong
to Jesus, are not to live lives which are out of control. We are not to have
our minds blown away by anything addictive or mind-controlling, whether it be
alcohol, drugs, the news, social media, the internet, TV, sexual sin, or sin,
in general.
So, it is against the will of God for us to have anything
else controlling our minds other than Him and his word. It is against the will
of God for us to be involved in any activity, even if it is termed “spiritual,”
where something is causing or leading us to lose control of our faculties or
behavior, and for us to do what is harmful or stupid (unwise, senseless,
irresponsible).
Ephesians 5:18-21 ESV
“…but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
So, instead of allowing the flesh to control us, and for us
to live lives which are out of control, to where we lose control of our
faculties and behaviors, we are to be controlled by the Spirit of God and to
exhibit self-control.
We are to be filled up with the Spirit of God, and this
happens as more and more we let go of what is sinful, and we yield more and
more of our lives over to the control of the Holy Spirit (See Eph. 4:17-32;
Eph. 5:1-21).
Then, the fruit that we bear should be the fruit of the
Spirit, and not the fruit of the flesh and of this sinful world. Instead of it
being selfish, it will be self-less. Instead of it being about us and our
pleasure, it will be about others and meeting their legitimate needs.
Thus, we will be focused on ministering to one another’s
physical and spiritual needs (not necessarily wants or desires).
And, one of the many ways in which we can encourage one
another in our walks of faith in Jesus Christ is to address (or to speak to)
one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. And, the psalms don’t have
to be just the ones in the Bible, but they can be spiritual poems the Lord has
given us to write. And he may give us new hymns and new spiritual songs to
write, too. Or he may have us share new hymns or songs written by others.
And, the thing about the hymns is that mostly they are the
word of God put to music. They are mostly filled with doctrinal truths found in
Scripture which encourage our hearts, which counsel us in the Lord, and which
nurture us in our walks of faith to maturity in Christ Jesus, our Lord. So, I
love the hymns – many of the old ones, and some of the new ones, too!
For, the whole point of this is not just to sing, but it is
to encourage one another to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God. And, it
is to give God our honor and praise, but not just with our lips, but with our
lives.
And, this submitting to one another has to do with humility
and selflessness, and considering others above ourselves, and being unselfish
in how we reach out to one another to help meet both physical and spiritual
needs. Amen!
He Gave Me a Song
Songwriter: Alton
Howard
He took my burdens all away, up to a brighter day…
Brighter the way grows ev’ry day, walking the heav’nly way…
I am redeemed no more to die, never to say goodbye…
And some of these days in that fair land, sing with the
chorus grand…
He gave me a song, to sing about
He lifted me from sin and doubt
O, praise His name, He is my King
A wonderful song He is to me
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