See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. –Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV
Are your sunday-christian sensibilities shocked by the everyday images of the world in these last days?
Oh, the subtleties of Satan engineering constant bombardment of entertainment vulgarities as desirable mentoring of women and children and young men. Oh, the subtleties of Satan to suggest special rights for perversions abhorrent to God. Oh, the subtleties of Satan renaming life given to the growing seed of a man in the womb of a woman to the purpose of calling a child a choice. Oh, the subtleties of Satan for the greed of intrusion of corporate performance-improving pharmaceuticals within the hearing of our children with a medical disclaimer for physiology once not mentioned to toddlers or young teens.
The imagery of combat and sex in video and print and talk invades the minds and conquers the heart and soul by every intrusion into the lives of our growing children and the workplaces and shopping places of every adult. Philandering weak sunday-christians wander six-days and twenty-three hours in the filth of the world without the purity of Christ. Oh, the subtlety of Satan to have christians accept evil as normal and reject Christ’s righteousness as abhorrent witness to a fallen world.
Satan’s advances through cellphones , i-pods, cartoons; by television and radio into every place of work and business; and the filtering of Christ and God from every tolerance of the world goes well beyond what was considered proper and acceptable to any man or woman or child, let alone a Christian struggling to mute the evil messages and cover the obscene sights of our everyday life in the world of these last days.
The temple prostitutes of Ephesus had nothing on those of this day who live for the moment of their next hook-up and share in the desires of the flesh against which the letter cautions Christians so vehemently. Some of these now do even claim Christ on an occasional Sunday, while the world knows they covet the buzz of the moment and relationship of the night.
Ephesians 5
Walk in Love
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Walk in Light
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:
“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
Walk in Wisdom
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Marriage—Christ and the Church
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Is marriage not under attack?
By women divorcing their Christian husbands? By adultery of husbands who claim Christ? By re-definition of twenties and teens “in a relationship,” before never being in a commitment by their words and their true acts of true love?
Why not re-define marriage in the courts to conform to the sinful desires of sinful man?
Oh, ‘single mom’ and lustful man: it is not the husband or wife of your vows you witness against. Your sin and witness is against Christ Jesus by claiming His Name, while living the subtle lies of the life of your flesh!
When David sinned and was finally convicted after a year, he repented and did all he could to get right before God once more.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
Therefore, forgive the sinner
And repent you fellow sinner
For the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ
And for the redemption of your sinking soul.
2 Timothy 3
Godlessness in the Last Days
3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
2 For people will be:
- lovers of self,
- lovers of money,
- proud,
- arrogant,
- abusive,
- disobedient to their parents,
- ungrateful, unholy,
- heartless,
- unappeasable (impossible to satisfy),
- slanderous,
- without self-control,
- brutal,
- not loving good,
- treacherous,
- reckless,
- swollen with conceit,
(And occasional sunday-christians unrepentant, take note of these:)
- lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
- having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
AND the advice of the letter to the Church?
Avoid such people.
Redeem your time spent so foolishly with non-Christians and unbelievers; but AVOID those who CLAIM Christ Jesus, while living a pagan and unbelieving life of witness against Christ and His bride, the Church.
6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth…
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Remove your shades of the blind man,
O you christian distracted by the world.
Remove Satan’s loud ear buds
From pounding the evil in your ears.
Hear once more the Gospel.
Receive the love of our Redeemer.
Turn again and follow once more
Christ Jesus, our Lord;
Redeeming your time,
For the days are evil.
Yes, in some instances (even if I don’t like to admit to all of my 6+ decades) I am an older man.