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Ancient Words, Eternal Wisdom
A Modern Day Look at Ephesians
By: Mary Elise Chavez
Posted July 2007

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In today's consumptive, pleasure-driven world, it seems quiet easy to lose sight of that which should be our clarified vision for our futures and behaviors as reflected through us and onto others. A brilliant and insightful book in the Bible that sheds light upon such issues is Ephesians. Ephesus was an important center for early Christianity, as it was a prime focus of the Apostle Paul's missionary work.

The below excerpt of this inspiring book may arouse conviction, but enlightenment and change can result from this read. The beauty and depth of the soul deserves to be nurtured and provided the proper attention to flourish and grow. I encourage you to read the below material with a receptive stance and open mind.

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Ephesians 4:15-5:2
The Old Way Has To Go

As quoted from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. More information can be found here.

To view the New International Version of this selection, please click here.

"And so I insist - and God backs me up on this - that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything - and i do mean everything - connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life - a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after aoll. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry - but don't use anger as fuel for your revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can't work.

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted.

Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, proface talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you."

5:2-20

"Don't allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, Christians have better uses for language than that. Don't talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn't fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.

Wake up from your sleep, climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light!"

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Feel free to check out the article "Dodging Arrows", courtesy of our brother site, ForTheModernMan.com, for an insightful continuance of this topic.

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