TGIF
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Ephesians 5:3-4
I used to love obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking. Nothing better than playing some football, yelling some abuse, having a few drinks with the boys and talking foolishness.
But here’s what I came to realise. As fun as I found this behaviour. It was symptomatic of my whole view of life. As the Bible puts it, “eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow we die.” I neither cared about God or what He had done for me in Christ. Neither did I care about the things I said, whether they hurt others.
As God’s people we are being changed by the Spirit to become more like the holy people God wants us to be. This looks like turning away from behaviours which dishonor Jesus and hurt others. But it also looks like taking up new practices - like thanksgiving. Seeing what God has done for us and responding appropriately.
Do you practice thanksgiving? When you pray, do you start by giving thanks? At moments in your day, do you reflect on God’s goodness and say thankyou? Are you thankful to God?
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father for His grace that gives us reason for thanksgiving. Give thanks for Jesus who saves us to a life that pleases God. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others respond to God with thanksgiving.
Ephesians 5:3-4
I used to love obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking. Nothing better than playing some football, yelling some abuse, having a few drinks with the boys and talking foolishness.
But here’s what I came to realise. As fun as I found this behaviour. It was symptomatic of my whole view of life. As the Bible puts it, “eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow we die.” I neither cared about God or what He had done for me in Christ. Neither did I care about the things I said, whether they hurt others.
As God’s people we are being changed by the Spirit to become more like the holy people God wants us to be. This looks like turning away from behaviours which dishonor Jesus and hurt others. But it also looks like taking up new practices - like thanksgiving. Seeing what God has done for us and responding appropriately.
Do you practice thanksgiving? When you pray, do you start by giving thanks? At moments in your day, do you reflect on God’s goodness and say thankyou? Are you thankful to God?
For Today:
- Are you thankful to God & is that reflected in your speech?
- What is one way you could respond more with thanksgiving to God?
- Replace temptations to sin with temptations to give thanks - e.g. put a sticky note on your computer with three things to be thankful for.
Pray:
Praise the Father for His grace that gives us reason for thanksgiving. Give thanks for Jesus who saves us to a life that pleases God. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others respond to God with thanksgiving.
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