Ephesians 5:8-10 – In the Light
By Pastor Paul Georgulis
“8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.” – Ephesians 5:8-10 (New Living Translation)
In this passage, the Apostle Paul once again contrasts the lives of followers of Jesus both prior to, and after coming to faith in Jesus. Prior to, we were full of darkness (i.e., sin). After, we are full of light. Paul is continuing the emphasis he began back in verse one of chapter five by stating that followers of Jesus are to be imitators of God. The first way we are to imitate God is in His love, and the second way is in relation to light.
As is often the case, God brings songs to my mind when reading Scripture. As I have been reading and meditating on verses eight through ten, a song called “In the Light” by DC Talk has been running through my mind. Click here to hear the song. Here are some of the lyrics:
“I keep trying to find a life…On my own, apart from You
I am the king of excuses…I’ve got one for every selfish thing I do
What’s going on inside of me? I despise my own behavior.
This only serves to confirm my suspicions that I’m still a man in need of a Savior
[chorus]
I wanna be in the Light, As You are in the Light
I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the Light
All I want is to be in the Light” ( https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dctalk/inthelight.html ).
Are you living your life to reflect the light of Jesus that is inside of you, or does the way you live suppress that light, making it hard to see? Learn what pleases God through the reading and studying of His word, and then live in those ways – live in the light.
Prayer:
Father God, thank you for being our light and for allowing us to share your light with others. As children of light, help us to join together and light up the darkness in this world. And, Lord, if our light ever starts to fade due to the distractions we allow to creep into our lives, help us to be aware of it and to draw closer to You so that our light can be strengthened.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!