ACCEPTABLE UNTO THE LORD
Thursday – February 16, 2017
Well Thursday is upon us and another opportunity to know and do the will of our Heavenly Father. God is so good who would not want to do His will? Our wintery picture today was sent to us some time ago by faithful partners in Maine who took this picture out their back door. Those of you reading this in Texas doesn’t it just make you want to run out and buy a snow shovel? My guess is the answer is a unanimous, no. Since we are now in unity let’s move into our Bible Study.
Ephesians 5:8-12 (KJV)
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
The Apostle Paul has been pointing out the darkness in the Church at Ephesus. Part of this list includes fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, jesting, and whoremongering which are idolatry. Our first reaction would likely be; I’m not doing that and that is not going on in my Church! Really? I can assure you all of this is going on in each of our Churches and perhaps we ourselves are involved with one or more of these fruits of darkness. I encourage you to go back and review these teaching starting on the second of February. We have to turn the light on, the light is the Word of God. We have a tendency to just read over things that seem on the surface to have no application to us but this is where our diligence will pay off when we do pay attention.
Praise the Lord that we have come out of darkness, we were not just in darkness, we were darkness but when we said; “yes Lord”, we were instantly translated into the light and were made light. Even the tiny bit of Word, knowledge of Jesus (light) we knew at salvation was enough to transform us from darkness to light. God is light and therefore as dear children of God we also are light. Paul has admonished us to walk in love (obedience to the Holy Word) and now to walk in light (Word of God). The more light we have the more obedient we can be. Let me point out the obvious, when we were born again we had very little light and very little love. However there is a certain mercy, space of time, granted to those who are diligent in the Word of God, not just to obtain the knowledge but work to make it their thoughts, words, and ways. Those who do not make God’s thoughts, words, and ways theirs are in rebellion and the door to their lives is wide open for the curse to steal, kill, and destroy in their lives. This is a very serious thing, brother and sister.
The Apostle Paul also has pointed out to us that the “fruit of the Spirit” from us (our spirit) and through us (Holy Spirit) as children of light will be all goodness, righteousness, and truth. I talked about this at some length yesterday. Perhaps some of us rush to skip over little words like “all” but let’s choose to think upon it in this case. There is no goodness apart from God, the Word of God, there is no righteousness apart from The Light (Jesus), and there is no Truth apart from God, the Light. None of these are found, not even a smidgen, in the darkness. This brings us to the following verse.
Ephesians 5:10 (KJV)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
To ‘prove’ something gives the idea of ascertaining the truth about something or confirming that a thing, an idea, is true. We have seen this before concerning the folks at Berea.
Acts 17:10-11 (KJV)
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Bold added by Dr. Wood)
I must ask myself, do I do this? This word ‘proving’ can also convey the idea of trying (testing, appraising, evaluating, and judging), allowing (letting, permitting, agreeing, consenting, and agreeing to) or discerning (distinguishing, separating, differentiating, and recognizing) in this case what is acceptable or approved of the Lord. I am hopeful that we all want to be diligent in our study of the Word of God incorporating it into our thoughts, words, and actions for His glory and to accomplish Kingdom business. This process of incorporating does not mean to add this to what we know but to supplant (displace, oust, replace, and depose) the thoughts, words and ways of darkness with light. Goodbye world, hello Kingdom of God.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
