“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”
Ephesians 5:18-19
The commands in verses 18-21 are held together by one imperative in the Greek: “Be filled with the Spirit.” And this is held as a contrast to not getting drunk with wine. It’s as if Paul was saying, “The feeling that imbibing in alcohol might give can instead be received by being filled with the Holy Spirit.” He then lists the practical ways one is spirit-filled.
God has designed and wired your body to experience the high that substances can offer you, but He has provided godly and healthy means of experiencing them in the Spirit! Music is one of those means. Even more wonderfully, music shared and experienced with your family, church, and friends can thrill your soul.
What high are you most tempted to wrongfully indulge in? Next time, confess your ill-bent will to God, receive His grace and forgiveness, and fill this desire with a Spirit-filled pursuit. Know that God gave you the gifts of music and song for your good and for His glory. For “the music of the Gospel leads us home” (hymn writer Frederick W. Faber, 1814-1863).
God has designed and wired your body to experience the high that substances can offer you, but He has provided godly and healthy means of experiencing them in the Spirit! Music is one of those means. Even more wonderfully, music shared and experienced with your family, church, and friends can thrill your soul.
What high are you most tempted to wrongfully indulge in? Next time, confess your ill-bent will to God, receive His grace and forgiveness, and fill this desire with a Spirit-filled pursuit. Know that God gave you the gifts of music and song for your good and for His glory. For “the music of the Gospel leads us home” (hymn writer Frederick W. Faber, 1814-1863).
Scripture Focus
Ephesians 5:1-21
Insight
Drink deeply of the Lord and His Word. Listen to “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken” by RYM Worship (lyrics by Henry F. Lyte, 1825).
Bible In A Year
- Lamentations 3
- Psalm 129
- 2 Corinthians 11
