Ephesians 4: 17 - 24
Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
Daily Dwellings
What does this indicate about who God is?
Contemplate the multi-faceted beauty of God’s nature as revealed in this passage.
Verbalize your appreciation for and value of God’s glory to him.
What does this indicate about who God is?
Ponder the implications these truths have upon how you see and understand the world you live in and the life you live in it.
Consider the distinction between who God has revealed himself to be and how rightly your life represents and reflects what he has shown you.
Ask our Lord to align your living with what he has revealed about himself.
What does this indicate about who God is?
Meditate upon how this passage impacts your understanding and appreciation of the Gospel.
Dwell upon Christ’s redeeming work and how it empowers you to represent and reflect what God has revealed about himself in this passage.
Thank our Lord for your redemption and restoration to him through the work of Christ Jesus.
Fasting Focus
Be filled and satisfied with these truths:
You are no longer alienated from God because he has opened your eyes to see the light of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
Because of Jesus, you are no longer the person you once were.
Because of Jesus, you will fulfill your purpose of being conformed to God’s likeness.
Proclamation Prompts
Make it known that ...
... living according to the ways of this world separates us from God and the life for which he has made us.
... Jesus is the truth in which we need to live and grow if we are to find true fulfillment.
... following Jesus is changing you and giving you a satisfaction the world cannot begin to understand.