Follow THE Example

TODAY'S READING: Ephesians 5:1-20
In yesterday's passage, Paul began this lengthy section of Scripture defining what living in the light looks like. This continuation today not only raises the bar a little higher, but it also makes very clear to us the example.
Have you ever tried to used a copy machine to make a copy from a copy? It doesn't matter how hard you try, it seems like that second copy always turns out blurrier than the copy you started with. However, when you can go back to the original your copy will be much clearer.
As I read this passage something dawned on me. Maybe so many people fall short of what they could be for God because they stop with the letters and fail to get back to the original.
The letters of Paul, Peter, James, and others are not the original instructions on life. They are letters these people wrote to help Christians who were struggling with following the original. They are simply tools to help us get our focus on what we should be focusing on, Jesus.
If you want to know how to live, don't settle for looking over apparent lists that Paul and others come up with. Look back to Jesus and how He lived His life. That is the message Paul is trying to get across here.
Paul tells us to follow the God's example that is found in the life of Jesus. And the sins that Paul describes are not an all-inclusive list of what to avoid. They are attitudes and activities that are simply not in the character of Jesus.
Following Jesus is not ultimately about avoiding certain activities or actions. Our real aim should be to be "full of light from the Lord" as Paul describes in verse 8. When we allow the light of Jesus to fill us and pour out into our lives, we will want to avoid sinful activity.
The problem is that many Christians simply try to avoid the sin without filling their hearts with something else. What a huge error! All that usually does is create a larger hunger for the sin that was there before. And when sin returns it gets an even stronger hold on your life.
But when the light of Jesus is allowed to shine in your life it reveals sin for what it really is. His light will bring real change and real fulfillment. It will cause you to see the real nature of sin.
And in verse 18, Paul finally drives the point home when he tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Do you want a definition of holiness? A simple, hard-to-misunderstand definition.
Here it is...Holiness = Holy Spirit filled
It is all about being consumed and controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is about letting God dwell in your life.
It doesn't matter how much Bible you know. I know plenty of people who can quote a whole bunch of Scripture but don't live out one ounce of it.
I have met folks who fill a pew every Sunday, but they don't allow God to fill their hearts at all.
I encounter Christians who sing songs like "Jesus is Lord," but live their lives like "I am lord."
Do you want to be holy? Then open the door to your heart and make room for the Holy Spirit to fill you. This requires work. It means you will have to spend time with God and build a relationship. It calls us to avoid and put away things that fill spaces reserved for God. We must be willing to realize who is really Lord of our lives.
Sound like a huge task? Absolutely.
But if we are going to follow the example of Jesus what other choice do we have? Jesus was willing to give up heaven for you and me. He was willing to become a man so that we could have life. We must be willing to open our lives so that His Spirit can live in us.
It is time to move beyond the religion of rules and regulations and find the heart of Christianity. We must allow the Holy Spirit to fill our lives so we can begin to look more and more like the only real example of holiness, Jesus. Are you ready to be filled with the Light?

shine!
Jason