Sunday Reading: Ephesians 5:18-21
Key Verse: Ephesians 5:19
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Key Verse: Ephesians 5:19
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Devotion:
Drinking to get drunk is a sin. Why? Because what we do is to voluntarily drink excessively so that our minds are impaired; thus we have given in to either a habit or desire and opened ourselves up to all manner of things for which our mind no longer has control. We have given our bodies over to almost anything that may come our way! You may think that it would not matter once or twice, but what is actually happening?
Drinking to get drunk is a sin. Why? Because what we do is to voluntarily drink excessively so that our minds are impaired; thus we have given in to either a habit or desire and opened ourselves up to all manner of things for which our mind no longer has control. We have given our bodies over to almost anything that may come our way! You may think that it would not matter once or twice, but what is actually happening?
You are abusing your body; it is God’s gift to you and His dwelling place if you are saved. You are closing yourself off from God because you are not being honest with yourself. Your mind is being hurt, your memory lost and your judgment impaired. It is depriving you of reason and setting yourself as a fool. It wastes your estate, makes you unfit for any duty, exposes you to shame… and we could carry on for a while. But it’s not just drinking I want to talk about. I want to highlight every sin in our lives that we willingly let in.
If we want to be able to stand up against these sins, then we have to have some way of constantly reminding ourselves about the follies of such sin. We have to have a constant reminder of all that is good. But we don’t like to listen to anyone who nags us continually, so we are the ones that have to remind ourselves. How are we supposed to do that? One of the best ways is to remind yourself in songs, psalms, poems or other thoughts where you can involve God in your thought process. You don’t have to embarrass yourself by singing out loud (with a voice like mine you don’t want me to sing out loud) but with the God’s Words going through you mind (instead of random thoughts) you will be able to focus on things that are righteous.
Give Him the praise. Give Him the glory. Remind yourself just who is in charge. Remind yourself who your friends are and keep them close. Live together in fear of the Lord and He will continue to be your guide.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you sing?
How often do those songs praise God?
How often do you sing?
How often do those songs praise God?