Passage Read: Ephesians 5-6
Meditation Verses: 5:6-10
Thought
I used to belong to the darkness, now I belong to Christ, to the light. Therefore, I must not walk any longer in the ways of my dark, unbelieving days. No immorality, no impurity, no greed or coveting, no filthiness, no coarse joking or silly talk. Instead of fruitless conversation, I should be giving thanks. God's judgment is coming on the world of men who do all such evil deeds, so I must not participate in these things with them, or else I will be caught up in their destruction. Rather, I need to put my energy into learning what pleases the Lord and living in those ways: righteousness and goodness and truth--as God defines them, not as men distort them and turn evil into good and good into evil. Again, that's where the Scriptures come in. They teach me what God calls good and right and true, and these are the things I need to do. But the things I used to do, that I naturally gravitate toward, things that God calls impure, filthy, coarse, immoral, these things I need to keep far from.
Application
To become all things to all men in order to save some does not mean practicing things that God hates. Even in that passage, Paul says he is not free from the Law of Christ, which is to walk in holiness and righteousness and truth. I cannot join with the ungodly in ungodly behaviors in order somehow to lead them to repentance, renouncing their former evil ways and embracing God's righteous ways. Silly talk is perhaps my last remaining vestige of old conversation styles. Even that needs to be replaced with thanksgiving. Even in joking or trying to be funny, I need to make sure what I say is honorable before God. Or give up trying to be funny and just give thanks.