Therefore, do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit.
Ephesians 5:17-18 [AMP]
First day in Mexico! Today was a travel day that started at 3:45am at Canyon Hills and ended at 4:00pm in Ensenada, MX. We are here at Yugo and met the family that we are building the house for tonight. I will attach the videos of our activities as we progress through the week.
For today’s quiet time I am going to stick with the Amplified’s interpretation of these 2 verses as it best captures what appears to be Paul’s intent and exhortation. The ESV simply says, “Don’t be foolish” but the additions of vague and thoughtless capture lack of deliberateness in striving for God’s will in our lives. I think it also calls out distractedness as foolishness as well (thoughtless). Instead, Paul instructs s to ‘understand and firmly grasp’ what the will of the Lord is.
When we seek to understand the will of God in our lives, we “Enable” the Holy Spirit. This leads us to verse 18. The term used for debauchery, asōtia, refers to “something that leads to recklessness or wild living that brings nothing of value”. This is when we give ourselves permission to allow substances to change the way we behave and open the door to our sinful heart (which can lead to debauchery). The term “ever be filled” tells us that this is something that is done to us when we allow God to do it. This then ‘enables’ the Holy Spirit to become active in our heart and decisions.
Application:
The question that immediately came to mind when I read this is, “What things are keeping me from fully grasping God’s will and being stimulated by His Holy Spirit. Is it my desire for ‘things’? Is it a fear of man. Is it self-sufficiency? It is probably a little of all of these vices/idols. I am convicted in the possibility that I am missing out on things God has for me; ways He wants to use me. I must raise the importances of bringing these things before the Lord, asking Him to not only forgive me as I confess, but a commitment to turning from these things once and for all.
Today’s Psalm:
As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain
Psalms 40:11 [ESV]
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!