“But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among the saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. for this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” Ephesians 3-5
The first thing here that should make the blood in your veins turn cold is the last verse, NO immoral or impure person or covetous man has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God! WOW, that should give us all pause for thought! Immoral, impure, covetousness!
You are probably sitting there thinking, i dont have these problems! Really? How about in your thoughts? In your time alone on the computer or in the car or at the office? What thoughts go through your mind that you grab a hold of and let hang out for awhile?
The other thing that strikes me in this passage is that there MUST be no filthiness and silly talk and coarse jesting. This is a tough one! It is so easy to get caught up in the office tales and jokes and “fun times.”
This is an area in my life that God really convicted me of a year ago. It is easy when on the internet or when sitting with a group of guys to get caught up in this type of behavior!
You are sitting in front of your computer and nobody sees you, nobody knows you, you can say or type anything you want! You can be a completely different person than who you are anywhere and everywhere else! BUT, God is there, Jesus is inside of you, they see everything that you type! Every sexual comment that you make, every sexual joke, every swear word, every thought that is spilled onto the computer screen is seen and recorded in your book of life!
You are hanging around the office and a group of people are laughing and joking and telling harsh jokes and you are right there in the middle of it laughing and telling your own to keep up and be apart of the group! Why? We are told to be separate from the world, we are told to not take part in such activities!
BUT, but you rationalize, they are going to make fun of me if i dont! I dont want to be “that” person who everyone else talks about being a good two shoes! Well, let me tell you something, you should already be being “that” person! By your fruit you will be known! Your life should be changing and you should be changing and you should be wearing God more and the world less! If no one in your office knows that you are a christian, are you really a christian? Do you really have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ?
We are told that we will be hated! If you arent hated and made fun of at work or by people around you, are you really living what you say you believe! If you are telling sexual jokes with all the guys, are you of Christ or the world? When you die will God know you? What does your fruit look like?
This isnt a joke, it isnt one of those things that you can rationalize and pass off and say God loves me so it doesnt matter what i do! It does matter!! IF YOUR FAITH ISNT CHANGING YOU, IT ISNT SAVING YOU! I know i say that a lot but that statement made a huge impact on my walk! For most of my life my faith had no real part in my everyday life! The first time i heard that statement i was taken aback! I looked at my life and my fruit and i wasnt so sure that i would have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ!
The christian life isnt about saying some prayer and going out and being who you were! A seed sewn on shallow ground is swept away or withered up or plucked! Just because it was planted doesnt mean that it took root and if it has no root there is no growth and if there is no growth there is no fruit and if there is no fruit it is thrown into the fire!
Are you joking and talking filthy? Are you telling silly stories and making sexual comments? Are your thoughts impure and covetous? Are you sure of your inheritance in the kingdom of God?
Jesus, thank you for convicting me of this very thing! thank you for changing my hearts desire from one that wanted to be a part of the world to one that wanted to only be apart of you! Strengthen me this weekend as i am at the horse races and in an environment that is filled with many opportunities to be immoral and for coarse jesting! I want to shine for you and not let the darkness of the world put out my light!
My husband talks with our daughter about this quite a bit! He tells them that when you become a Christian, you should no longer be “cool” by the world’s standards. Those standards are not God’s standards and we should live by His standards. It’s a continual struggle, but we are called to perservere.
It always comes down to a choice. As Christians, some choices are deliberate and thought out and some are on-the-spot, like when someone tells a dirty joke or pushes our buttons. In those times, we must draw on the reservoir of time spent in His Word. Each time you do the right thing it gets a little easier the next time. I am guilty of letting some people push my buttons and I have to commit myself to God in that area and respond as He would have me to. Thanks for sharing the truth of the Word Deb