Servings Per Verse: Unknown
ESV:
in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.
*ETS:
In the life you lived before knowing Christ, you walked in sin, going along with the world and its worldly ways of thinking, following the leadership of the enemy of God who propogates a spirit of disobedience. You know the spirit of which I speak, the spirit that is now evident in all who live to disobey God.
*DTFTD:
"Roll back the curtain of memory now and then, show me where you brought me from and where I could have been. Remember I'm human, and humans forget. So remind me, remind me dear Lord." (from the Alison Krauss song "Remind Me, Dear Lord").
We should be thankful for the ability to remember, but we should be careful in our use of memory. Paul is calling on the Ephesian saints to remember their life prior to their relationship with God through Christ. Paul is not asking them to remember the sins they committed in their old life. No one who is truly saved desires to relive in memory the evil of their past life and Paul would not encourage such activity. Actually since we can sin in our hearts, and our minds can recreate scenes of sin with vivid detail, we need to be careful in our recall of the former days. What was the apostle encouraging the Ephesian saints to do?
Paul encouaged the saints to remember God's gracious rescue of their souls. Paul is saying, "Do you remember where you were when God saved you.? Do you remember how hopelessly lost you were, giving yourself to sin and the ways of the world. Do you remember what it was like to be under the captivity of the prince of this evil worldly system? To refresh your memory just look at the world - you'll see what was familiar to you at one time." Remembering where we were without Christ should make us appreciate our salvation and pray for those who are still in captivity to sin. Christians should live rejoicing in their salvation and praying for those who need to be saved. If we are not praising God for our salvation, and if we are not concerned for the lost, it is time to take a walk with Paul down memory lane.
"Nothing good have I done to deserve God's own Son, I'm not worthy of the scars in his hands. Yet he chose the road to Calvary to die in my place. Why he loves me I can't understand." (Alison Krass, Remind Me Dear Lord).
*EDS:
"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Memorize Romans 5:8 today. Praise God for his grace. Be thankful for your salvation and pray for someone you know who is still in captivity to sin.
INGREDIENTS: Using our memory well. Word Study: "sons of disobedience" Wuest says, "The word 'disobedient' is the translation of 'apeithes,' meaning 'impersuasable, uncompliant.' Stephen called Israel stiffnecked in heart. This gives the picture of a person who is impersuasable and uncompliant. "
*ESV- English Standard Version; ETS- Essence of the Text in a Sentence; DTFTD- Devotional Thought For The Day; EDS- Essence of the Devotional in a Sentence.
