From the Heart
Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:8-21
Be filled with the Spirit. . . . Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father.
The great opera star Enrico Caruso said a singer needs “a big chest, a big mouth, 90 percent memory, 10 percent intelligence, lots of hard work, and something in the heart.”
It is my constant prayer that the hearts of people who have heard the sermons I preached have been drawn to Christ and filled with his Spirit. It is also my prayer that these devotions on “Loving One Another” have helped Today readers in the same way. Having considered how service, confession, encouragement, and other qualities should be seen in the life of a Christian, I appreciate these words of Leon Morris, a New Testament scholar: “There is no point in accepting Christian teaching if we refuse to let it shape our lives.”
We are called to “live as children of light.” Such wise living includes understanding what God’s will is for us and being filled with the Spirit. Being self-controlled, we become like Christ. We speak the truth, sing praises, thank God, and submit to one another.
Doing these things is not limited to worship gatherings. We must speak the truth always, sing praise from our hearts anytime, thank God for all things at all times, and always “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
With the Spirit of Christ filling your heart, in what ways are you shining the light of Jesus’ love in this world?
Lord Jesus, as you have loved us, help us to shine the light of your love wherever we are. Amen.
About the author — George Vink
Pastor George Vink has served as a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church for more than 30 years in British Columbia, Montana, Michigan, and California. He and his wife, Shirley, have four married sons and nine grandchildren.
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