December 3, 2024
Home
The Burning Bush Community
Revivals and Testimony
THE PRISON MINISTRY Attn: Chaplains
How To Be Saved
Devotionals 2013-2022
Devotionals 2011-2012
Devotionals 2009-2010
Devotionals 2007-2008
Devotionals 2006
Devotionals 2005
Devotionals 2004
Devotionals 2003
Devotionals 2002
Devotionals 1998-2001
FREE BOOKS
Newest Sermons
The Sermon Box
Testimonies
Journey to Fruitfulness - From Rocker to Preacher
Devotionals for the Journey
Miracles
God's Help For The Tough Problems
Break Out! Spiritually
New Pastor's Training Manual
New Believer's Training Manual
The X File
The X File Devotionals
Prayer Requests
Praise Reports
Prayer Support Page
VisionTrust - Tanzania
Online Sermons
BOOKSTORE


Devotionals 2013 - 2022

Don't Substitute the World for...
February 7, 2021By Ed Wrather

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: 

Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spiritspeaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. – Ephesians 5:8-21 NKJV.

 

Don’t substitute the world for what? Don’t substitute the world for the Kingdom of God!

 

Some of us who are older remember the TV show “Cheers” which ran from 1982 to 1993. For those who have never heard of it the show takes place in a bar. A few lines from the theme song is descriptive of what took place in that bar and in a lot of bars:

 

Sometimes you wanna go
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You wanna be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows your name

 

Basically, the culture of bars revolves around the familiarity of those who frequent the establishment with each other along with drinking alcohol.

 

Ephesians 5:18 gives us one way that this is a substitution of the world for the Kingdom of God. Getting drunk on alcohol is a substitution for being filled with the Holy Spirit. Have you ever been filled with the Holy Spirit? If you have you know it is a far greater high than any alcohol or drug can possibly give you!

 

Another substitution of the world is having fellowship with as Ephesians 5:11 puts it: …the unfruitful works of darkness. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us what we ought to be doing instead of going to bars which is the world’s substitution for church: And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

 

If you have been substituting the world for the Kingdom of God you are told what to do there in Ephesians 5:14:

Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.


Visitor Comments (0)
Be the first to post a comment!
Loading...
Related Articles · More Articles
When the worst happens how should we live our lives?
We all make mistakes and sometimes we make mistakes unknowingly.
What to do when you experience failure.

Copyright © 1998-2014. Ed Wrather. Copyright Contents of Entire Site.
Church Websites | Ministry Websites by ChristianCMS, a Service of Inspyre.