NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN: John 20-Acts 1
SCRIPTURE READING
Eph 5:3-6 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be
named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk
nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may
be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that
is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive
you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons
of disobedience.
In this passage, Paul is eager to eliminate certain behaviors and attitudes from the
Christian life. But how does he attempt to eliminate these things? If we don’t see the how,
then we don’t see the gospel and without the gospel, the prohibitions become the letter
that kills instead of the Spirit that gives life. This is true no matter how well we succeed in
getting these things out of our lives. Paul writes about ridding Christians from several sins:
Immorality refers to sexual sin such as premarital sex, impurity is unnatural sexual relations
such as homosexuality, covetousness is the inability to be content and filthiness, foolish
talk and crude joking are pretty self explanatory. As Christians, we are to take off the old
self of fornication and homosexuality and covetousness and filthiness and silly talk. And
what are we to put on? THANKSGIVING (vs. 4)! Why? Because if you are overflowing with
thanksgiving to God, then you are not dominated and driven by discontentment at what
you have been denied. Gratitude is what you feel when you believe God is for you and
not against you. It’s what you feel when you believe that God gives you only what is good
for you and withholds no good thing. Gratitude says that God is the satisfaction of all my
longings. Covetousness says that God is not adequate as a satisfying treasure; I must have
money or I must have sex—God will not suffice! Let’s commit to putting on thanksgiving in
our war against the flesh.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Ask the Lord for five things that you can be thankful for today. Spend some time
thanking God for these things.
2. Spend some time confessing any immorality, impurity, covetousness, foolish talk or
crude joking in your life.