Today Daily Devotional

You know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

— Ephesians 6:8

I live on a continent that is familiar with colonialism. For centuries, many African countries were ruled by outside powers. We have experienced tyranny, exploitation, and slavery. Unfortunately, independence has not automatically made us better rulers. Too often, having power has led to dominating, intimidating, taking advantage of, and even abusing the weak.

Power is a tricky thing for us all. Since the fall into sin, we have had a problem with power. Once we have power, we are almost always tempted to abuse it to the detriment of others. This is not a new problem. The Psalms are filled with complaints over injustice and abuse of power, and the Bible bears witness to how fiercely God responds to such evil.

Instead, God calls us to a different way. If God gives us more privilege, power, or resources, he calls us to use these things to care for others and to protect the weak. If you are a Christian and have power or privilege in your life, use it wisely. Maybe you have been placed in a high position or have simply been born in a country with ample resources. Whatever the case, think about how you can show gratitude to God by using your influence and resources wisely.

Everyone is created in God’s image. By valuing everyone, we honor our Creator. We are called to exercise authority with humility and to steward our resources with a spirit of service.

Lord Jesus, help us to follow you, humbly using power and influence for the flourishing of others. Amen.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

— Ephesians 6:5

Many people around the world fall prey to the message of the prosperity gospel. It claims that all who believe in Jesus will experience social and economic prosperity. It’s tempting to believe this message—that a good Christian will always be the head and never the tail, the leader and never the follower, the rich person and never the poor. But the apostle Paul dispels that view of prosperity. He bears witness to the reality of the early church. Despite being children of God, there were still many Christians who were called to serve their fellow believers or even unbelievers—and some of them in that day were slaves. Paul urges them, in every situation, to serve their leaders wholeheartedly, with devotion, as if they were serving the Lord himself.

Paul, it would seem, is telling us that prosperity or success is not about having the most power or money or influence. Instead, we prosper through living a life of sincere Christian service. Working conscientiously for a boss or leader is a good thing when we do it for the right reason and in the right spirit. We should not work hard merely to reap the rewards of money and power; nor should we work hard at the expense of also serving our brothers and sisters.

How are you serving God in your work and daily tasks? How do you work differently because of your faith in Jesus?

Heavenly Father, turn my eyes to you so that I may learn to serve others humbly in all the areas of my life for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

— Ephesians 6:4

A child is a gift from God. However, many parents are overwhelmed when they learn that parenthood comes with great responsibility. Parents must nurture and care for children physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Children grow up to be mature and independent people. And parents and caregivers are tasked with being their first guides in life.

An African proverb says that a child is raised by two voices: a bass voice and a soprano voice. This refers to a child’s need for both limits and love. Giving your child freedom can be an act of love, but it can be cruel if you do not also give your child the security and structure they need. On the other hand, subjecting a child to endless rules without grace is also a costly mistake.

Raising children with loveless limits can make them bitter, and Paul warns parents against that. What's more, that kind of parenting can cause children to have a distorted image of God, their heavenly Father.

Were you raised in a home with too many rules and lacking love and grace? Many of us know the bitterness that can cause, but the good news is that we can find healing in God, our perfect parent. As believers, we must not forget the high voice and the low voice, the love and the limits of the Christian life. Parents can depend on the heavenly Father and lean into the support of the community of believers, talking with each other and with their children—all along the way as they grow.

Holy Spirit, guide us in raising young people in the grace and truth of our Lord Jesus. Amen.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

— Ephesians 6:1

We are currently experiencing a crisis of authority in Africa. In my country, the younger generation criticizes the older generation because conditions are often so bad. Many young people are more aware of their rights, which is a good thing—but they are often less willing to fulfill their duties. And for this reason the future does not look good.

Such generational issues probably exist outside of Africa as well. And Paul’s words here have much wisdom for young Christians everywhere.

For any of you in the younger generation, it is important to know that it is a great privilege to be a Christian. Paul is addressing you here, because you belong to the body of Christ. As young believers, you share in all the glorious promises of God. You are part of the church, and you have a special place in it. You have much to teach the church, and also much to learn and grow in—as do we all.

Obedience to your parents is a good thing—even a blessing, says Paul. Respect for parents fosters learning and flourishing between the generations. In fact, we are all called to obey our parents, regardless of our age. If you are young, or not so young anymore, how might God be calling you to improve your relationships with your parents or older friends? How might the Holy Spirit work through all our relationships with parents and older believers?

Holy Spirit, help us to grow in unity as a body of believers, young and old, called to be your witness in the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. . . .

— Ephesians 5:25

In many parts of Africa women are dependent on their husbands in all respects. As you can imagine, this can lead to serious abuses of power by a husband. But, globally, society is changing. More and more women are becoming independent. They might have a paying job or be able to receive advanced training. However, even these advances for women can cause negative impacts. Some men who are afraid of losing their traditional role have become bitter and have resorted to violence against their wives.

It is not easy to live as a Christian in a changing society. But Paul’s instructions here still apply today. Every woman is worthy of the love of God, and God calls husbands to love their wives just as Christ loves the church. A husband must love his wife selflessly. Christ is not only our example in how to love others, but he is also our strength.

Unfortunately, all over the world there are husbands who mistreat their wives and are violent toward them. Sometimes they even do this with an appeal to the Bible. But violent behavior is contrary to God’s Word. God calls all of us to humbly love and to lead as a servant, just as Jesus did. Any other way leads to authoritarian excesses.

Think about how you love and lead others in your life. Is it based in God’s Word? Let us look to the Lord Jesus as an unmoving example of how to treat one another.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your example. Fill us with the grace and humility to live and love as you have done. Amen.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.

— Ephesians 5:21-22

Paul starts this section with a command: submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. And this connects with family life, which is not yet perfect—for although, as Christians, we already belong to the kingdom of God, we still live in a broken world.

The family is the ideal place to learn about life. Through family relationships we can learn love, respect, obedience, and gratitude. So the Bible places great importance on the husband-wife relationship. Echoing his opening command, Paul states that women are to submit to their husbands. The motivation here is not submission based on fear, but submission that flows from one’s submission to the Lord. Children who grow up with parents who submit to one another out of reverence for Christ will be more likely to approach their relationships with this Christlike posture. And this posture has the power to make a real impact on the children’s lives and on society in general.

It cannot be overstated, however, that Paul is not calling wives to blind, forced submission. He is instead calling women to freely submit out of reverence to the Lord. What does this kind of submission to one another look like? How is Christ’s model a guide for us? In Christ we can choose to submit to one another in ways that encourage the flourishing of all family members as well as the church.

Spirit, guide us in how to live in submission to one another out of reverence for Christ. Amen.

Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord. . . .

— Ephesians 5:18-19

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we begin to notice the fruit of the Spirit in ourselves. One of the Spirit’s fruits is joy—a deep sense of contentment and gratitude in all things, even when life’s circumstances are difficult. The early church had a rich practice of rejoicing through song: Paul indicates that they sang psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the Lord with all their hearts.

What kinds of songs do you sing in your congregation? Psalms? Hymns? Songs from the Spirit? Why do you do this? And how does it affect your faith and life?

In singing, we express our gratitude to God for his great deeds, and we receive God’s grace and edification in return. We bring God an offering of praise, but at the same time we hear him speaking to us and encouraging us. One could even say that singing praises to God can function similarly to prayer. Like prayer, singing can both support our individual faith formation as well as our corporate worship and fellowship with one another. When we sing together about the goodness and grace of our triune God, we grow in connection as a body of believers.

How does singing help you to express your gratitude to God? What psalm, hymn, or spiritual song has been particularly formative in your faith?

Holy Spirit, fill me with joy, that I may sing songs of praise today. Let everything that has breath join me in praising the Lord! Amen.

Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. . . .

— Ephesians 5:17-18

People who do not know Christ have no heavenly hope. Without hope, it can be tempting to live in unhealthy ways that cause harm and can even be deadly. The Bible warns against drunkenness, for example. Drinking heavily can be a temptation for believers as well as nonbelievers.

But God calls believers to wise living in the Spirit. When our hope is in Christ, we look forward to a heavenly feast, and the Holy Spirit confirms this hope. Through the Spirit we can already taste in our present lives the fruits of joy, peace, and love.

When we allow ourselves to be filled by the Spirit on a daily basis, we can grow in the Spirit’s fruitbearing and guard against despair or boredom, which can lead to all sorts of excesses. People who drink too much wine or other alcohol detach themselves in a totally wrong way. But by the Spirit of God we can detach ourselves from ourselves in a way that is perfectly good. As Paul writes, we are to “be filled with the Spirit.”

Every believer is called to desire that filling daily. This is a privilege that we can and should seize. Otherwise the danger is that we will exhaust ourselves by trying to live as good Christians on our own. Real Christian living is impossible without the influence of the Spirit.

Spirit of God, thank you for entering our lives as the promised counselor. Guide us so that we may bear the fruit of a life filled with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

— Ephesians 5:15-16

The apostle Paul urges Christians to live a life of wisdom and self-control. All Christians are called to be holy people in a fallen world, and times are often hard.

A Christian must be recognized by wise living. Life is short, and God calls us to live for him. He is the Lord, our Creator, and we are his. God calls us to make the most of our time—that is, to make the best use of it. Time is one of the precious gifts God has entrusted to us, so it is our responsibility to manage it well.

In some evangelical churches in Africa, and perhaps also in Europe, Christians are encouraged to wait passively for the things of heaven. They think their responsibility is limited to praying, praying, and praying more. With that type of attitude, their responsibility is not sufficiently called upon. But with God's help, we can make the most of our time, in a good way, by thinking carefully about how we want to use our hours, whether it’s in our work, in needed rest or relaxation, or in giving time to others. All of these things contribute to the coming of the kingdom of God.

What would be the consequences of misusing our time? Why is a good use of time an important aspect of our faith? How can we help young people in this regard?

Father in heaven, everything we have is a gift from you, including our time. Help us to make the most of every opportunity and to honor you in the process. Amen.

Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.

— Ephesians 5:8-10

Every year at Christmastime we celebrate the birth of the Savior with many lights. These lights illuminate our streets, trees, and houses. In some places people light special decorations as well.

Why do we celebrate Christmas with so many lights? Because the baby Jesus was himself the light. When he came to earth, he became a light for people who were walking in darkness. And we are part of that group of people. Just as the great light of the sun literally illuminates us, Christ—the Son of God—figuratively illuminates the world so that the darkness is dispelled.

In him we also become light, called to shine. The fruits of light are all kinds of goodness, justice, and truth. And the absence of these things is what makes our world so sad and dark in many places. In order to shine the light ourselves—and not just at Christmastime!—all we have to do is walk in the light of Christ, following him. He then shines through us.

As you think about shining in the world around you, consider this question: How much light is needed in your school or workplace? How do you, as a follower of Christ, provide good influence to the people around you because you walk in the light?

Light of life, thank you for coming into the darkness of our world. By your Spirit, help me to walk in the light so that others may see you in me. In your name, Amen.