6 Ephesians 5:15-21: Part 2

Ephesians 5:15-21 * Expanded Bible (EXB)

15 So be very careful how you live [walk]. Do not·live [walk] like those who are not wise[foolish], but ·live wisely [like those who are wise]. 16 Take advantage of every opportunity[or Make the most of your time; …redeeming the time/season], because these are evil times [ the days are evil]. 17 So do not be·foolish [ignorant] but·learn what the Lord wants you to do [or understand the Lord’s will]. 18 Do not be drunk with wine, which ·will ruin you[is debauchery/reckless living], but be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak [ …speaking] to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord. 20 Always give [ …always giving] thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21 Yield [Submit; Be subject;  …yielding/submitting;  grammatically linked to the previous sentence, and so part of being filled with the Spirit] to each other out of reverence [respect; fear; awe] for Christ.[1]

PRAYER JOURNALING

Make sure to prayer journal your thoughts, what jumped out at you, what questions you have, what you said to God, what God said to you, and how you can apply it to your life.

EPHESIANS 5:20

Ephesians 5:20 * GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

20 Always thank God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.[2]

Ephesians 5:20 * New King James Version (NKJV)

20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.[3]

Now, look at the versions of Ephesians 5:20 listed in Day or Chapters 5-6. What is the main idea from each of the translations or versions? Prayer journal your response before you read another word from today’s study or devotional.

ALWAYS GIVE THANKS

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:20 to ALWAYS give thanks. Always GIVE thanks. And, always give THANKS.

Can you tell the difference between the three things I just wrote, where I emphasized different words? Prayer journal your answer and write the differences in the meaning of each emphasized sentence of: ALWAYS GIVE THANKS.

So, we are to always give thanks.

How often is that? Prayer journal your answer.

We are to always give thanks. That means always and without stopping. It means we are to give God our thanks all day and night long, each and every day for the rest of our lives.

Prayer journal your thoughts.

READING THE BIBLE AND DOING BIBLE STUDY

Do you want to get the most out of the Bible? Do you want to grow a deeper faith each day? Do you long to hear a word from God?

If you said yes to any of those things, then let me share something with you. If you want any of those things, then you need to be in the Word of God. Period. End of story.

The Bible is His Word. It is the Lord talking to you and teaching you. It is His way of showing you the way to go. It’s instilling truth in your life.

Do you ever feel like your faith is low or running on empty? Do you ever feel like you could, and probably should, get more from your spiritual life and faith? The answer is simple. Get in His Word.

A YEAR OF ALWAYS GIVING THANKS is only one tool in your closet. Make sure as you use this devotional Bible study to look up all the verses and to do so in at least three versions of the Bible. Make sure to have your own private Bible study time and also do a Bible study with a group at least once per week. And, make sure to read your Bible each and every day all year long. If you read four chapters a day, you will read the Bible all the way through in a year, if you so desire. Or, do two chapters per day and read the Bible all the way through in two years, so you can take your time and absorb the Bible thoroughly and completely.

Implement everything in the previous paragraph, and your faith and your life will grow in leaps and bounds.

Do this for the rest of your life, each and every day, and see what God does with your life. It will be truly amazing.

ASKING A GREAT DEAL: TAKING A LOT OF TIME AND COMMITMENT

Just in case you are noticing something about A YEAR OF ALWAYS GIVING THANKS, and that is there is a great deal I am asking you to do, you’re right.

PRAYER JOURNALING

1 What did you learn today?

2 What did God say to you?

3 What did you say to God?

4 Before today, how often did you give God thanks? Was it always?

5 Write a summary of what you learned today.

6 List at least three more things you are grateful for.

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[1] EXB: Scripture taken from The Expanded Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[2] GW: Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

[3] NKJV: Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What do you thank God for today?

List as many as you can in your prayer journal throughout the day and night. Be thorough. Spend as much time as you can--and even some you can't.

5 Ephesians 5:15-21: Part 1

PRAYER JOURNALING: A PRAYER OF THANKS

Write out a prayer of thanks to God before we even start the devotional today. Take some time to turn to Him and turn your heart and mind to always giving Him thanks today, this day.

List three things at least as to why you are thankful for this new day.

ALL THE BIBLE VERSES LISTED

We will try to look at several, if not all, verses about thanksgiving in the Bible. Needless to say, I am going to type out several verses for you to read, and will give several verses for you to look up, where I will say, for example, “(See Luke 9:23).”

Look all of them up in your own Bible as well. Make sure that I am not steering you wrong. For all you know, I could change a couple of words around, or worse, listed the wrong reference. Do not trust what I say. Instead, read your own Bible and see it for yourself.

WHEN IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE OR DOESN’T REALLY GRAB YOU: If you read the translation or version I have listed, and it does not grab you, then try to read the same verse or verses from your favorite version of the Bible. Does that help you get more out of the verse? If so, great. If not, check out another version of the Bible.

WHEN YOU WANT TO GET THE MOST OUT OF A VERSE: Look up as many translations or versions of the verse or passage as time will allow. I recommend for each time you look up a verse or verses, look up at least three version, but preferably more. Why? The more versions you look at, the more you will get out of it and the greater and more in-depth grasp you will have of the text.

Personally, I try to look up at least five versions, but will also look up more when I really want to study something.

So, make sure to look up at least three versions of the Bible of everything I list or type out. Then, you will get the most out of this you can.

Also, as you read each and every verse in this A YEAR OF ALWAYS GIVING THANKS, make sure to prayer journal your thoughts, what jumped out at you, what questions you have, what you said to God, what God said to you, and how you can apply it to your life. Why? Again, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it—pure and simple.

EXPANDED TEXT

I think you will start to see a pattern in my writing and in this devotional. If it’s a really good passage of Scripture, jammed-pack with golden nuggets, I am going to list more than just the verse that talks about thanks. After all, the more we look at the context of the verse about thanks, the more we will understand what thanks is, how to give it, what it means, etc.

Today is another example of me expanding to show more than just the verse of thanks (see Ephesians 5:20). Write out Ephesians 5:20 in your prayer journal at this point. I recommend writing at least three versions of the verse in your prayer journal. Then, pick one to memorize.

Ephesians 5:15-21 * New American Standard Bible (NASB)

15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.^[1]

PRAYER JOURNALING

1 Make sure to prayer journal your thoughts, what jumped out at you, what questions you have, what you said to God, what God said to you, and how you can apply it to your life. Also, is there a verse or verses you want to memorize or at least look at each day? Pick at least one.

2 What did you learn from verses 15 and 16?

3 How can you be careful how you walk, my friend?

4 How can you make the most of your time?

5 How can you avoid evil during your day? The answer is found in verses 15-16. Prayer journal the answer.

6 What did you learn from verse 17?

7 How do you avoid foolishness? (The answer lies in verses 15-17.)

8 How do you understand what the will of God is? (The answer lies in verses 15-17.)

9 What have you said to God up to this point?

10 What has God said to you up to this point?

11 List at least five things in which you are grateful for.

12 How can you apply these verses to your life today, tomorrow, and in the future?

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[1] NASB: Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

4 Keep a Thanksgiving List

Make sure to prayer journal about at least three things you are thankful for each day.

I keep a list of 25 things I am thankful each day, where I add a couple items to my list all day and night long—so I am always giving thanks to God.

Start your list today, but try your hand with listing 25. From here on out, write as many as you can per day, with a minimum of at least three, but preferably more.