Ephesians 5:15-20 - Be Careful How You Live Proper 13 - I Am The
Bread of Life
There are two birds that fly over our nation's deserts: One is the
hummingbird and the other is the vulture. The vultures find the rotting meat of
the desert, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But
hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the
colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on
the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live
on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life.
Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.
That is the essence of Paul's teaching: In life, there are two birds. The one
bird looks for foolishness and stupidity, the other looks for wisdom. The
vultures seek to fill themselves with the rotting flesh of drunkenness and
debauchery, the hummingbird sobriety, freshness, and the Spirit. In the desert
of this world you have your scavengers who are angry and ungrateful, but you
also have those who hum a grateful hymn of thanksgiving. The irony is that you
find what you are looking for.
In the fifth chapter of Ephesians Paul outlines proper behavior for good living.
In our short passage he admonishes his readers to be careful how they live. He
is brief and to the point. Three things we must do: Be wise, be sober, and be
thankful. It's a short list but if we can orient our daily lives around these
three-be wise, be sober, be thankful-we will transform not only our lives but
also the lives of our family, friends, church, and neighbors. Paul then offers
these admonitions:
Be Careful How You Live: Be Wise
Be Careful How You Live: Be Sober
Be Careful How You Live: Be Thankful
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