November 23 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Ephesians 5:1-21:

¹Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
²And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.
³But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
⁴Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
⁵For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
⁶Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
⁷Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
⁸For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
⁹(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
¹⁰Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
¹¹And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
¹²For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
¹³But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
¹⁴Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
¹⁵See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
¹⁶Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
¹⁷Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
¹⁸And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
¹⁹Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
²⁰Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
²¹Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Devotional

We always have reason to thank God, since He constantly blesses us, and we have not deserved the least of his blessings. From morning till night, from day to day, from year to year, and from the cradle to the grave He blesses us with temporal and spiritual blessings, although we have deserved wrath and punishment. Is that not reason enough to give thanks at all times?

But we are also to give thanks for everything. We can readily understand that we owe God thanks for life and the blessings of life; for health and strength, for full barns and granaries, for the enjoyments of home and loved ones, for spiritual suste­nance (nourishment) that comes to us through the Word of God. But must we also be thankful for sorrow and tribulation, sickness and grief, bereavement and death? Yes, indeed. It seems so hard; yes, impossible for us to do that. Yet, we owe thanks to God for these also. What would become of us, if God gave us "all things richly to enjoy," and we experienced no ad­versities? How soon would we forget God! But He chastens us as a father chastens his children, because He loves us and nothing can separate us from his love; and "he makes all things work together for our salvation." Hence we must give thanks for every thing in the name of Christ, through whom all blessings come to us. "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever."

Prayer

Our Father, we thank Thee that Thou givest us all things richly to enjoy. But we also thank Thee for the chastenings Thou sendest us to draw us more closely unto Thee. May we be thankful in prosperity, patient in adversity, and enable us at all times to say, Thy will be done. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: 1 Tim. 6:17; Heb. 12:5-10; Rom. 8:35.

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