Week 7 | Thursday
Thursday – Not a Hint
Written by Sam Vavzincak (Pickerington Campus)
Ephesians 5:1-14
Key Verse:
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” (3)
From my time working at a coffee shop, I learned there was a huge difference between people who were intolerant of dairy and those who had a serious dairy allergy. Some people would order a drink with almond milk or oat milk simply because their stomach didn’t agree with them when whole milk was used. Others would be adamant that their drink could not have any trace of dairy in it or it would lead to serious health problems. In our efforts to be extra safe, we would sometimes even make the drink on a separate countertop to avoid any hint of cross-contamination.
When it comes to sin like sexual immorality, greed, or any kind of impurity, how meticulous are you in avoiding them? Do you treat sin more like a life-threatening allergy or something that you are simply a little put off by? As Christians, we can fall into the trap of thinking that some sin, or some small amount of sin, is not that big of a deal. Paul understands the danger of this line of thought and reminds the believers in Ephesus that there must not be even a hint of sin among them. A hint of sin can quickly spiral into devastating circumstances. Not only that, but the first verse of Ephesians 5 tells us to follow God’s example. The Bible teaches us that God cannot be in the presence of sin or tolerate any wrongdoing. If we are to follow His example, it means when any sin starts to show up in our life, we need to treat it like a big deal and get rid of it quickly.
Paul lists a number of sins that we still fall into today: sexual immorality, greed, coarse jokes, foolish talking, and idolatry. Have you convinced yourself that a small amount of any of these are okay? Maybe you told yourself it’s okay to be greedy as long as your automatic giving payments are still going through. Maybe you have allowed some forms of sexual immorality to creep into your life, as long as it’s not some kind of affair. Whatever it is for you, following God’s example means doing everything you can to get rid of any hint of these sins in your life.
Reflection Questions:
- When have you seen small decisions add up to have large consequences in your life?
- What sin have you convinced yourself is acceptable, as long as it only shows up in small or infrequent moments?
- Who is someone in your life that treats sin seriously? Ask them to help hold you accountable when they see you sin.
Prayer Prompt:
“Lord, you are perfect. You are holy. Help me to be a reflection of your glory to those around me. Help fix my eyes on the perfect standard that you set so that I can chase after the life you want me to live.