Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live
healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host, author
speaker l David Harris. Good morning, good morning, Good morning. It
is Wednesday, August twenty three, two twenty three. Hello, my name
is Lle David Harris. I am your host, and this is your Daily
Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is no
exception. We are continuing in our lesson study series through the Book of Ephesians,
and our caption for today is Snapping up the Bargains. Some of you
love shopping, so this will resonate with you snapping up the bargains. We'll
get into that in just a moment, but first I'd like to say welcome
to you and ask you to go over to your Daily Portion dot com,
join our online community, and also let us know where you are in the
world, and while you're at it, please pick up the Your Daily Portion
book that we can begin to share in faith and fellowship at your Daily Portion
dot com. Let's go ahead and pray and then we will get underway.
Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us the opportunity to open your word
again today. Please give us your holy spirit teach us how to redeem the
time that you have entrusted to us. And I pray that we will be
prepared prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ. In Jesus name, I pray,
Amen and Amen again. Snapping up the bargains, I'll get into what
that means as we jump into the passage today and it will begin to make
sense. Okay, so we're going going into Ephesians chapter five, very interesting
chapter for me. We'll begin reading at verse fifteen. Okay, first verse
fifteen, and the Bible reads, see then that ye walk circumspectly, circumspectly
that means diligently, perfect, that means accurately. So God wants us to
be diligent where holiness is concerned, not as fools, but as wise.
In the Old Testament, many of the times that the term fool is used
like, especially in the Book of Proverbs. It is not just about silliness,
like a silliness sort of mindset or unintelligence. Yeah, it's really about
unholiness. Fools despise wisdom and instruction, and that term for fool in the
Old Testament, that text, it almost sounds like evil. It almost sounds
like evil in English. Right, fools, we're going to use that not
as silliness, not as unintelligence. We're talking about evil, so not as
evil minded people, but as wise. And we know that the wisdom is
connecting with God. Okay, Verse sixteen. Redeeming the time, that's where
the snapping up the bargains comes from. Redeeming that is, that is transactional
term that has to do with exchanging, exchanging resources in order to purchase something,
often to purchase something back. Redeeming the time because the days are evil.
We want to redeem the time because the days are evil. Wherefore be
ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. So
the best thing that we can do. In twenty twenty three, as we
are marching down approaching twenty twenty four, can you imagine more than half of
the year is over. Yes, is to redeem the time. It's to
snap up the bargains. I'm coming back to that. Let me see the
lesson writer actually actually points out here. Paul also encourages intentional discipleship with a
vivid image in the phrase make the best use of time or redeeming the time.
Paul uses the verb that I cannot pronounce in Greek draw from the marketplace.
It is an intensive form of the verb to buy, I said that,
or to snap up the bargains on offer as we await Jesus's return.
Well, what is on offer right now? Like if we were to walk
into our marketplace, a holy marketplace, what is on offer? I think
the Bible says that we are to buy buy of God like, without money
and without price. I think I need to go back to that passage,
and fact I wasn't intending to read it. So let's go back to Isaiah
chapter five, I mean fifty five. Excuse me. The Bible reads whole
everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, ye that hath no money,
Come buy and eat yea, come buy wine and milk without money and
without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread and
labor for that which satisfieth. Not hearken diligently unto me. Eat ye that
which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your
ear and come unto me here, and your soul shall live, and I
will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the shore mercies of David.
So one of the things, if you want to say, that is in
spiritual marketplace, is that which satisfies. And God is saying that even without
money. I want you to come into my presence and be satisfied by my
presence. I want you to be satisfied by the power that comes through the
Holy Spirit. I want you to be satisfied by having fellowship with Me and
fellowship with people who love me. I want you to buy to redeem your
time, snap up the bargains of connection with me. I'll come back to
that if we have the time. Let me continue in Ephesians chapter five,
beginning at verse eighteen. I think that's where we're going to begin. Yeah,
verse eighteen. And be not drunk with wine wherein there is excess,
but be filled with the spirit. Of course, sometimes we believers use this
to talk about actual alcoholic beverages. And okay, true, God does not
want us to be drunk with drunken with alcoholic beverages. But this is talking
about excess of life, right, surfeiting. Like in the Gospels, Jesus
said, don't become overcharged with surfeiting, like, do not get into that
excessive lavish lifestyle where all you're thinking about is fun and folly, eating,
drinking. Let us be merry because tomorrow we die. God is saying no,
in these days, do not be obsessed with excess in anything, but
be filled with the spirit. If you want to be filled with something,
someone, be filled with the spirit. Do you remember at the day of
Pentecost the people who some of the people who were listening, the ones who
were not actually trying to have a connection with God. They said, oh,
these people are drunken, like the people who are preaching up there.
They are drunken. They are drunken. And of course the apostle said,
these men are not drunken as you supposed, seeing it is it's only certain
hour of the day. But these are being a fulfillment of the prophecy of
Joel that God would pour his spirit into us. People and so God is
saying, don't be drunk with the things of this world, but be filled
to the brim and overflowing with the Holy Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the
Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in
the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And I will just add one
more passage here, submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God.
So this is an admonition to all of the people of God in the community
of faith. And then the Bible makes a transition that a lot of preachers
miss, transition to the relationship between husbands and wives. So up until now
it has been about the fellowship of believers. How we should snap up the
bargains that which God is offering in these last days, being connected with him,
turning away from the excess that is out there in the world and turning
to being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. And then he makes
another transition into relationships which will come to if the Lord spares life. And
so Paul repeatedly uses the common Old Testament metaphor to walk for how one lives.
Do you remember when we were young. Oh, be careful little feet
where you go. God wants us to walk, To walk according to what
he has shown us. Walk on the pathway that Jesus has marched out before
us, and we will be safe. Have a wonderful day, peace.
Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This
has been your daily portion with L. David Harris. Make it a great day.