Bible League: Living His Word Don’t be drunk with wine, which will ruin your life, but be filled with the Spirit.— Ephesians 5:18 ERV The story behind the saying, “Saved by the bell,” is believed to have originated centuries ago. There were no morgues to freeze bodies, and doctors had not made many discoveries related to extreme intake of wine, which could make a person pass out for several days. A person who had drunk excessively might sleep in the street for more than two or three days, and when a passer-by would try to wake them up, he’d seem dead. Then, it’d be reported to the family and the individual would be buried. Months later, it was discovered that the person was not dead when buried, as the coffin had marks of struggling and the corpse had wide jaws of screaming. That is when the community realized that these individuals were not dead. After this discovery, a string or rope was tied to one of their hands, protruding outside the grave with a bell. A security person was designated to guard the grave for a few days. If the person were to wake up, he could ring the bell as he struggled for help, and the guard would scream for help to dig the survivor out. Then they could say, “You were saved by the bell!” The verse of the day is part of a long chain of commands from Ephesians 5 verses 15-20 to a community of believers in Christ. A command is a directive that must be applied or obeyed without any question since Jesus is the Lord of a believer’s life. The believer should be consumed and completely overflowing with the Holy Spirit instead of wine! “Filled” is an adjective—describing that the believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit. To be occupied always (since no one can drink the Holy Spirit), the believer becomes the container. He is filled with Christ, and fills others who follow Him! The body of believers can address one another in psalms, sing spiritual songs, make melody to the Lord with their heart, give thanks, and submit to one another (vs. 19-21). These are the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Excessive wine can lead to a lifestyle of sin that leads to dire consequences. Debauchery is to indulge excessively or be addicted. Thus Romans 6:21 says “You did evil things, and now you are ashamed of what you did. Did those things help you? No, they only brought death.” Ruining the precious life which Jesus paid a hefty price for starts small. A small sin will keep growing because it is unconfessed, entertained daily, and normalized. The end result of it is death. Indulging excessively delays a believer’s readiness for the return of Christ, thus risking missing the seconding coming of Master Jesus (Luke 12:45-46). Beloved, let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us to be subjected to the authority of God’s Word. Jesus said in John 15:3, “You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching I have given you.” The Word of God cleanses and aligns us to be able to walk in the righteousness and holiness of Christ when applied, and it becomes our way of living! Be blessed as you take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit! By Christopher Thetswe, Bible League International staff, South Africa Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingNumbers 8, 9, 10 Numbers 8 -- The Seven Lamps; Levites Set Apart; Retirement at Fifty NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Numbers 9 -- The Passover and Cloud above the Tabernacle NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Numbers 10 -- The Silver Trumpets; Israelites Leave Sinai NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 5:1-20 Mark 5 -- Jesus Sends the Demons into the Pigs, Heals the Woman with Bleeding, Raises Jairus' Daughter NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion As the deer longs for streams of water,so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Insight As the life of a deer depends upon water, so our lives depend upon God. Those who seek him and long to understand him find never-ending life. Challenge Feeling separated from God, this psalmist wouldn't rest until he restored his relationship with God because he knew that his very life depended on it. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Mark 10:21 Take up the cross, and follow me.You have not the making of your own cross, although unbelief is a master carpenter at cross-making; neither are you permitted to choose your own cross, although self-will would fain be lord and master; but your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you are cheerfully to accept it; you are to take up the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand cavilling at it. This night Jesus bids you submit your shoulder to his easy yoke. Do not kick at it in petulance, or trample on it in vain-glory, or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross-bearer; he leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide! And if he carried a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The Via Crucis is the way of safety; fear not to tread its thorny paths. Beloved, the cross is not made of feathers, or lined with velvet, it is heavy and galling to disobedient shoulders; but it is not an iron cross, though your fears have painted it with iron colours, it is a wooden cross, and a man can carry it, for the Man of sorrows tried the load. Take up your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it, that like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt. Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble. The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the divine will ere you fall asleep this night, that waking with to-morrow's sun, you may go forth to the day's cross with the holy and submissive spirit which becomes a follower of the Crucified. Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 90:11 Who understands the power of Your anger And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?Matthew 27:45,46 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. • About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" Isaiah 53:6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE "-- 1 John 4:9,10 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. • In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Romans 3:26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. 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