11/14/2022
By Pastor Vinnie Cappetta
"Follow the Leader.....He Gives Strength"
Ephesians 5:14
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Going back through the earlier verses in Ephesians chapter five, it seems God has given us some daunting tasks. We are charged to avoid sin, be holy, love others, and have faith. Yet, as we learn about all the things God would have us do, it's easy to miss the way He wants us to achieve these goals.
God knows we can't accomplish these things on our own. We can't do any of these things in our own power. As a matter of fact, our innate nature is to sin. So, what do we do? It seems that all our instincts tell us to do the exact opposite of what we should. In fact, Paul notes this in Galatians 5:17, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
But today's verse tells us how we can do these things. It all starts with Christ. Christ speaks to us and tells us to awake. Notice, no action on our part is required to start this. Christ initiates. He speaks to us and tells us to awake. We awake on his command. Once we awake, He shines on us. Again, we don't do the shining… He does. However, if we try and hide from Him, it doesn't work. So, we must let Christ shine on us and guide our
lives. We can't assume we have the plans down and know how we are going to live our lives.
We have to let Christ lead us. We pray, we read the Bible, and follow His commandments. By trusting in His power, we can accomplish what He asks of us. When we come to a trial, we can go to Him first. Ask Him for the power and guidance. Too often, prayer is our final recourse when it should be our first.
Psalm 68:35
Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
