17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.

18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

— Ephesians 4:17-19

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

— Matthew 5:16

testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

— Acts 20:21

5 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

— Colossians 4:5-6

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

People who worship and condone the sin that destroys them live in spiritual and moral insanity. This present darkness should lead believers to our knees to call upon the Lord to fill us with His wisdom, mercy, compassion, and truth to bear loving witness to our friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances, who can still find true hope in Jesus. Let us therefore shine the light of Christ boldly into every corner of this darkness, knowing that the same power that raised Him from the dead is at work in us to draw others to the only Savior who can truly set them free.

Nothing is more important than how we respond to God. The fallen world might discount Paul’s presentation of God’s presently revealed wrath as fiction or an outdated perspective. However, Paul offers a painful glimpse into “living hell” on earth, where unrestrained sin ravages those who deny God. Meanwhile, God’s truth reveals salvation from this living and eternal hell through the gospel of Jesus Christ. All who repent and place their trust in Him alone are delivered from that darkness and brought into the marvelous light of His eternal kingdom.