The Letter of St. Paul
to
the
Ephesians
Chapter
5
¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, ² and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 1 to 2)
Oh God my beloved Father this is my aim in life is that of living according to the truth as found in Your Word. I may yet not be a perfect imitator of You but this is an aim that I am striving for. The world as it is does not accept me or understand me because I speak about a truth that is unpleasant for the ears of people of the world so much that they are saying that I am paranoid. However, the truth is not in such people who are led by a worldly spirit. I pray that Your will be done in my situation, my God and Father Amen.
³ But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among the saints. ⁴ Entirely out of place is obscene silly and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving.
³ But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among the saints. ⁴ Entirely out of place is obscene silly and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God my beloved Father, I thank You for these guidelines in holy living, for this fountain of wisdom that is contrary to the ways of the world, which dictate that in order to be part of the group one has to use the same language such as in dirty jokes and other terms in order to be accepted. Amen.
⁵Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 5)
Oh God my Father, I am a sinner among sinners and You have shown mercy to me, You have not denied me a share of Your inheritance and for this I will always thank and praise Your Holy Name Amen.
⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 6)
Oh God, my beloved Father as You well know, this era is one of lies and deception. We are exposed to many voices such as that of the media and politics and modern trends, who all claim to be proclaiming a truth, however, the truth is one and it can only be found in You Amen.
⁷ Therefore do not be associated with them. ⁸ For once you were darkness but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God my beloved Father, now that You have saved us from our sinful selves, let us stay in Your light forever and not decide to go back to our state of Egypt Amen.
⁹ for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 9)
Oh God, my beloved Father, I thank You for these indications that show me where your presence the presence of righteousness may be found. I thank you for showing me that it is found in all that is good, meaning that it is not found in the negative drives and inclinations of the flesh, in violence, in fetishes, but in all that is positive, all that is according to Your will which makes it right and most of all in all that is true and according to Your will Amen.
¹⁰ Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 10)
Oh brothers and sisters, as much as we try to please our wives, husbands and partners or friends, we are to try and please You, my God and Father. Amen.
¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 11)
The light and darkness my God and Father have become so mixed up that life have become a foggy world. It is only with Your help that I am able to discern true light from darkness, for even works that are the fruit of the light at times end up having stains of darkness in them. I pray for Your guidance, my God and Father Amen.
¹² For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; ¹³ but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴ for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 12 to 14)
Oh, shameful and alienated world, wake up from your state of alienation, the light that you say you are seeing is pure darkness, this is a world of illusion, do not invest in it, because your future destination is not the world but heaven. We were born to die. Only on dying, we experience our fulfilment in Your presence and not on earth which is a constant struggle against our selves our sins and those of others Amen. Have mercy oh God my Father and wake us up while there is still time Amen.
¹⁵ Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of the time, because days are evil. ¹⁷ So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 15 to 16)
Oh God my Father, I pray that You help me discern in all the situations that You permit me to experience, what Your will is in the given situation and act accordingly Amen. I pray for the perfect wisdom strong faith enough to persuade me to make the right decisions at the right time, and which are according to Your will Amen.
¹⁷ So do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 17)
Oh God, my Father many times we make decisions without consulting You and end up in a load of trouble. I thank You for always delivering me from such moments in time Amen.
¹⁸ Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, ²⁰ giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 18 to 20)
Oh God, I pray that You teach us how to give thanks and worship for all that happens in our lives, for every second, for every breath. I pray that I accept all that happens during the course of each day of my life as being according to Your will Amen.
²¹ Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. ²² Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 21 to 24)
Oh God, my Father, this is the problem of our times. We are no longer subject to each other but we consider ourselves to be either on an equal footing or even superior. We are no longer humble but proud in our ways, so much that this is creating a power struggle among ourselves and many people are being hurt because of such an attitude Amen. I pray that You heal our society, my God and Father Amen.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶ in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind-yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 25 to 27)
Oh God, my Father, You know that as long as I could I loved my wife, however when it became unhealthy for me to keep doing so because of issues of trust and depression I could not do so anymore. Amen. May we treat each other as being part of the same body of Christ and seek to build each other up by means of the same Word of the Bible Amen.
²⁸ In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church. ³⁰ because we are members of his body.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 28 to 30)
Oh God my Father, while my wife was still mine we had good moments when we loved each other or at least I was given the impression that I was being loved, however, such moments were blurred by moments of non-love, betrayal and a lot of negative criticism which destroyed the love that we had.
³¹, For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." ³² This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. ³³ Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 31 to 32)
Oh God, my Father I realize that marriage is a commitment which requires leaving the old life and embracing a new life. However, as based You know as based on my marriage this is no easy task. Even though there was a time when we prayed together and had peaceful times, it was not Your will that the marriage remain united. Today I realize my true calling that is to follow You and not the ways of the world. Amen.
I would like to end this reflection on the fifth chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians with the following prayer:-
Oh God my beloved Father I pray that we learn to follow You and not the ways of the world. I also pray that we be more aware of ourselves and that we learn to educate our thoughts and feelings so that with Your help we can filter out all negative thoughts and feelings and be more like You. Amen. I thank You for all that You do for me, with me and by means of all the life situations and people that You send in my life. Amen.
Oh God my beloved Father, I thank You for these guidelines in holy living, for this fountain of wisdom that is contrary to the ways of the world, which dictate that in order to be part of the group one has to use the same language such as in dirty jokes and other terms in order to be accepted. Amen.
⁵Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 5)
Oh God my Father, I am a sinner among sinners and You have shown mercy to me, You have not denied me a share of Your inheritance and for this I will always thank and praise Your Holy Name Amen.
⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 6)
Oh God, my beloved Father as You well know, this era is one of lies and deception. We are exposed to many voices such as that of the media and politics and modern trends, who all claim to be proclaiming a truth, however, the truth is one and it can only be found in You Amen.
⁷ Therefore do not be associated with them. ⁸ For once you were darkness but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God my beloved Father, now that You have saved us from our sinful selves, let us stay in Your light forever and not decide to go back to our state of Egypt Amen.
⁹ for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 9)
Oh God, my beloved Father, I thank You for these indications that show me where your presence the presence of righteousness may be found. I thank you for showing me that it is found in all that is good, meaning that it is not found in the negative drives and inclinations of the flesh, in violence, in fetishes, but in all that is positive, all that is according to Your will which makes it right and most of all in all that is true and according to Your will Amen.
¹⁰ Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 10)
Oh brothers and sisters, as much as we try to please our wives, husbands and partners or friends, we are to try and please You, my God and Father. Amen.
¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 11)
The light and darkness my God and Father have become so mixed up that life have become a foggy world. It is only with Your help that I am able to discern true light from darkness, for even works that are the fruit of the light at times end up having stains of darkness in them. I pray for Your guidance, my God and Father Amen.
¹² For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; ¹³ but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴ for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 12 to 14)
Oh, shameful and alienated world, wake up from your state of alienation, the light that you say you are seeing is pure darkness, this is a world of illusion, do not invest in it, because your future destination is not the world but heaven. We were born to die. Only on dying, we experience our fulfilment in Your presence and not on earth which is a constant struggle against our selves our sins and those of others Amen. Have mercy oh God my Father and wake us up while there is still time Amen.
¹⁵ Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of the time, because days are evil. ¹⁷ So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 15 to 16)
Oh God my Father, I pray that You help me discern in all the situations that You permit me to experience, what Your will is in the given situation and act accordingly Amen. I pray for the perfect wisdom strong faith enough to persuade me to make the right decisions at the right time, and which are according to Your will Amen.
¹⁷ So do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 17)
Oh God, my Father many times we make decisions without consulting You and end up in a load of trouble. I thank You for always delivering me from such moments in time Amen.
¹⁸ Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, ²⁰ giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 18 to 20)
Oh God, I pray that You teach us how to give thanks and worship for all that happens in our lives, for every second, for every breath. I pray that I accept all that happens during the course of each day of my life as being according to Your will Amen.
²¹ Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. ²² Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 21 to 24)
Oh God, my Father, this is the problem of our times. We are no longer subject to each other but we consider ourselves to be either on an equal footing or even superior. We are no longer humble but proud in our ways, so much that this is creating a power struggle among ourselves and many people are being hurt because of such an attitude Amen. I pray that You heal our society, my God and Father Amen.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶ in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind-yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 25 to 27)
Oh God, my Father, You know that as long as I could I loved my wife, however when it became unhealthy for me to keep doing so because of issues of trust and depression I could not do so anymore. Amen. May we treat each other as being part of the same body of Christ and seek to build each other up by means of the same Word of the Bible Amen.
²⁸ In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church. ³⁰ because we are members of his body.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 28 to 30)
Oh God my Father, while my wife was still mine we had good moments when we loved each other or at least I was given the impression that I was being loved, however, such moments were blurred by moments of non-love, betrayal and a lot of negative criticism which destroyed the love that we had.
³¹, For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." ³² This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. ³³ Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 31 to 32)
Oh God, my Father I realize that marriage is a commitment which requires leaving the old life and embracing a new life. However, as based You know as based on my marriage this is no easy task. Even though there was a time when we prayed together and had peaceful times, it was not Your will that the marriage remain united. Today I realize my true calling that is to follow You and not the ways of the world. Amen.
I would like to end this reflection on the fifth chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians with the following prayer:-
Oh God my beloved Father I pray that we learn to follow You and not the ways of the world. I also pray that we be more aware of ourselves and that we learn to educate our thoughts and feelings so that with Your help we can filter out all negative thoughts and feelings and be more like You. Amen. I thank You for all that You do for me, with me and by means of all the life situations and people that You send in my life. Amen.
