#DailyDevotion It’s Been A Zombie Apocalypse
Lent Day 21
Eph. 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Dead as a doornail is what we were. It’s been the zombie apocalypse ever since Adam rebelled and ate the forbidden fruit. Every one of us was conceived and born dead in trespasses and sins. Sure, we look like we were living, but we were the living dead. We sinned because we were sinners.
As such we followed the prince of the power of the air, Satan, Lucifer, the devil. We walked in his ways disobeying the law written on our hearts, rebelling against our Creator. We did what we would according to our fallen flesh, if we thought we could get away with it either from God or our neighbor. We would never admit that though. Though we at times really think we were good people. We never thought we really ever hurt anyone. We justified all our behavior.
But we were sons of disobedience. We lived in the passions of our flesh. Our sinful flesh would get aroused by some passion, desire, greed, or covetousness and we would sin. We were enslaved to sin enslaved to the fear of death like the rest of mankind. It’s like we didn’t believe there was an afterlife in which God would give us every good thing. Sometimes it’s more like, well we’re going to hell anyway so we might as well do whatever we want. You only live once.
But these things are not true. There is an afterlife. There is a good afterlife where God does give us every good. Also, we need not have to go to hell and suffer for all eternity. Hence this most important word in this passage, ‘were.’
The Lord our God, our Heavenly Father has seen our sad estate and has created an escape for us. Jesus is that escape. His suffering and death has freed us from our sins. In Jesus we see the Father does not want to condemn us to hell for all eternity. Jesus has ransomed us from sin, death and the power of the devil. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit that we may believe this and trust God. With the Holy Spirit we may say no to our passions and do the good God wants us to do. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we no longer have to listen to the devil and obey his whims in our lives but Spirit of life frees us to obey God. The Holy Spirit by this Gospel makes us alive, makes us born from above. Instead of the living dead we are the dead living in Christ. So if you are in Christ, do not listen to your flesh, your hearts, or the deceiver. Listen instead to Christ and the Spirit who calls you sacrifice your own desires and look to the good of the neighbor and submitting your will to God’s will.
Heavenly Father, in and of ourselves we have no good in us. Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may be freed from our passions and live our lives for you and for the good of our neighbor. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.