11You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord. 12Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. 13So behave properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent. Don't quarrel or be jealous. 14Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires.
We might call it "dignity".
My coach used to say "act like you've been there before". When we scored, he wanted us to show a little class, no showboating, no celebrating...just a humility that that suggests we've only done what was expected. .
We've all done it, I suppose...gotten so overwhelmed by our circumstances that we acted a little like country bumpkins. I visited Windsor Castle. If I recall, Mali was a little put out by me reactions. She, however, was acting like she'd been there before.
Paul says "we must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light". The time is rapidly approaching when we will be called to live with God in glory. When we get there, how are we going to act? Like we've been there before? Or like bumpkins? The answer to this question is going to reveal how seriously we tried to serve God here and now.
Does it surprise us that Paul talks this way to Christians? "Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent". Well, I'm a little old for wild parties, but...if we take our faith seriously, Paul could have left this part out of his letter altogether...
Live boldly out there today...
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