Sometimes we become so familiar with certain verses that we easily miss the most simple ,and yet most profound, things they teach us. That is one reason reading good Christian literature from other time periods is so valuable. They often give us a fresh perspective and let us see things with a new pair of eyes. I have mentioned again and again the debt I owe to the great Puritan teachers of the 17th century.
Paul’s well known exhortation in Ephesians 5:18 to “not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit” is an example. Thomas Manton opened my eyes to one of the most obvious, but easily missed, instructions in this verse. We are commanded here to be filled with the Spirit. The Christian is not to be satisfied with a small amount of the Holy Spirit’s influence, but to have all of the Spirit’s fruit in abundance. The life of the believer should overflow with love, joy, peace, and all of the other godly virtues which can only result from the powerful working of the Holy Spirit.
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