Introduction
Yesterday, we looked at actions and attitudes Paul asked us to stop. Today, he will continue, but Paul’s list will involve things we should both start and stop. No car just has a gas pedal, and no car has just a brake pedal. Any good vehicle worth buying has both a gas and a brake pedal. Life is about the nuance of knowing when "to do" and when "to don’t." This is why self-control is such a central theme in the Bible. Our lives must be filled with wise decisions about what to pursue and what to lay down.

Today’s Scripture
Ephesians 5:1-7 (New Living Translation)

"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do."

Explanation and Reflection
Let’s break Paul’s moral exhortations today into two lists: start and stop.

The Start List

1. Imitate God
   There is no greater honor in the world than to be called "godly." When someone sincerely says you are being "godly," they are saying you are imitating God. You are acting like your Lord. People can call you sweet, kind, nice, generous, etc., and that’s good. However, if you are being godly, you are modeling the character of God here on earth. You are being the hands and feet of Jesus in a broken world. There is no greater way to act.
2. Live a Life Filled with Love
   Have you ever spent time in self-reflection and asked, “Am I the real deal? Do I really believe this stuff? If so, how do I act?” If you are trying to figure this out, your love is the primary measure of whether or not you are born again. Do you love well? Are you growing in your love? Do you love your enemies and pray for them? All the conservative ethics and Bible knowledge in the world do not compare to loving as Christ did (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).
3. Gratitude
   Finally, on the start list, we need to start being grateful. God is good. This world is not perfect, but it’s still beautiful. We are blessed even if we have hardships. We need to celebrate God’s graciousness daily, even on bad days.

The Stop List

1. Sexual Immorality
   Christian sexual ethics are not a free-for-all. Sexual appetites are not a buffet where you get to pick and choose what you like and don’t like. "Love is love" is not an acceptable sexual standard according to the Bible. Sex should only be between a man and a woman in a marriage where both people are committed to a lifetime together. God has a standard, and the trends of our culture should not cause us to deviate from that. Heterosexual sexual relationships before marriage, pornography, homosexuality, etc., are lifestyles that are outside of acceptable Biblical sexual ethics.
2. Greed
   Paul hammers greed and materialism so hard here that I’m not sure much more can be said. “For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” Ouch.
3. Abusive Speech
   We talked about speech a lot yesterday. Today, let’s look at it from a different angle. Christians who are aligning themselves with “obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes” are killing our Gospel witness. The internet and social media fuel a type of “toxic Christianity” that is no Christianity at all. We must wisely align ourselves with a historically orthodox and doctrinally sound expression of the Christian faith that is healthy and true to the life of the early church. We must be light and salt in our speech, not poison and venom. Disagreements are fine; disrespect is not.
4. Justifying Sin
   This last "stop" is something we need to think deeply about. We all sin, and we should all seek to sin less. However, a problematic trend with sin, which is all too common, is to sin and then lawyer up to justify it. Paul says, “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins.” These people are not repenting of their sins; they are legitimizing them. A church excusing sin and not repenting is a dangerous church.

The last three days have been filled with challenging “hey, start doing this” moments and some “hey, knock that off” moments. It’s tempting to give up because the bar is too high or to double down and become the morality militia, judgmentally bullying everyone else. However, we are called to walk in holiness together, lovingly encouraging progress and offering hope and forgiveness when anyone fails. We are in the pursuit of holiness together.

Question of the Day
Here's a question for you to think about and apply:
As you consider pursuing holiness by starting some things and stopping others, do you belong to a smaller and deeper community of Christians who can lovingly encourage you on your journey toward growth? If not, how can you find that?