• Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;  Ephesians 5:19

This characteristic is inward.  No one knows what scripture you are quoting or what spiritual song you are singing in your heart.  Only God knows.  A psalm or song in the heart is worship.  It is between you and the Lord.

Take note of the quality of this content in the heart. The Psalms are Scripture.  Christians are to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.  The songs are spiritual songs.  Spiritual songs are songs that are biblically correct and that promote biblical thinking.  Making melody speaks of a spiritual song with a particular quality.

• Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;  Ephesians 5:20

This characteristic of the Spirit filled believer is upward.  It is the expression of gratefulness to God that is continuous.  Giving thanks always because God is sovereign and there is never a time that He is not in control and accomplishing His purpose. 

The gratefulness expressed here is for all things both good and bad.  It includes the bad because the God of Scripture is able to bring good out of the bad.  Satan means to destroy, but God means it for good.  Good is that which accomplishes God’s purpose.

• Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.  Eph. 5:21 

This characteristic of the Spirit filled believer is outward.  It characterizes our relationships with others.  Submission identifies with serving.

The rest of Ephesians chapter five and part of chapter six illustrate how  Spirit filled believers submit to one another.  If you are a wife, husband, child, father, servant (employee) or master (employer), there is information in this passage on what submitting looks like in your particular role.

Of particular interest is how a leader such as a husband, father or employer submits to those under him.  Spirit filled submission in the above mentioned roles will be considered in the next article of this series.

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…