Ephesians 5:18 - Spiritual Living.

Eph.5:18: Spiritual Living.

Eph 5:18 (KJV)  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess;
but be filled with the Spirit;

When he speaks here of being filled with the Spirit and when he
speaks in Colossians of being under the rule of the peace of Christ and
indwelt by the "word" of Christ, he means to be under God's control.
[NIV SB]

The filling of the Spirit is to be continually experienced, as
the present tense verb would affirm. Special fillings occur in times
of need for particular spiritual prowess. [Believer's SB]

Fear filled the disciples' hearts when Jesus told them He would
be returning to heaven. So He assured them that He would not leave
them as orphans, with no divine parent to protect and help them. He
promised to send them His representative, the Comforter, the Holy
Spirit--the Vicar of Christ, Christ's representative on earth. And the
Spirit came to comfort the followers of Jesus, the disciples, and you
and me.
While the New Testament mentions the Holy Spirit 262 times, many
references to Him also appear in the Old Testament. In fact, He has played
a very important role in humanity's life from the beginning of
time. The Holy Spirit had a part in the creation of all things. He was
active in convicting the antediluvians of their sins. In Judges we find
the Holy Spirit filling the lives of Samson, Joshua, Gideon, and
others. The prophets felt His influence. All through the Old Testament
we see the Holy Spirit as the moving power of God functioning in
the lives of people, convicting them, encouraging them, and leading
them to a new consciousness of God.
This promise of the Holy Spirit, who was to come as a Comforter
to the disciples, represented a special outpouring and indwelling
not only for the early church, but for His contemporary church--for
you and me! And the Holy Spirit did indeed come--not that He had not
always been here on this earth, but people had not been able to receive
Him in His fullness before that time. Then they saw the Holy Spirit
function at Pentecost as never before in a dramatic, awe-inspiring,
breathtaking way.
Have you ever stopped to ponder and appreciate the absolute
necessity of the indwelling Spirit in your life? Really, your life doesn't
mean a thing unless the Holy Spirit is guiding you! Without the Holy
Spirit we cannot really experience Jesus in our life. So our daily
prayer should ever be "Come, Holy Spirit, come. Make my experience with
Jesus real today." from The Best News Ever by H.M.S. Richards, JR and
Daniel R.Guild.

Paul contrasts getting drunk with wine, which produces a
temporary "high," to being filled with the Spirit, which produces lasting
joy. Getting drunk with wine is associated with the old way of life
and its selfish desires. In Christ, we have a better joy, higher and
longer lasting, to cure our depression, monotony, or tension. We should
not be concerned with how much of the Holy Spirit we have, but how
much of us the Holy Spirit has. Submit yourself daily to his leading
and draw constantly on his power. [Life Application SB]