Ephesians 6:5-9

“Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.”

Continuing on the subject of Christ-centered relationships, Paul moves beyond the family circle and addresses believers in their roles outside the home as “bondservants.”

If you look up a definition for bondservant, you’ll find multiple definitions with varying shades or variations of meaning. Some definitions hold that a bondservant has no freedom, or is somehow bound or obligated to the master. Others say that a bondservant could have been free, but chose to remain bound to the master out of love and devotion. Going to the Greek word “doulos” from which it is translated, some instances of usage in the Bible appear to have a meaning closer to what we would call a “slave”.

In any case, bondservant refers to a person whose labor is not necessarily or strictly for their own benefit, but either exclusively or primarily for the benefit of another.

With that background, it’s not at all a stretch of Paul’s original intent to apply his message here to employees (who may occasionally feel like slaves!), or in the case of retirees, even to volunteer workers. The point is, what’s your attitude to those whom you are serving with your labor?

Paul calls out those whose attitude is that of eye-service, people-pleasers; those who labor with a smile on their face and a grumble in their hearts. Some of us find ourselves working with resentment and resistance, but struggling to appear cheerful and cooperative. Paul says we need to clean up our attitude!

Instead, Paul offers an alternate mental picture: suppose we’re working directly for Jesus, the one who died in our place to save us, the one who loves us beyond all understanding. How pure would our joy then be in working for Christ Jesus? Paul says to work for your employer, or your volunteer leader, or even your slave-driver, with that frame of mind!! Present a work product you’d be proud to be presenting directly to Jesus.

Such a pure motive for excellent work is promised not to go unnoticed. Your boss may not (probably won’t) notice. Your co-workers will probably think they could have done better. However unappreciated you may feel at work, or at home, you have the promise that Jesus will notice!

The same admonition goes for bosses – that is, supervisors, managers, CEOs, etc. In addition, Jesus notices how you treat your employees. Jesus doesn’t care about how important or powerful your position is within the organization. Doesn’t matter if you’re digging the ditch, or designing the freeway – we’re all on level ground at the foot of the cross!

So, my friends, I encourage you to ask yourself the same question I’m asking myself after studying these verses: How is my attitude? Am I resentful about the work I’m asked to do, either at the office, or jobsite, or at home? Am I working to please the eye of whomever may be looking at the moment, or to please my True Master, who sees all and knows all?

Ephesians 6:1-4

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Paul continues his discourse on family relationships within Christ-centered homes, moving on from husbands and wives to address the relationship of children to their parents. We’re all familiar with this passage, but that can be a problem! How often have we glossed over the obvious “surface” meaning of Paul’s message, and failed to look deeper? Let’s do just that today.

Jesus, in Matthew chapter 7, taught about God’s care for His children (i.e., all of us!) by comparing that relationship to that of a caring father and his son. “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?” (v. 9-10) Just as Jesus used a familiar family relationship to model our trust relationship with the Holy Father, Paul’s instruction here to children about their Earthly relationship models a deeper meaning about our own relationship with our God.

Children are expected to obey and give honor. Jesus gave this same instruction to His disciples, and through them to all of us, in John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” In contrast, Paul condemned in Romans chapter 1 those who failed to honor God. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (v. 21)

My application here is to ask myself “Do I obey and honor God as the true Sovereign of my life, consistently? If I were my child, would I be pleased with my obedience?”

God doesn’t give us rules to obey, just to see us jump to His command! Everything He commands of us is for our own good. We may sometimes be too foolish to see it, but it’s always true.

In verse 4 of today’s scripture, Paul turns his attention back to fathers in this parent-child relationship. Note that Paul holds fathers responsible for discipline and instruction. Not mothers, fathers!

Men, are we taking the lead as we should in discipline and teaching? It’s wonderful to have the support of Godly wives and mothers, but let us never forget that God our Father has left that responsibility to us! We are the ones who will answer for our children when called to account in the Heavenly courts. Will we be ready to answer?

Ephesians 5:25

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, …”

In our previous post, we looked at God’s plan for husbands’ and wives’ roles within the home, in leadership and support. Today, we look specifically at the husband’s sacred, God-given duty to love his wife.

We often go astray in our thoughts, pursuing the wrong definition of love. Yes, there is an emotional love, which may or may not be present in a marriage, or outside of one; an emotional response which can wax and wane over the years. We would hope, and would find in an ideal marriage, that such feelings continue to grow and strengthen over the years of a long and secure marriage, but that’s not primarily the kind of “love” Paul is writing about here.

Paul describes the kind of love he is writing about, the love which is commanded of husbands, by comparing it to the love of Christ Jesus. What did Jesus do for His church? He sacrificed himself for His church!! This is Paul’s example of an ideal, Godly husband’s love for his wife.

There are so many scriptures which we could look at to further understand this love, but today we’ll confine the discussion to two, beginning with Philippians 2:5-8.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Consider the Son of God before Jesus’ birth, seated on a throne in Heaven at the Father’s right hand, God’s equal in every respect, a co-participant in the creation of the universe (John 1:3). Consider the amazing humility when he refused to selfishly hold on to this glorified position in Heaven, and instead set all that aside to enter our dusty, sin-filled world as a helpless infant.

Then, as a grown man, He submitted Himself to the will of the Father, and allowed his creations to put him to temporal death on a cruel cross, not for any crime or sin of his own, but to pay the penalty of death for the sins of his own creation!

Men, are you humble enough to sacrifice for your wives? How about when you know you’re right and she’s wrong? How far will you go to protect her and redeem her from whatever mess she’s gotten herself into? With what mild and humble spirit will you do so? How well do you measure up to the yardstick, to the example Christ Jesus has set for you?

1 Corinthians chapter 13 is often called the “love chapter”, as it describes so well the sacrificial, pure love which should be found within the church, and within the home. Let’s pick out a few challenging verses within this exposition on love, and see how we husbands measure up.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.” (v. 4) Husbands, are we consistently patient and kind? Are we patient when she bends the fender, and kind when she burns the bacon? How are we doing at avoiding arrogance and rudeness? Can we make any honest claim to be following Paul’s guidance here?

“It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” (v. 5) We don’t ever insist on getting our own way, do we? Oh, OK, I guess we’ve got a bit of work to do there! But surely we’re never irritable or resentful! Oh!! Can’t we just sweep that one under the rug? No? Maybe we’ve all got some “progressive sanctification” yet to go.

“Love never ends.” (v. 8) It’s always nice to write “I will love you forever” inside the Valentine’s card, but it’s so much greater an accomplishment to make that statement true consistently every day, for a lifetime. Paul’s statement here leaves no room at all for “I don’t love you anymore.” There’s no wiggle room on giving up when it gets too hard. Love never ends. God’s love for us never ends, nor should our love for our wives never end. Our self-sacrificial, patient, kind, humble, flexible, amiable love never ends.

May our gracious God bless and guide each of us to recognize and accomplish the growth in Christ-like love we’ve yet got to do, that we may arrive at Heaven’s gate all the more fit to live there.

Ephesians 5:21-24

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

In today’s world, there are very few more controversial passages in all the Bible! I submit my view for your consideration with all humility, and with many, many years of mistakes in my rear-view mirror.

Before I dig in, however, you may be wondering why I’m stopping at verse 24, addressing wives, and not continuing on to verse 25 to take on the husband’s role. I WILL get to this in my next post, I promise! Men, buckle your seatbelts, it’s going to be a doozy!!

But for today, we need to understand the Biblical view of “submit”, both in the church (verse 21) and in marriage (verses 22-24). Submit isn’t a word which we apply easily and comfortably to ourselves, and I believe that may be because of our experience with un-Biblical and un-righteous leadership.

Submission, you see, is our proper response to good leadership. That’s what submission is about in the church, and in the marriage. In the church, we should have the leadership of elders who are blameless, faithful, good teachers, leaders within their own home, even-tempered and honest (Titus 1:5-9). When we have truly good elders who meet all these qualifications, who wouldn’t want to submit to such leadership? Having leaders like that would feel like being covered by a warm, protective blanket. It’s a comfort and a blessing to be guided by Godly leaders who nurture us and guide us to grow in our faith and spiritual maturity.

Paul here is assuming (or perhaps hoping?) that the wives he is addressing will be blessed with such Godly, responsible, righteous leadership within their own homes. That’s the way it should be. If a husband is everything God intends him to be, he will be like a church elder within the home. What wife would not want to submit to such a leader?

Paul’s discourse here is about wives and husbands each assuming their proper roles within the home, as God Himself has designed and planned the family to be. Our God has placed the responsibility of leadership upon the husband, and the role of support upon the wife. As John Piper writes, “Headship initiates, submission supports”. He explains in more detail that “submission means an intelligent, happy, wise support for the leadership of your husband.”

Leaders must have followers. This doesn’t mean the wife should be a silent, accept-anything follower. A husband needs his wife’s ideas and input, and a wise leader knows he needs this kind of support. There may be some tasks in which the wife is simply more competent than her husband. A supportive wife contributes more in her area of competency, and her wise, God-following husband is thankful for his wife’s support in those areas. It’s about reaching the goal together – it should never be a competition!

The ultimate head of the Church is Christ Jesus, and the elders lead the church only under Christ’s leadership. The same is true of the home; the ultimate leader of the home is Christ Jesus, and the proper leadership of a husband is to follow in His footsteps. The proper role of the wife is to support her husband in fulfilling his role.

Ephesians 4:32 – 5:2

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

In the midst of a lengthy discourse on Christian living, emphasizing many types of sin to avoid falling into (4:1-31, 5:3-20), Paul interrupts himself to present this mind-bending challange!

Who among us has not had someone in our life we’ve struggled to forgive? For many Christians, our family and closest friends are also Christians, and it is those closest to us who have the greatest capacity and opportunity to hurt us. I’ll admit, it didn’t take me long to think of an example in my own life!

Beyond the challenge to forgive, Paul also gives us a roadmap to achieve this challenge. We must first be kind and compassionate. I address these two words together because they’re so closely related in meaning. A kind, compassionate person understands the feelings of other people, thinks about their motives from their own point of view, and shares genuine concern for their well-being. Kind, compassionate people are generous, with both their resources and their time. They are considerate, respectful and supportive. Kind, compassionate people are willing to help and keep a positive attitude. Such people aren’t this way merely to impress or manipulate others, but are genuine and authentic in their empathy and care.

If that seems exceedingly hard with respect to a person whom you struggle to forgive, Paul gives an example to follow: God Himself! Think how much God has forgiven you! Can anyone’s slights and hurts ever begin to approach the level of our own sin which God has forgiven?

All of us want our children to grow up adopting and living our own values and most cherished beliefs. If you are kind, you want your children to be kind as well; to follow your own example in life. We are God’s children, and He wants the same for us; to be compassionate and forgiving as He is compassionate and forgiving to us.

What did it cost God to forgive us? Only His beloved Son; His life and His blood. What will it cost you or I to forgive the person we need to forgive?

There is, for each of us, a here-and-now compensation when we follow God’s example to forgive. Perhaps Corrie ten Boom said it best: “Forgiveness is setting the prisoner free and discovering the prisoner was you.”

Whom do you need to forgive? Whom do I need to forgive? When will we begin to follow God’s example of kindness and compassion?

Ephesians 4:17-32

Read the complete scripture reference.

Key verses: “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (v. 22-24)

Paul challenges the Ephesian church, and through them, us also, to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (v. 1), by putting off the old self and putting on the new self. But what a challenge! This is the hard part!!!

It is so much easier to claim Christ in our own minds, and even in our speech, than it is to live out a daily witness to Him, so contrary to our natural inclinations and desires. In these verses, Paul gives us the help we need to do just that. He first reminds us of that from which we have been saved, namely a “futility of mind” and “darkening in our understanding”. Before Christ we were “alienated from God” by the “hardening of our hearts”. Christ Jesus has saved us from all that!

Take note here that what follows does not come naturally. Paul notes in verse 21 that these are things the Ephesians need to have been taught as do we.

Paul first reminds us to “be renewed in the spirit of your minds”. Notice he didn’t say “renew yourself in the spirit of your mind”. This isn’t a self-improvement project, but is rather a work which God will do within us through His Holy Spirit. Our part is to let Him do His work within us, and to be patient, waiting upon His timing in our lives. We must remind ourselves that God uses people and experiences in our lives to shape us more into His image. Those aren’t always our favorite experiences, at the time! Rather than praying for God to get us our of our difficult circumstances, maybe we need to pray more often to get the growth out of those circumstances which God wants us to get.

Paul goes on to give us some very practical instruction on how to live out the challenge within our key verses above. First, he says to “put away falsehood” and “speak the truth”. If this doesn’t sound like much of a challenge, then we’re not thinking it through very deeply. Do we consistently tell the truth when we’re caught doing something we shouldn’t have been doing anyway? Do we consistently tell the truth when doing so will cost us real money, enough to hurt? Do we consistently tell the truth when doing so will probably blow an opportunity we’ve been longing for? Don’t just speak the truth when it’s easy – speak the truth especially when it’s hard!

Verse 26 is a surprise to many: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Many Christians would think it a sin to be angry, but not Paul. We know we shouldn’t be angry about selfish things, like when we’ve been cut off in traffic, or somebody else just scored the last concert ticket available. (Or, in my house, the last doughnut!) There are times, however, when a Christian should be angry, like injustice and abuse. We don’t have to respond to this righteous anger in sinful ways, but it can be an energy spark to set us on the course of constructive action to right the wrongs around us. I fear that most Christians’ anger problems are not about being angry, but about being angry over the wrong things and not over the right things!

Much of the Bible is summarized in the seven words of verse 27: “and give no opportunity to the devil”. Our adversary doesn’t need much of an opportunity at all, just a little bit of inappropriate anger, or an opportunity to avoid a conflict with just a slight shading of the truth. The devil is expert in turning just a small mis-step into a cascade of evil, if only we let him. Want to look into this concept in considerably more depth? Check out Louie Giglio’s book Don’t give the Enemy a Seat at your Table.

When we get to verse 28, we Christians have a tendancy to think we’re now “free and clear”. Very few of us have robbed a bank in the last few weeks, or knocked over a convenience store. The more pertinent question may be, is our labor honest? Are we really giving our employer a full day’s work in exchange for that full day’s pay? Paul reminds us why we’re working: so that we “have something to share with anyone in need”. Do we constantly work with one eye open to find those with whom we can share? If our God sends the rain equally upon the just and the unjust, are we just as non-judgemental as He is in our generousity?

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (v. 29) What is “corruption”? In chemical terms, a good definition is “that which degrades whatever it touches”. Is my speech like that? Are people around me morally or spiritually degraded because they’ve heard what I said? OR, are our words consistently gracious and helpful? Does what we choose to talk about and how we say what we say serve to build up those within our hearing? Are people around me made better and blessed because they’ve heard what I said?

Commentators I’ve read tend to apply “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” specifically to Paul’s admonition about gracious speech, but in my own mind, it applies much more broadly, to anything I think, anything I say, or anything I do. Whatever it is, how does it affect the Holy Spirit living within me? Do I do things which would make the Spirit feel like “I don’t want to be here right now.”? I’ll admit that I have in times past done just that! I don’t want to ever go there again, but making that ambition a reality goes right back to “give no opportunity to the devil”. What’s a good place to print that verse and stick it up where you can see it? On you car’s visor? On your computer monitor? On your phone?

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, …” (v. 31) Bitterness and anger are, quite simply, an opportunity for the Enemy. If he can get us to feel bitter about the injustices of life, anger at how we’ve been [mis]treated, he’s got his opportunity. Bitterness and anger are root causes of the clamor, slander and malice which Paul warns us against. Can I take my anger, my disappointment, my bitterness, and hand it over to God to handle for me? Can I put these things in His hands and never try to pick them up again?

If I can do that, it will be so much easier to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (v. 31). Don’t you just LOVE being around kind, tenderhearted people? Sure you do! So does everyone else! If I can be that kind, tenderhearted, forgiving person, then I will find that I’m drawing others closer to me, in Jesus’ name.

My prayer: “Holy Father, I know I’m not fully living out the new life that Paul described in this scripture. I know that I still create opportunities for the devil to gain a foothold in my life, a seat at my table. I know that I sometimes hold on to my anger at the failings of others around me, and in turn fail to be kind and gracious to them. PLEASE draw me closer to You each and every day. Please help me to speak with consistent grace, blessing those who hear. Please help me to NEVER grieve Your Holy Spirit living within me. Please to be consistently kind, tenderhearted and forgiving. In Jesus’ most Holy name, Amen.”

Ephesians 4:1-7

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

Paul starts this chapter with “I therefore …”. Whenever we see the word “therefore”, we need to look back to see what it’s there for. Paul began his letter with a reminder of the Ephesians’ spiritual blessings in Christ, and a prayer of thanksgiving for their saving faith. He reminded them how they had been previously (spiritually) dead in their sin, and how their mutual faith in Christ which connected them with God’s saving grace should also unite them in Christ, erasing other divisive factors. In chapter three he wrote of the blessing that had come to him in the revealing of the mystery of Christ, and prayed for the Ephesians’ spiritual strength to stand up to the temptations and challenges being presented daily.

Therefore, Paul moves on to discuss how this church should respond to the blessings they have received. As we look at his teaching here, let’s side-step for just a moment to consider the word “urge”. Other translations render this as “beg”, “exhort”, “beseech”, “implore”, “entreat”, “appeal”, “encourage”, “call on”, or “request”. What Paul will do here is not only to present an urgent request, but also to teach the Ephesians how to fulfill his request.

His request? To “walk in a manner worthy of the calling”. Kinda reminds me of when my mother would remind me, as I was going out the door, to “remember who you are”. As Christians, our manner of life should reflect who we are, and whose we are. Our manner of life should always glorify Christ. This isn’t just a one-off thought; Paul repeated this in Colossians 1:10, Philippians 1:27, and 1 Thessalonians 2:12.

Sounds like a tall order! How do we fulfill that? Paul tells us.

“with all humility” … Christians are supposed to be humble people. Jesus taught humility to his disciples. Jesus’ half-brother James encouraged humility among the Jews scattered by persecution. In what may be my favorite scripture of all time, Paul gave the Philippians the greatest possible example of humility, in Christ Jesus! Do you want to be more like Jesus? Be humble.

“and gentleness” … Jesus identified himself as a gentle spirit, exercising kindness and patience. Paul taught his protegee Timothy to teach even his opponents with gentleness, which is the fruit of the Spirit. A Spirit-filled Christian is a gentle Christian.

“with patience” … Patience goes right along with gentleness. While gentleness is more about how we treat others, patience is more about how we respond to adverse circumstances, even when those adverse circumstances are imposed upon us by others. Love is patient.

“eager to maintain unity” … a follower of Christ Jesus does all he/she can to keep the peace within the church and maintain unity, not grudgingly as an onerous task, but eagerly, as a privilege. In Peter’s first letter, he encouraged his readers to be unified, as did Paul in writing to the Philippians and the Corinthians.

Paul gives us plenty of reasons to be unified in mind and spirit! We can be one body, despite any insignificant differences; after all we have one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father. What could possibly trump all that to divide us?

How will you respond to Paul’s calling? My response is to examine how I’m doing, living in accordance with my faith. Does my day-to-day manner truly reflect how I’ve been blessed in Christ? Is my faith making me more humble, gentle, and patient? Am I eager to work for the unity of the church?

Ephesians 3:14-21

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (NKJV)

We mentioned in our previous entry that Paul started a prayer for the Ephesians, interrupted himself for a discourse on the mystery of the gospel, then picked up again in verse 14 with that prayer. We’ll take a close look at Paul’s prayer today, which I have quoted from the New King James Version – we’ll see why in a few moments.

Paul begins with “For this reason”. What was the reason? To look back a bit, Paul had first reminded the Ephesians how they had been spirituall dead (2:1), then had been made alive together with Christ (2:5), and finally reconciled with each other (Jew and Gentile) as they were reconciled to God (2:14). This is the reason Paul now prays for them!

“I bow my knees” … Paul displays a deep reverence for God. He does not approach the throne of grace casually, nor take lightly the privilege he has been granted as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This should cause us to pause and reflect … how do our prayers reflect our reverence for the almighty Creator, or lack of reverence? Do I approach God with more respect than I would any world leader?

“from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” … Who is the “whom”? This is why I quoted the passage for today from the NKJV. This version includes the phrase “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”, which is not included in many modern translations, but is included in the original Greek. Its inclusion simply makes the meaning clear, that the whole family of God is now named in Christ Jesus. This was important to make clear, as the Jews of that day often considered themselves children of Abraham more than they did children of God.

Do you proudly and confidently proclaim yourself a Christian, a disciple of Christ Jesus? Names are important, because they serve as a “shortcut” to our primary identity. For the Christian, Jesus should always be our primary identity.

“to be strengthened” … Paul prays for strength for the Ephesian church, spiritual strength. He knows that is a primary need for all disciples of Christ Jesus. Paul was well aware of the truth that Peter wrote about in 1 Peter 5:8: “your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”. The Ephesians needed spiritual strength, which only God can provide, to foil the schemes of Satan. Guess what? We do too!!

“through His Spirit” … God provides power to persevere and overpower Satan through His Holy Spirit. I will never have that power on my own. You won’t either. We can only persevere against Satan’s attempts to draw us away from God by seeking the spiritual strength He provides in prayer, as Paul does here.

“that Christ may dwell in your hearts” … This should be the goal of every Christian, to have Christ Jesus dwelling in our hearts. Only Jesus can provide the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil 4:7). Only by having Jesus dwelling in our hearts can we experience the joy of which Paul wrote to the Galatians. Only through Christ Jesus can we love everyone whom God brings to cross our paths.

“to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” … We know that Jesus loves us — we learned to sing about that in preschool! But, do we really understand the extent of His love? Consider that He died in our place, to take upon Himself our sins, while we didn’t know Him! He planned and committed to this sacrifice before the human race was even created! He died for our sins while we were still mired deep in the mud-pit of sin (Romans 5:8). God designed and built us to be people who respond to being loved. We can’t help but respond to God with obedience and devotion, when we truly understand the extent of His love for us.

“able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” … Nothing is impossible for God! Why should we fear or worry when we know that God is on our side? Jesus promised that as His disciples, we would never want for those things we really need.

I am reminded of a poster my daughter made for me and hung in my office at home. In big, bold letters it asks “Dad, How big is God?”. It’s a wonderful reminder that no matter what problem or worry I’m struggling with, no matter how big the obstacle in life, God is always bigger!

Is that a question you need to occasionally ask yourself?

“to Him be glory” … What a beautiful ending to this prayer! It’s a great reminder that God richly deserves all the glory, all the honor, because He created us; He brought us into the body of Christ by His grace; He gives us spiritual strength to stand for Him against the Enemy; He gives us Christ Jesus in our hearts and the Spirit as our Guide; He loves us far beyond our ability to understand and appreciate; His power is always at work to provide for us, protect and preserve us. Indeed, to God be the glory, honor and praise!!!

How will you honor Him today?

Ephesians 3:1-13

Read the complete text here.

Key verse: “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.” (v. 7)

Paul begins a prayer for the Ephesian Christians in verse 1, then interrupts himself with a parenthetical thought and resumes his prayer in verse 14. The thought that comes to him as he begins his prayer is to make sure his readers know of the “mystery” which was revealed to him by God, beginning on the Damascus road.

Paul here uses the word “mystery” somewhat differently than we generally use it today. The Oxford dictionary defines a mystery as “something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain”. In general usage, at least here in the U.S., we speak of a mystery when we’re talking about “a novel, play, or movie dealing with a puzzling crime” (Oxford). That’s not what Paul means, and it’s usually not what “mystery” means wherever it’s used in the Bible.

In the Bible, a mystery usually refers to a concept or plan which is revealed in parts, progressively, often over many generations. In Colossians 1:26, Paul refers to the gospel, God’s plan to redeem sinners, as “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints”. As far back as Genesis 12, God foreshadowed Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins in his covenant promise to Abraham. Abraham didn’t fully understand everything about Jesus’ birth, life and death at that time … it was only the beginning of a progressive revelation which covers all of the Old Testament.

The final part of the mystery, or progressive revelation; the completion of it; was revealed to Paul (or Saul, as he was called at that time), that he would be the one to carry the message of God’s saving grace to the Gentile world, thus uniting Jew and Gentile in one body, the church.

Please don’t miss the significance of verse 11 in this passage: “This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord”. God’s plan to save fallen mankind through Jesus isn’t Plan “B”! This was God’s plan before the foundation of the world!

I chose, however, verse 7, quoted above, as the key verse for today’s reflection. Paul refers to having been made a minister of the gospel by the grace of God. I believe that’s how every one of us finds his or her calling in God’s kingdom … by His eternal grace. What happened to Paul beginning on the road to Damascus was unique in the specific circumstances, but in some ways it is a universal experience. We’re not all gifted by God with the mission to carry the gospel to the Gentile world … that’s the part that was unique to Paul. We are, however, gifted by God’s grace with a task which He has prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:10, NIV)

So I ask myself, “What task has God prepared in advance for me to do? Am I doing it?” How about you?

Ephesians 2:11-22

“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands — remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

After describing in great detail how the Ephesians were “dead in their trespasses”, a spiritual condition which left them “having no hope and without God in the world”, and expounding magnificently the rich and overflowing blessings that are theirs in Christ, Paul now shows how these very blessings are all that is needed to do away with hostility and division which would have otherwise been quite natural and expected of the mix of people who had become the Ephesian church.

The Jews of that time obeyed God’s command to them to be separate from the pagans (Gentiles) around them, but they did so with a haughty and superior attitude which cannot have been pleasing to God. The Bible doesn’t say much about how the Gentiles regarded their Jewish neighbors, but being the object of racial discrimination is never a path to good interpersonal relationships. In Ephesus, these two peoples who had lived separate lives, barely tolerating one another, found themselves suddenly thrown together in a new relationship, as fellow disciples of Christ and fellow worshipers in the same church.

At first, it’s tempting to think “What has all this got to do with me? This hostility between Jews and Gentiles was 2,000 years ago. That’s old news.” And if we look at this passage as limited to Jews and Gentiles, you’d be right. But, it is not so limited. Far from it!

Discrimination, division and dissent is still very much a part of the modern world. If you think racial discrimination is a thing of the past, as I once did, take a look at this book by Emmanuel Acho. Every four years, political division is fanned into a raging fire yet again in an effort to win political office. Between elections, the various news services continue to fan the flames in their effort to sell newspapers or televised ads. Before you dismiss these issues as no problem for you, think what your reaction would be if a family of another race or another ethnicity moved in next door. How do you relate to church members in election season (or out of it) who have differing political beliefs?

Paul explains to the Ephesians, and through them to you and I, that these things are not, indeed cannot be, a source of division to those who are in Christ! “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (2 Cor 5:17) My question to myself, my application of this passage to my own life, is simply “How am I doing with this? How well do I set aside temporal divisions to celebrate unity in Christ?”

What’s your application?