Friday, September 25, 2009

Armor

Paul finishes up this letter with some final advice that seemingly comes out of nowhere.



Ephesians 6

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.



Armor. As Paul explains, we are surrounded by a spiritual world. I don’t think his intention, in mentioning this world, was to induce panic. I believe he was simply wanting to make us aware of its reality. The thing I found interesting is that God does not intend to remove us of the evil. Instead, He wants to arm us so that we can live truthfully and righteously and peacefully and faithfully in the midst of it.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Belong

Today, Paul offers an important reminder of a forgotten aspect of our journey.


Ephesians 6

1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.

2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise:

3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.



Belong. Growing up, I am sure you heard the answer ... “Because I said so!” ... to a lot of your questions. I appreciate the fact that Paul goes beyond “Because” in his instruction and adds a reason ... “you belong to the Lord”. I think we lose sight of that on our journey as Jesus followers. We never forget the Savior or forgiveness side of being a Jesus follower; but we have selective memory (as my mom used to say), when it comes to the Lord or leader side. I pray you never forget that you belong to Jesus because there are a lot of dark places in this world that can lead to loneliness; but even more so, I pray you never forget that you belong to Jesus because there are a lot of temptations that lead to those dark places.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Love

Today, Paul’s practical application shifts toward relationships. First, a marriage relationship.



Ephesians 5

21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.

24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her

26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.

27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.

29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.

30 And we are members of his body.

31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”

32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.



Love. The challenge of reading God’s Story is to avoid “shopping” for us ... “buying” the parts we like and “returning” the parts we don’t like ... instead of submitting to Him. It is a challenge that requires us to trust that God knows how life works best in spite of other things we may have learned/experienced on the journey. In my case, that means learning how to love my wife the way Jesus loved the church. Since I am in no way an expert on this topic, I wanted share a thought from Dr. Thomas Constable’s Notes that I found helpful. “The word (Paul) used for love means much more than sexual passion or even family affection. It means seeking the highest good for another person. Husbands are to love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church. The extent to which He went for her welfare was giving Himself up in death to provide salvation for her. He gave up His rights yet maintained His responsibilities. ... This kind of love arises out of a commitment of the will, not just passing feelings.”

Monday, September 21, 2009

Thoughtlessly

Last week, we finished up with Paul’s thought of living as “people of light”. This week, Paul is going to offer some practical application to that thought.



Ephesians 5

15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.

16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.

17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.

20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.



Thoughtlessly. I was struck by the phrase, “Don’t act thoughtlessly”. I was convicted of the fact that I can go through entire sections of my day on auto-pilot and not put any thought into the impact my words or my actions might have. I pray God will help me (and you) be more cognizant of what we say and do so that we can act thoughtfully.