But God

Reading:  Ephesians 2:1-10
    
    Paul has been discussing God’s great power in raising Jesus from the dead and exalting him (Eph 1:20) and now turns to how he has also raised and exalted us.  “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind”(Eph 2:1-3).  Paul describes our tragic state.  We sinned, but our sins began to take over and define our lives.  We lived in them, served them, and were entrapped by them.  They began to characterize us.  They killed us.  

    So what changed?  Did we simply decide to do better?  “But God”(Eph 2:4).  God changed.  God initiated something new.  God acted to rescue us.  “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”(Eph 2:4-6).  God was prompted by his love and mercy (certainly not our virtue) to apply his power to us.  Just as he made Jesus alive in the grave, so he made us alive with him.  Just as he exalted Jesus, so he has exalted us.  God is the hero of the story.  This is why he insists that “by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast”(Eph 2:8-9).  Our salvation is not our doing; without God, we would still be desperate and dead.

    God certainly expects his people to obey him and do what he commands; he has redeemed us “for good works”(Eph 2:10).  Yet all the good works and all the obedience in the world cannot redeem us from our sins.  Without God’s mercy, without his intervention, without his sacrifice, we would still be lost and hopeless.  God is the hero of the story.  Salvation is always his doing.

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One Thing to Think About: Am I ever tempted to boast in my own works?

One Thing to Pray For:  Gratitude to God for saving me from my sins and myself 
 

The Eyes of Your Heart

Reading:  Ephesians 1:15-23
    
    Paul loves to pray for Christians and churches in other places—and especially loves to tell them about it.  “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers”(Eph 1:16).  When others come to faith in Jesus and begin to live differently, God is responsible, so Paul is thankful to God.  He also prays for their continued spiritual growth:  “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him”(Eph 1:17-18).  What young believers need may not simply be more knowledge about God, but knowledge of him as they begin to deepen a relationship with him.  The difference there is immense; it is the difference between knowing facts about a person’s life and actually meeting them.

     The knowledge they need involves “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe”(Eph 1:18-19).  Hearts have eyes!  Paul wants their eyes to be opened to the richness of the blessings they have received.  Note that there is no new ground or new revelation here—they already know their hope, what a blessing the saints can be, and how great God’s power is.  Paul wants for them to see this with their hearts, processing emotionally what they know intellectually.  There is a depth and power to what God has done for us that must not just be recited, but felt.  All of this is revealed by the glorious exaltation of Jesus (Eph 1:20), which points toward his imminent complete dominion (Eph 1:21), now foreshadowed by his lordship over the church (Eph 1:22-23).  They know this, but Paul wants them to truly know it.

    Christianity is a religion that must be learned; there are facts to master and accept.  Yet this not usually where we find the “aha!” moments that capture our hearts.  Growth and maturity involve thinking deeply on the mystery of God’s grace, the wonder of what is to come, and the scope of God’s power and love.  It must not just be recited, but felt.

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One Thing to Think About: Is there a difference between knowing something and understanding it?

One Thing to Pray For:  A deeper appreciation for the value of my fellow believers 
 

Every Spiritual Blessing

Reading:  Ephesians 1:1-14
    
    Paul has barely said “hi” to the Ephesians before he begins to praise God and enumerate what he has done for us.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”(Eph 1:3).  God has done wonderful things for believers, but Paul refuses to leave it at that; he wants to detail how God has blessed us.  He “chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ”(Eph 1:4-5).  God chose us to be a people he would make holy and blameless.  He predestined us to be his adopted children.  We are beneficiaries of his grace.

    Paul expounds further, letting the metaphors fly.  “We have redemption through his blood”(Eph 1:7), emphasizing how Jesus’ sacrifice frees us from our slavery to sin.  We have “the forgiveness of our trespasses”(Eph 1:7), which highlights salvation as eliminating our debts.  God has revealed to us “the mystery of his will”(Eph 1:9) by sending his Spirit, working in us toward his goal “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth”(Eph 1:10).  We await an inheritance (Eph 1:11), which promises greater life in the future than what we enjoy now.  In the meantime, he has sealed us with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13) as a guarantee of those blessings we anticipate.   

    We are the objects of God’s love and grace.  He has met our every need and far more.  We now belong.  We have a Father.  We are free and forgiven.  We know God’s will and stand in hope of eternal life.  The Spirit guides us until we receive it.  All of this is God’s gift; we deserve none of it.  What more could we ask for?

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One Thing to Think About: Why do we sometimes struggle believing that God has given us all we need?

One Thing to Pray For:  Deeper gratitude for what God has done for me 
 

Perhaps

Reading:  Philemon 15-25
    
    As Paul appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus back, he hints at a possibility that Philemon has probably not yet considered.  “For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother”(Phile 15-16).  He wants Philemon to imagine that there was a purpose behind this whole ordeal.  Perhaps God has allowed Onesimus to run away, come to find Paul, accept the gospel, and return to him just for this moment.  Perhaps all these events have been leading to this fork in the road.  With the word “perhaps,” Paul introduces the idea of God’s intervention and a larger meaning to his life.

    This vision is intended to inspire Philemon.  “So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me”(Phile 17).  Paul wants a warm reception for Onesimus and calls on Philemon to remember their own bond as partners (v. 17) and fellow workers (v. 1).  “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand:  I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self”(Phile 18-19).  It is a call to forgiveness of debts both physical and emotional just because Paul is asking.  Paul vouches for Onesimus, stating that he will pay whatever debts he has incurred.  And Paul mentions (without mentioning) that Philemon owes Paul “even your own self.”  Paul closes the letter “confident of your obedience”(Philemon 21), certain that Philemon will do the right thing.    

    “Perhaps” is Paul’s way of introducing what we sometimes call “providence”—the involvement of God in the everyday affairs of men.  It combines the question “What if God is behind this?” with the question “What would God want me to do in this situation?”.  This type of thinking leads to faith-based actions, like forgiveness and joy.  It gives us hope and builds faith to see small glimpses of God’s work in our lives.  Perhaps it has all been building to this moment.

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One Thing to Think About: How have I seen God at work in the ordinary events of my life?

One Thing to Pray For:  The vision to see God’s work—and courage to act accordingly
 

Appealing or Commanding

Reading:  Philemon 8-14
    
    Paul inches closer to his purpose in this letter by gently broaching the topic.  He wants Philemon to receive back his slave Onesimus and welcome him as a brother in Christ.  “Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment”(Philemon 8-10).  Paul admits that he has the authority and boldness to order Philemon to receive Onesimus, yet he does not want to address him this way.  Instead, he appeals to Philemon.  And what an appeal!  Paul is an “old man” and a “prisoner also for Christ Jesus” and now thinks of himself as Onesimus’ father.  “I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart”(Philemon 12).  Philemon cannot refuse Onesimus without devastating Paul.  

    Paul also describes his conundrum after Onesimus’ conversion.  “I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord”(Philemon 13-14).  Onesimus was useful to Paul, helping him do his apostolic work while limited by his imprisonment.  So he considered just keeping him with him, presuming on Philemon’s kindness.  Yet this would have forced Philemon to do a good thing.  Paul wants to “do nothing without your consent.”  Good works are not good if we have no choice.

    Paul is walking a fine line here.  He wants Philemon to do the right thing, yet he also wants Philemon to choose to do the right thing.  Christians do what is good because we want to please God, emulate Jesus, and bless others.  This means that we belong in an all-volunteer army.  Even when it requires difficult things (like forgiving those who have hurt us) or costly things (like our money and time), we respond to the need because we care, not because we are afraid.  Good works are not good if we have no choice.

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One Thing to Think About: Do I do things for others without being forced to?

One Thing to Pray For:  A heart to do right in all situations