Ephesians 3-B “To Him Who Is Able…”

S = 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

O = God can do more, far more, than we can imagine—that part of this text is a good reminder but not too challenging. It’s the next clause that is amazing, “according to the power at work within us.” So He can do more…through us…than we think is possible! We are “stewards of the grace of God.”

A = How can I process this? I need to, as we say in my family, “Stop with the negative waves Moriarty!”[1] I need to start thinking bigger about what God can do through his power at work in me. What is he doing? He is working glory in the church and in Christ through all the generations. How am I praying for others? Am I praying small or negative prayers or am I praying prayers that presuppose a big, powerful, loving God? This week I want my prayer to come from an authentic faith in God and a sincere love for others, not just a facade of piety slapped onto a heart of unbelief.

P = O Lord, help me to see my life from a different perspective…from your perspective and to cooperate with your eternal plan that includes me…Wow! May you give me the faith to pray the big prayers (to overcome in the midst of trials) not just the superficial ones (to be removed from anything difficult). May there be a generational impact for Christ as a result! Amen.

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[1] A line from the old WWII movie Kelley’s Heroes spoken by a pre-beatnik tank commander Donald Sutherlin to his pessimistic mechanic played perfectly by Don Rickles…the master of “negative waves.”

Ephesians 2-B "Together In Christ"

S = 2:19-22 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

O = The dividing wall of hostility has been destroyed, two have been made one, enemies have been reconciled—but only in one place (the cross), in one person (Jesus Christ) for one family (those who put their trust in him). These former enemies not family, are being

• gathered together as fellow citizens and members of God’s household,
• built together on the cornerstone of Christ that joins prophets and apostles into one structure,
• grown together into a holy temple (an inner sanctuary) a place of God’s presence by the Spirit.

A = If God has removed all valid grounds for division with others who am I to separate myself from all God’s people? Is Jesus the cornerstone, the meeting place, the center of my life and my family? It must be so. He was lifted up on the cross so that all alike might look to him and live. He must draw us all to him—from all our own private and often mutually exclusive pursuits—and when we get there we will find that we have been so creatively, so complementarily, and so closely fitted together that we are inseparable. One body, one building, one Spirit yet without loss of our identity or personality. Yet all has been transformed by his grace. May all I do this week be focused on drawing near, building up, growing together in Christ our Lord!

 

P = O Lord God, may I be a part of your inner sanctuary this week. May my prayers not just be about physical concerns or and mundane issues but guide my prayers by your Spirit to enter into the spiritual realm to wrestle this week with the forces behind the curtain—to participate in the spiritual battle—as part of the fortress of God. May my heart not be divided in what it worships, who it accepts, or what it rests upon. To him be the glory in the Church (3:21)! Amen.

Ephesians 2-A “You Were Dead”

S = 2:1-3 “And you were dead in the 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.”

O = We all were people of disobedience following the dominant culture of rebellion against God—the results were clear in Paul’s words to the Ephesians like: “separated…alienated…strangers…no hope” (v. 12). Those are the lonely words that echo in the deep chasms of the soul. God knows we deserved his wrath! Our bodies walked, spoke, and consumed to exist, but our spirit was dead. Yet God in costly love has reached down and raised us up by grace! He has brought us near in relationship to him, and he brought us peace—in fact, He is our peace (v.14). He has made us citizens of the city of God through faith! We are strangers no more but members of the family of God!

A = Am I still living like I did before…merely fulfilling the desires of my body and mind, or like Christ saved me to live—with eyes set above? It certainly is a struggle. Do I walk through life as though I were still like I was before Christ saved me—hopeless, loveless, people-less; or am I basking thankfully in the acceptance God in Christ has extended to me? Do I still trust in my own works and meager righteousness to one day give me access to God, or have I repented, even of my “good” works and cast myself wholeheartedly on the wonderful mercy of Christ? Yes and I continue to do so each day...for pride and self-reliance die hard.

P = O Lord, thank you for your grace—I know that I don’t deserve it, but you are just that awesome!. Thanks for being my peace, for making me alive, for all your unnoticed kindnesses towards me. Help me to keep you always in mind and heart...and may I pay your mercy forward into the lives of those I encounter this week! Amen.