Strong in the Lord

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

STRONG IN THE LORD

Eph 6:10-18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

NIV

Well, here we are at the final instructions of Paul as he was inspired by the Spirit. We know this is because it starts out with, “Finally”. The question which is a little puzzling, is it possible to be weak in the Lord? We think the answer may very well be, “yes”. Of course, we have to consider the mighty power of the Lord. If we are in Christ and he is in us then it would make perfect sense that we would be strong and filled with his mighty power. The purpose of our having his mighty power is explained quite clearly. If we live in the weakness of our power, we would most definitely fall prey to the devil’s schemes. But we are instructed to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. We know because we have been told the end of the devil and his demons. It is a mistake to think that God and the devil are two diametrically opposed equal forces in the world. The devil, who was once referred to as Lucifer, a beautiful angel, is a creation of God who was cast to earth due to his revolt against God. The devil will end up in that burning lake of sulfur. Yet he has a certain amount of power on the earth and his schemes are designed to entrap those who reject him, and accept Jesus. Therefore we must be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. We cannot battle the devil on our own, for this battle is not like a war we humans battle with each other, but it is against spiritual forces of evil and all the powers of this dark world. There are actually four foes numerated, but all of them are in fact opposed to God and adhere to the agenda of evil. So we have to do something other than live on our own, hoping we can stand up to all the temptations we are faced with. God does not leave us defenseless. He instructs us to put on, which is something we have to do, it does not just happen. We have to put on the full armor of God. Again we cannot just put on a portion of it, as we would be vulnerable to the devil’s attack. So we put on the full armor, complete with the mighty power of God, so we can take our stand, then we will be strong in the Lord.

Give it All

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

GIVE IT ALL

Eph 6:5-9

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

NIV

Surely we cannot judge the men or cultures of the past by the standards or laws we live by today. The idea of slaves and masters may still occur in some small parts of the world today, but we never hear about it. Our society fought a great civil war over slavery and it was abolished. England too had to deal with the abolitionists who finally won and put an end to slavery there. So how do we apply this passage to our lives as we are neither a slave nor master? However, we are either an employee or employer, unless we are self-employed. If we are self-employed, how then does any of this apply? First, we could see this as being simply employed in some profession, craft, or trade. We all do something to earn our living, again, at least the majority of us. Perhaps, it would be better to say that according to scripture we all are supposed to earn our own living. This is not to diminish those who are actually unable due to some legitimate reason. The idea is we are working for our keep, and many work for someone, thus are employees. Then we can apply this to the way in which we apply our skills, whatever they are. We work as though we are working for the Lord. We do not just do so when the boss is looking, but when he or she is not. It matters not if our diligence at our craft is noticed, the point is we do the best we can do all the time, every time because that is what a believer does. We could also apply this to ministry, but then our ministry may well be our calling, and that may well be our profession, craft or trade. Not all of us are called to be in a paid ministerial position, but we are called to be ministers for the Lord. So as we work we do so as though we are ministering for the Lord. If we are in the position of management, then we manage in that same way, as though we are ministering for the Lord. It really comes down to how we treat one another as people. How do we behave as an employee or employer to the other? When we consider, do it wholeheartedly, it is with our all, no slacking, no half-hearted attempt at our task, no doing just enough to get by, or thinking that just because others get away with something, it is alright for us to as well. No, we are to give it our all, just as Jesus gave his all for us. We are not to hold anything back, but do all we can, all the time, give it all at whatever we do.

Father and Children

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

FATHER AND CHILDREN

Eph 6:1-4

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."   4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

NIV

Although the preceding instructions regarding the role and responsibility of a husband and wife were an illustration of Christ and the church, Paul also concludes with that additional remark that a husband must love his wife as himself and the wife must respect her husband. Because there is a responsibility in the family structure, it makes sense the children are held accountable to their role, and that is simple enough, obey them in the Lord. Now that can also be seen as us, the children of God being obedient to our Father in Heaven. Paul makes reference to one of the Ten Commandments that says “Honor your father and mother” It does have that promise attached to it, about going well with us and enjoying a long life in the earth. Again, because it does apply to the earthly family, it would be wise for every believer to honor their parents, all throughout their lives, even as we become adults. There is not a time frame included, or a point we no longer should honor them. It does not even speak to whether we think they are worthy of being honored, which in some cases, there are parents who act in a manner that may not be worthy of honor, but that does not excuse the attitude of the child if they are believers. However, as a believing father, we also see we have a responsibility to behave in such a manner that would not exasperate our children. This again makes the case for the authority of the father in the household as this instruction includes it is the responsibility of the father to bring them up and train them in the ways of the Lord. The mother is not mentioned in this area of responsibility. It may be unfortunate that many Christian men have abdicated that responsibility to their wives, not being as involved in the rearing, or bringing up of the children. We can only hope that looking back in the past we fulfilled that responsibility. But we older fathers should assist the younger men to fulfill their role according to scripture. That goes back to having a unity in the faith, building each other up. We can be sure our Father in Heaven does not act in any way to exasperate us, as his children, but then we should also know that we have to not be upset at our Father because of any of his work in our lives, including those times of correction or discipline. He trains us in righteousness, he corrects us, even rebukes us when we are in error. He fulfills the role of father perfectly and thus gives us fathers the perfect example to follow in our human family. It is about the father and children

The Profound Mystery Revealed

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

THE PROFOUND MYSTERY REVEALED

Eph 5:22-33

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 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. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."   32 This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

NIV

Because we have looked at this in terms of the family structure, we need to see this as it was intended to be seen, the profound mystery. As often throughout the scriptures illustrations of the human experience are used to explain the experience between the divine and humanity. The explanation of marriage and the ensuring roles of both the husband and wife have merely given us a picture of how we are the bride of Christ. Jesus fulfills husbandry perfectly. How well do we fulfill the role of his bride? Are we truly submissive and recognize him as our head, as our Lord? He gave himself for us. We have to always be aware that he gave himself for us. He left heaven, a perfectly holy and spotless paradise and came to earth as an infant, and in a time and place where a man had little comforts and only hard work, with, what we would consider, rudiment tools. He lived with little and gave so much. He put our need first above his own. Is that how we husbands are supposed to be concerning our wife? We are told to love our wives as Christ loves the church. Jesus has cleansed us and made us holy. Jesus has presented us to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any blemish, but holy and blameless. Do we really act like we are radiant? Do we really see ourselves without any stain or wrinkle or blemish? Maybe if we looked at each other as Jesus does, we would not have any ill feelings among us. If we really saw ourselves in the way Jesus has washed us, then we would do no harm to each other in any way whatsoever. Just as Paul uses the example of the husband loving his wife as himself, and who would do harm to his own body, or hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it. This is how we should behave toward each other as the bride of Christ. We should have no hatred for ourselves, but rather feed and care or our body, which is the body of Christ, the church. As we are to leave our father and mother, or the world, and be united to our husband, Christ, and the two shall become one. We are to be one with Christ. So then we do not have any of our own agendas, but only live to please our husband, Jesus, as the illustration reveals this truth to us. True, it also applies within our human experience in marriage, yet the profound mystery has been revealed.

Love and Respect

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

LOVE AND RESPECT

Eph 5:22-33

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 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. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."   32 This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

NIV

It is time to deal with the family structure from the viewpoint of God. We have already mentioned this Cultural Revolution regarding the change in the role of women in our society. We believe it is rooted in World War II. During that time women had to leave their homes and go to work in the factories making war materials because many of the men were away in combat. When the war was over and the men returned, many women did not want to go back to being a housewife, subservient to their husbands. Today, it seems women’s right has been taken to another level. What is interesting is the statistics show more women die of heart attacks then men do. Is it possible this is due to women stepping outside the role they were designed for by God? Why does God want women to submit to their husbands, but let us not also forget he demands the husband love his wife? What we have to see in this design of God is he created man and then created women from the man for the reason of being a helpmate to the man. A man was not designed or created by God to be alone, but to live with and loving his wife. It is also true that over the centuries man became over dominate creating a patriarchal culture that saw women as nothing more than a property with no individual identity other than a daughter, wife or mother. We have messed up what God intended in so many levels that we may never get it right again. When God made woman from man, he did not take a bone from his head putting women in charge of man, nor did he take a bone from man’s foot, putting women as his servant, but he took a bone from Adam’s side intending Eve to walk side by side through life with man. This whole issue about wives submitting to their husbands is about the fact God holds the man accountable for his family. Look at what he requires of the husband. The man is commanded to give himself up for his family, for his wife. That is to put her first in his life, to do everything needed for her best. This whole illustration of husbands and wives is about Christ and the church, yet he comes back to the marriage as well. Love and respect are the keys to a successful relationship between a husband and wife. However, because God holds the man accountable he has given the husband the authority in the home. Whether men want the authority or exercise it, they are still being held accountable for their family by God. We have to love our wives as Christ loves his church. We have to do whatever it takes to provide, to shelter, and to lead our family in the ways of God. Does that mean become wealthy? Not at all, but the best provision a husband, a father can give his family is eternal life through Jesus. It is us men who need to make sure, first our wives know Jesus, as we are the priests of our home. Second, if we are fathers, we need to ensure as our children are being reared, they know Jesus. Once they attain adulthood they may stray away, but we are the ones responsible to give them the knowledge about Jesus in their youth, while they still live under our care. We could write a whole book on this topic, but we simply have to resign ourselves to the singular concept of a successful marriage, love and respect.

Mutual Respect

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

MUTUAL RESPECT

Eph 5:21-24

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 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. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

NIV

This seems a bit contradictory. First Paul tells us to submit to one another and then that wives are to submit to their husbands. Which is it? It cannot be both, can it? What various translations do with this verse makes some difference. Because there are no punctuations in Greek, this verse is most likely the remaining or concluding thought about living very carefully, which we should have included in examining that truth. If we just add it to the last portion of the teaching about living very carefully it makes sense.

Eph 5:19-21

19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

NIV  

But in order to make perfect sense of it, we need to see how the wording in Greek expressing it. Submitting yourselves mutually out of the fear of God, or Christ as the Greek word is Christou. There is mutual respect we need to have for one another, which implies we should not think more highly of ourselves in respect to others then we should. That is to say, none of us are any better than other of us in relationship with the Lord. He does not show favoritism. He loves each one of us exactly the same and therefore we should see all of us as exactly the same or as equals, having a mutual submission to God. In this way, this command is not in contrast to how the individual family structure was established by God. So as we get into this family structure section, we have to tread very lightly, as in our culture today it seems this is not the most popular message. Because of the recent Cultural Revolution in our country over the past sixty-plus years, which actually had its roots in World War II, it appears the role of women has drastically changed in our society. The question is whether that is a good thing in the eyes of God, or it is just a good thing in the eyes of man. We are going to have to weigh in on the topic of family structure based on the view of God rather than the opinion of man, but we will wait until tomorrow as in contemplating on this, it would be best to deal with the whole family at the same time, not just wives one day and husbands the next and lastly children. But then we will go on to employee/employer relationships. Now let us simply ponder on this truth of mutual respect out of reverence for Christ. If we are living with this mutual respect then we would not do harm to each other as well as we would not have hurt feelings, or ill-feelings of any kind, as that would be because of thinking more highly of ourselves as we should. Let us make more of an effort to live with this mutual respect.

Living Very Carefully

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

LIVING VERY CAREFULLY

Eph 5:15-20

15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

What does it mean to live carefully? What then does it mean not to live carefully? But it is not just carefully, but being very careful about how we live. The Greek word translated very carries the meaning of circumspectly, exactly, accurately. Be exact as to how we live, be accurate as to how we live. Do not live as unwise or foolish people live, but we should live as wise, or skilled experts or ones whose actions are governed by piety and integrity. However, the best and fullest definition of the word translated wise is in the philosophical sense. Forming the best plans and using the best means for their execution. Paul says this of God in his letter to the Romans. That would apply for his plan for our salvation as he executed himself. But, being very careful about how we live is making the plan of getting to heaven as the unwise are making their plans to get to hell. We should make the most of each day, living for God, understanding what his will is for our life. How do we live each day? This is not about abstaining from drinking wine as we know Jesus even made the best wine of all at the wedding in Cana. As well as Paul even tells Timothy to stop drinking only water, but use a little wine because of his stomach problems. Some believe they need to abstain altogether and that is fine, that is how they believe and they need to live with their convictions. However, this is about living in debauchery, getting drunk as a skunk and not remembering in the morning our behavior the night before. This is about getting so plastered, we say and act in such a foolish manner, and we literally make fools of ourselves. This is being filled to the gills with wine, till we pass out. No, that is not the way a person who is very careful would live. Instead, we would live in the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit. What does that mean exactly? Does it really mean that all we ever do is to quote psalms to one another? Does it really mean we simply sing to one another some of the old hymns? Who can remember them all, beside some of us cannot even carry a tune. Well, the Greek word translated one another could mean that, but it is also used in the third person singular and plural, much in the way we, or I, write. So then that thought could say speak to ourselves, quote the psalms in our mind, sing in our mind spiritual songs, keeping the word of God first and foremost present in our mind and heart, always be cognizant of Spiritual matters which would then govern our behavior. Making music in our heart to the Lord. This wise living would also include always, not sometimes, not when it is convenient, not when we remember, but always, at all times, ever giving thanks to God the Father for everything, not some things, not only the things we like but everything in the name of our Lord. This is not always the easiest thing to do because there are things that happen in our lives that are not so pleasant. But we are to thank God the Father not just for those good times, but for those times, or circumstances that are not so good.  Because he is the very definition of wise, his plans are the best plans for our lives and he executes those plans for our spiritual growth and faith in him. Always giving thanks to God is living very carefully.

A Shining Light

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

A SHINING LIGHT

Eph 5:8-14

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

NIV

Having lived in the city of sin and darkness we know it has no light, nothing of value, but simply has roads that lead to destruction. However, the light of Jesus shines into our hearts and we found the one path which leads across the great chasm into the city of love and light. We crossed over on the bridge which is the cross of Christ. Living in the light is far better than the darkness. There was no goodness, no righteousness and not a shred of truth. But now we have all of them dwelling within us as the Spirit is all goodness, righteousness, and truth. We know what pleases the Lord. It would seem having crossed over from that city of sin and darkness, we would not want to return ever again, that way across was a one-way bridge. Although we describe it in this physical sense, it is only a spiritual city, and we are still physically able to walk around in the city of sin and darkness. But we have a purpose, a reason to journey into that place. Jesus has told us we are the light of the world and we do not hide our lamp under something, but hold it up so the whole house is in the light, our paraphrase. Although as we walk about in this dark city we are to have nothing to do with those dark deeds, but we are to hold our lamp, our light up so as to expose those fruitless deeds, bringing them the light we were brought. Someone shined the light of Jesus on us and we are to shine that same light on those poor souls who are still trapped in the city of sin and darkness. Living within that dark city are dead men walking, their destiny is death and hell. How can we simply enjoy living in the city of light and be oblivious to their fate? Sometimes we think this is the task of the missionary, but that task, that calling belongs to all of us as Jesus told us to go out into the world and preach the good news. We cannot hide away in our ivory tower, the church building, or even in our cocoon of “good deeds” or “righteousness” within the city of love and light. We have to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness and the only way to do that is to shine our light, the light of Jesus into that darkness. We have to be that shining light, a beacon of hope.

Partners

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

PARTNERS

Eph 5:3-7

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.   6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

NIV

Here is where it gets a little dicey. First of all, it would seem most believers would not engage in any sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity. Yet we also know the statistics regarding the percentage of believers, unfortunately, including members of the pastoral segment who are in fact involved in some form of impurity, and we will leave it at that. But any of this type of attitude or behavior is kept deeply under wraps and is not discussed. However, greed is a little more openly discussed. It almost seems to be a normal way of life for most people including believers. We may not think of it as greed, but all the concern about storing up for the future, having enough for retirement is not just being prudent, it is being greedy. Again, it is doubtful that any, or at least few believers would use obscenities or engage in foolish talk or coarse joking. It is most definitely out of place. Instead, we should always have this attitude of thanksgiving. God has provided everything for us, first and foremost eternal life. What would our life be like if all we have to look toward was death? Whatever death means, it still is not life. Whether it is the ceasing to exist, or being thrown into hell, it is not eternal life in the paradise of God, with all the benefits being there. We can be sure any immoral, impure, or greedy person, who God calls an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. That is pretty darn straight talk. Again, it seems most of us would have nothing to do with immoral or impure behaviors. It might be possible we are tempted, and those thoughts creep in, but we would dismiss them immediately and move on. Yet this greed issue seems to linger on more than it should. The word is quite clear, we cannot serve both God and money. It is not that God desires we all be poor, or live in poverty, or have no money at all. He knows all things, and he knows where he brought us into the world, in the culture and time frame, and that in order to live in this society we require a certain amount of resources to procure housing, clothing, transportation, food and, yes maybe even some luxury items, so we have a variety of forms of methods to produce various amounts of money. But it is the attitude we have about money which God speaks to in regard to greed, or the continuous want for more. The never being content with what we have, but want to increase our net worth. This does not always have to do directly with money, like the parable about the rich farmer who built bigger barns. Greed is simply about wanting more, never being content. It can be applied to any material thing, but that always comes back to having enough money to have more of something. We have to be careful regarding morality, impurity, and greed. We have to be careful about how we talk, our words. Foolish talk, or silly talk or buffoonery, which is behavior that is ridiculous but amusing. Does that mean we have to be deadly serious all the time, never a smile, or saying something humorous? That would be a very boring existence, and being a very boring person, that certainly would not attract any non-believer to explore the truth of God. But, course joking and just silliness is not the way either. So we live and move in the Spirit, and let him do what he does best, influencing our heart and reflecting that influence to the world. If we partner with the Spirit we will not partner with those who are disobedient.

Being a Mimic

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

BEING A MIMIC

Eph 5:1-2

5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

NIV

Like father, like son, is an age-old adage spoken because of so many sons both looking like their fathers as well as taking after them in their mannerism and sometimes in their professions, or trades. In the case of the Divine, it is most definitely, like Father, like Son. Jesus is just like the Father. He even said:

 John 14:9

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

NIV

Of course, he was making the point that he and the Father are one, which is what he continued to say to Philip when he asked Jesus to show him the Father. But now comes the rub. We are told to be imitators of God, to be a son, just like our Father. To look like our Father, to have the same mannerisms as our Father. To be in the same profession or trade as our Father. To follow in his footsteps. We do this by living a life of love. The example of love we are given is Christ giving himself up for us. Jesus loved us so much he went to the cross to die for our sins and thus giving eternal life to those who believe. With all the self-centered attitudes and behaviors the people in Ephesus were engaging in and all the corrections this letter contained regarding their former way of life, it seems it might be difficult for them to change to living a life of love. Then we thought about ourselves and how well do we live a life of love. Have we changed enough from our former personalities and traits? Do we still think more about ourselves than about others? Do we really give ourselves up for others? We say, “I love you”, but what does that really mean? It certainly is a lot more personal than saying, “love ya”, but how do we demonstrate that love we profess? As well, is that love just for a select few we choose to love, like our parents, spouse, children, and extended family members? Even then, it does not seem we get along so well with some of them. Why is that? Is it because we are still a little too self-centered, rather than being imitators of God? Then we have to consider the whole assembly of believers in the local church we fellowship in. How well do we show the love of God there? We might fail a little too much there, but then we have to consider if we imitate God in the world. When people, non-believers, look at us, observe how we live, our personality, our conversation, our behaviors, do that see God, do they see Jesus? Sure, we can never be God, or even be exactly like him, but we are to imitate him. The Greek word translated as imitator is the root word for mimic, mimeetai. So we may not be able to be God, but we are told to mimic him. That is doing what he does, saying things how he says them, speaking like he speaks, acting like he acts, loving like he loves, then we will be a mimic.

The Use of the Tongue

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

THE USE OF THE TONGUE

Eph 4:29-32

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

NIV

The more direct translation is to not let anything rotten come out of your mouths. The Greek word could be used as worthless as well, both could fit the context as they are opposed to what would be helpful for building others up according to their needs. So then the rotten or worthless talk tears others down. This would have to include gossip as well as improper judgmental criticism coming from an attitude of superiority. It is scriptural to give correction or to go to a brother who is caught in a sin, but that is a whole different concept and that would be covered under what is helpful according to their needs. But this rotten talk, this backbiting, gossip, this rumor mill that operates within the church only destroys the body, tears it apart and thus would be considered sin. We need to make sure nothing rotten comes out of our mouths. But we also should see we need to make sure we speak words of encouragement, words that build others up. This would require us not to think more highly of ourselves then we should. How can we build others up, if we think so highly of ourselves? Speaking what is useful, beneficial, to others according to their needs could be done through preaching the word. It could also be done through the written word. But it could also be done through a one on one conversation. The point is as people have needs, such as feeling discouraged or having some other emotional hurt which is weighing heavily upon them, we can give words of encouragement, enlightenment, to help them through their hour of need. This rotten talk grieves the Holy Spirit, according to the context of this instruction. The comment about not grieving the Spirit is followed by what does grieve him and it is a list, and maybe not as comprehensive as it could, of what is rotten talk, which comes from the condition of the heart. Bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and every form of malice. The opposite of all those kinds of attitudes and behaviors is being kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other. It doesn’t seem we, the church, are very good at following this advice or command from God. That is not in judgment of others or self, it is simply what we observe. How can we change? Why do we still speak rotten words when we know we should not? We get caught up before we know it and out comes something that should not. No, we have to be more cognizant, more sensitive to the Spirit and speak words of kindness, and compassion towards others, words that encourage them in the Spirit, in their walk with Christ, words that lift them up, build them up, giving them confidence and courage. At the same time, we have to make sure we are always forgiving in our attitude toward others. How can we not forgive since we have been forgiven by Christ? Our words are so important, let us be vigilant in the use of our tongue.  

Living Honestly

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

LIVING HONESTLY

Eph 4:25-28

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

NIV

These Ephesians must have been really bad people before becoming believers. They had to be a bunch of liars and kleptomaniacs. It is interesting the Greek word translated steal is kleptoo. Kleptomania is defined as the inability to keep from taking things of little value from your friends. What believers are being admonished to do, is to be real with each other. Take down any façade that we may have once built to present a false image or ourselves. Tell the truth about who we are and how we live. This idea we have heard from some believers that they no longer sin is just the falsehood spoken of here. Why lie about sin, we are not perfect human beings. Where in the scripture does it say that we are able to never sin ever again after being justified, sanctified and of course, complete sanctified? We have a difficult time understanding that God would only partially sanctify us in the first place.  Nevertheless, these Ephesians could not have been experienced complete sanctification because they were still getting angry with each other, arguing about who knows what, but angry was getting out of control and turning into hatred, bitterness, and grudges that were lasting for days. These grudges may have been the root cause of the falsehoods spoken about, rumors, gossiping about the person they were so angry with they were lying about their character or what they did. We would hope that does not go on in the church today, but we are afraid it still does, as we are but fragile humans with emotions that we cannot keep in check and sin sneak in before we realize it. But we are not supposed allow anything that separates us from lasting through the day. If we have any hurts feelings, or feel upset or angry about something someone said or did we have to settle the matter before the day is done. Unfortunately, it may not happen, as we are aware of believers that actually leave a fellowship because of such situations that go on and on for weeks and months, hurt feelings, rumors, and even anger. How can that be? Are we not supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves? Then there is the matter of living off of other people's labor. Each of us should work for our own sustenance, in fact, so we can share with those who are in a real need. This would imply some people cannot work, they have some infirmity which prohibits them from being useful with their own hands. Life is life and they are some who simply are in need of assistance and we who can work should work, in fact, as we see it, all the days of our life, as God instructed Adam when he was sent out of the garden. It comes down to just living honestly before God and before others.  

A Renewed Mind

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

A RENEWED MIND

Eph 4:20-24

20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

NIV

We just had a look at the way or lifestyle and hardened heart of the wicked, which is one way the non-believers are described throughout scripture. We have been instructed not to live as they do and now we are told exactly how that process of changing from being like them to being like Christ occurs. Of course, it is Jesus who saves us. We do not and cannot save ourselves. There is nothing we can do in order to save ourselves, however, after accepting the salvation that comes through faith in Christ, in his work on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin, there is something we are required to do. Having become aware of this truth of the Gospel and being among the saved, and knowing our former way of life, that sinful life with the hardened heart living in the darkness, we are told to put it off. This darkened heart is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. What we have to know is that we are not just robots that Jesus miraculously controls all our desires and we are changed into this pure innocent being without any corrupt deceitful desires. We are changed in the sense that being in Christ our destination is changed, but we have to have a hand in the changing of our lifestyle and the condition of our heart and the attitude of our mind. We have to make up our minds that we are going to live like Christ. It is first an attitude and our mind controls our heart. We want to be like Jesus, although we will not be able to be completely free of sin, we are not to live sinfully as we once did. It is a decision of our will to stop living as we once did and to live as the Lord desires us to live. We also have to know this is not about lists that we can check off or laws or rules we need to set up for ourselves to follow. This is about loving the Lord our God with all our heart, our mind, our spirit and our strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We might think that we are supposed to be righteous and holy, but if we read this right we were created to be that way, that is how our new self is restored in the eyes of God. Because we are in Christ, God sees us through his righteousness and holiness. Of course, this does not give us the authority to return to our former way of living, we are still in need of putting that old self off, always putting it off as the Greek word is passive presence tense. It is not something we do once and it is done, it must be a constant action of putting it off. Although it can be used as to talking off old clothes, a one-time action, it is also applied to habits, and those, if we are real with ourselves, are a little more difficult to put off just once. Yet, we can do this because of the indwelling Spirit of God who gives us strength. So we put that old self off and we put in our new self by the renewing of our mind, a mind that wants to follow Jesus. So we now live with a renewed mind.

How Not to Live

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

HOW NOT TO LIVE

Eph 4:17-19

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

NIV

After being told about this becoming mature and attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, we now are being told, actually, Paul is insisting, which is the Lord insisting through Paul. We always have to remember this is the word of the Lord, no the word according to Paul. It is interesting in the interlinear it says, therefore I say and testify in the Lord, henceforth not to walk as Gentiles walk. Paul is saying this is from the Lord, not him.  We cannot live like the Gentiles, or nonbelievers do. It has to do with having futile thinking, or that Greek more actually says, vanity, what is devoid of truth and appropriateness. It is living in the darkness and not in the light of God. It is not having a heart sensitive to the Word of God, or the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is having a hard heart, unable or unwilling to listen to the truth because of the wanting to do whatever it wants to do, satisfying its own passions, indulging itself in all sorts of spiritual impurity and always wanting more of the same. It sounds might like an addiction to impurity. This is most likely in the sense of sensuality or moral impurity. When we look at the way or lifestyle of nonbelievers, with all their sexual conduct, premarital intimacy, cohabitation, same-sex partners, just to name a few ways in which they live in opposition to the truth of God, it is any wonder, God desires us to live differently. It is unfortunate many believers have turned this command into their list of do’s and don’ts which is more focused on many other prohibitions. We are to live in a manner that pleases the Lord, and in this context, it has to do with living with a heart that is sensitive to the Lord. We will see in the next comments the putting off the old self and putting on of the new self. But we will leave that for later. For now, we need to see we should not live with a hardened heart, but a heart that has been circumcised by the hand of God. When we consider that analogy, it carries the meaning of having the covering over our heart, that which hardens it, removed and exposing the most sensitive part of our heart to God. This allows him to influence our heart, our thinking and that is reflected in how we live. This is living in the grace of God, and we are instructed on how not to live.

Building in Love

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

BUILDING IN LOVE

Eph 4:14-16

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

NIV

So now that the apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors, and teachers are in the midst of accomplishing their task and the body of Christ is united in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and has become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, then believers will no longer be infants. An infant, or a believer who has not reached the unity of faith, and has not become mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ is tossed back and forth by the wave and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. That sounds a lot like what is going on today over the airwaves. Paul might have had in mind a ship being tossed about the sea by the waves and wind, but today it is the airwaves and hot-winded preachers with their cunning and craftiness which causes so many believers to be blown about, tossed here and there in their faith. These crafty schemers are all about getting enough people to follow their almost truth so they can live like kings, living in luxury and abundance, all at the cost of those who get tossed from the unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God.  It makes us think how much especially the local pastors and teachers have to speak up against these schemers, these who would fleece the flock, causing dissension, and division among the body of Christ. Someone has to speak up against those who would preach a perverted gospel message that has just enough truth in it to drag immature believers into a false doctrine. Has this happened because the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers have not done their called duty in the body of Christ? The truth has to be spoken loud and clear, but as Paul says, in love. Speaking the truth cannot be in done in a condemning way, or in any way which causes more division. The truth cannot be against the truth, but for the truth. When the truth is spoken in love then the whole body will grow up together and held together and it builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. The body of Christ may be made up of individuals, each with their distinct personalities, but it cannot be a body without each part doing its work for the benefit of the whole. If one member of the body simply works for its own agenda, then the whole will suffer and maybe that is why so many immature parts are drawn away by those crafty silver-tongued schemers. We need to be one as Jesus and the Father are one, Jesus prayed that very thing. One body, united in our faith and love for one another, all working in harmony and unity for the same purpose of bringing glory to God. So let us build each other up, building in love.   

Unity in the Faith

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

UNITY IN THE FAITH

Eph 4:9-13

9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

NIV

Alright, having dealt with the different gifts to the church, in the sense of trying to understand their function or role and whether they all are still active, we have to deal with why they were given. We touched a little on the fact the reason they were given was for the perfection of the saints or preparing God’s people for works of service. The Greek word translated preparing in this version has been translated perfection in other versions. It does mean a complete finishing and also is a variation of a word which means the perfection of the soul. It seems the idea is still the same that we are to be made completely ready for works of service. Their reason for being given is for our benefit. But the reason we are to be perfected is for these works of service. This could be seen by some as doing things in the church or being involved in doing good deeds. It is in the sense because this work is a ministry, but only ministry which builds up the church for the purpose of reaching unity in the faith as well as knowledge of the Son of God and becoming mature believers, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. The whole idea is we believers need to be in complete unity of the faith. That seems like a really daunting task for those apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. When we think about it, although they have been at this task for over two thousand years now and we believers have still not yet reached this unity in the faith. In fact, it looks like we are more divided than when we started those thousands of years ago. What happened? Is it the fault of the false use of those gifts to the church? Could some men have usurped these positions in the church for their own agendas, instead of being the gift Christ intended? Here we have to use the personal pronoun I. In the sense I, personally have been called to be in this position of assisting the saints toward perfection and building them up, helping them reach the unity in the faith. We could say this unity stands for “Accepting Jesus”. As long as we all accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior then we are all in one accord, or in agreement, or in unity. The problem is all the secondary and tertiary concepts of Christianity. Here is where the church at large has divided itself up into many small isolated segments. Is it possible to bring them all into one body of Christ, to see others as their brothers and sisters in Christ? Through the power of the Spirit, this has to be possible. But the first task is to bring the local church into this unity, to love each other, to get beyond any form of division or dissension. All too often there is too much of this condition and it has to come to a stop. It has to begin with us first. Each believer has to see this as a paramount of importance. How can we all become or attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ if we are at odds with each other in any way whatsoever? There is hope because of the word until. The task of those five gifts to the church is to continue to serve its purpose until the church reaches unity in the faith. So we labor on until unity is reached.

Prepared For

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

PREPARED FOR

Eph 4:9-13

9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

NIV

Having examined this ascended and descended concept, let us take a look at the gifts to the church which were given to prepare God’s people for works of service. We may be able to also consider what the works of service are for. It would be right to consider these gifts to the church as offices rather than as with the gifts of the Spirit manifested in believers as the Spirit desires. He, who would mean Jesus as Paul is talking about Jesus descending and ascending, gave to the church some to be apostles. Before we get into the rest we wonder if this station, or office is gone or still in effect. The Greek word does not specifically mean the twelve Jesus selected or called. It has been applied to them but does not mean only them. Apostolos simply means one sent with orders or an ambassador of the gospel. This word is also translated as a messenger and one sent. So it would seem we could very well still have apostles in the church today. Those who have been sent by the Lord, given a commission by Jesus to be an ambassador of the gospel. Being an ambassador would simply mean this person would speak for their sovereign, not with their own authority, but with his. Because this office has the purpose of preparing or perfecting, as the Greek word is translated, the believers, it would make sense the apostle’s work is in the church, as are the other offices, such as that of the prophet. When we think of the Old Testament prophets they spoke to Israel, and so it would also make sense to believe the office of modern-day prophets is for the purpose of perfecting the believers. The Greek word profee’tas has many usages. What appears to be the main issue is that a prophet speaks for God, or is an interpreter or spokesperson for God; one through whom God speaks. This might well be done in a sermon, as in many cases they are inspired at moments. A preacher might have a very prepared text to preach, but at some point in the sermon, the Spirit takes over and prophetic words are spoken. But that may not be the actual office of prophet spoken about here. This would be a person specifically called to speak for God to the people of God. As for the office of an evangelist, we often think of those who appear to be the proclaimers of the gospel, such as Billy Graham did for many years. The Greek word means just that, a bringing of good tidings, which the gospel fits that term. But how does this person prepare God’s people for works of service if they are simply bringing good tidings, or proclaiming the gospel? Maybe the people of God, the church, need to hear the gospel message in order to be always prepared. Do we forget the gospel message and get involved in our own agendas instead? Just a thought, but we do have to consider why Jesus gave this gift to the church and not as a messenger to the church, as Billy Graham did, but to perfect the existing church for works of service. Then we have the pastors and the teachers, which some believe are the same person, but in Greek, it is not. Pastors are the shepherd or the presiding officer of an assembly, which fits the role of Pastor. However, the Greek word translated teacher, is just that, one who is fitted to teach. The shepherd watches over the flock, a herdsman, while he may teach through his sermons, or he might conduct a Sunday school, the teacher is specifically called to teach, but not shepherd the church. However, we have to see all of these are for the perfecting of the saints, for preparing God’s people for works of service and these works of service have but one purpose. It might be best to leave that for the next time, as this would be a book instead of a short look into the word. But what we do have to consider is whether these four persons or offices are given to the church at large or to each local congregation. If at the church at large, then there would be only one pastor and one teacher as with one apostle and one evangelist. So we would have to believe these gifts are given to the church as in the local church, as each local church has a pastor, a teacher, an evangelist and an apostle for their perfecting, so each believer is prepared for perfected for works of service.

Descend and Ascend

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

DESCEND AND ASCEND

Eph 4:9-11

9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

NIV

These verses have been seen in two different views. The first view, when Paul uses the term, descended to the lower, earthy region, sees this as sheol, or Hades, the place of the departed souls. There pair this with 1 Peter 3 18.

1 Peter 3:18-22

18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

NIV

The reason we include this is to make sure we understand that Jesus did not go to hell while his body lay in the grave. This is not what Peter was saying. Because he was specifically making reference to those who lived before, Noah, who was saved by water. He was saying that Jesus preached to those people, he was there before coming in the flesh, he was there in Spirit giving all men the opportunity for salvation. In addition, Jesus promised the thief on the cross that today he would be in paradise with Jesus. That had to mean there was no detour to Hades, but a direct path to heaven. Jesus also said as his last words, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”. If his spirit was in the hands of God, then his spirit was not in Hades. At least this is how we see this whole situation. That might differ from some denominational stances, but we have to go with the scripture.

The second view, we think is the most logical interpretation of the scripture is that Jesus who ascended into heaven in bodily form, also descended to earth in bodily form. He descended in the most humble way, a lowly form of humanity, an infant, who required the nurturing of a mother and father. In addition, he came as a humble servant of God, emptying himself even onto death as a criminal on the cross, the lower regions, the lowest of lows, suffering the humiliation for us. Although that was his lowest point to suffer and die in the flesh, he was resurrected from the dead, and he ascended even higher than heaven to fill the whole universe. This simply means the Father put everything under the control of Jesus, he is the head of all things, especially the church, but not limited to the church. Jesus is the master of the whole universe. From heaven, he came to earth, and from the earth, he ascended to be given all authority.

Live Men Ascending

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

LIVE MEN ASCENDING

Eph 4:7-8

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."  

NIV

There is some confusion here for us in this quote from the sixty-eighth Psalm. As part of our faith, it is a known fact that Jesus did ascend on high. We have a record of that happening after his resurrection and we believe Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God The Father and that he is also preparing a place for us so that where he is we will be also. There is no question in our mind, our heart, our spirit regarding that.  Where a little confusion for us lies is that this translation says the Psalm read he gave gifts to men, while the Old Testament Psalm translation says men gave gifts to Him, that he received gifts from men. In checking with the Hebrew, we still are not sure, as it uses a prefix in front of the Hebrew word for Adam. This word is not as a name but used for mankind. Although it is also used as the name of the first man. It really means man or mankind. But it is the prefix of Baa’ of Baa’ Adam, which has us a little uncertain. We cannot find a definitive answer as to the meaning of the prefix, yet in the interlinear version, it does use “for men” under the Baa’ Adam. So then we will consider it as such and move on to the significance of why Paul is using this quote. He had just made the point that we are one body, one Spirit, and we were called to one hope, one faith, one Lord, one baptism and one God over all. Now he goes on to talk about to each one of us as individuals, or as this corporate one, God has given us grace as it was apportioned by Christ. It is better said, we believe, that we have been given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ, as this is how the Greek interlinear states it. In order words, Jesus is the grace of God given to us. Jesus is the gift he gave to us. As he is our gift, we will always have this gift, he has not taken away from us. So then because he ascended on high, we too will be led in his train, and ascend on high as well. In some sense, we are his captives, but he is our gift, he is our eternal life. Before we had the grace of God, before we opened his grace in our lives, we were dead men walking. Now we are live men ascending.

Every Effort

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

EVERY EFFORT

Eph 4:1-6

4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

NIV

Although we have examined and considered living this life worthy of our calling and being completely humble along with being patient, bearing with one another in love, we have not considered this concept of the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. This appears to be something we are to make every effort towards. That also seems to mean we cannot rely on others, or for that matter God, to make this happen. The Greek word translated here for every effort can be used in either the sense of hurry up, do in haste or exert oneself. Within the context, it would make sense to see it as to exert oneself to keep the unity of the Spirit, but then it could be seen as do not delay, but get this done right away, in haste. The idea is still the same as that we are to have unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. We are not to be divided, there such be no divisions or factions among us. This goes hand in glove with being humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love. Except here we cannot expect others to do this and we just sit back and wait for them to make the effort. It is up to us to make this effort. We have to apply all our abilities, every effort to be in unity. It would seem as we all have the same Spirit indwelling within us and it is the same Spirit who brought us to Salvation that we would be living as if we were all of the same affection. That is we all try our very best to get along with each other as though we are one people living under one God having been called to one hope in one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all of us and through all of us and in all of us. So then, why would we ever have differences between us? The word one cannot be divided unless into fractions and there is no fraction in God, who is one and there should be none in us. One is one and that means singular, not plural.  All our efforts for this unity are to be done in the bond of peace, which means harmony between us. Again, this means no bickering or backbiting, or gossiping or bitterness, which implies disharmony, or no peace at all. A church living with disharmony is no church at all. For the simplest definition of church is the body of Christ with Jesus being the head. So then we all need to function in harmony with each other, if we don’t, Jesus does not have a body to be the head of. Let us apply, not some effort to this unity, but every effort.

Bearing With One Another in Love

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE

Eph 4:1-6

4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

NIV

Having explored the idea of being completely humble as part of living a life worthy of our calling, we move on to be patient, bearing with one another in love. Of course, this being patient is an extension of being completely humble and gentle. In Greek the word order appears to be one complete thought. (With all lowliness and meekness with longsuffering forbearing one another in love) at least that is the interlinear version, not the direct Greek meaning. But the point is the same as we are in order to be patient one needs to be humble and gentle and all that type of personality traits or attitudes has to come from a loving heart. It would seem it is impossible to be patient with anyone unless we first love them, which would not just include our fellow believers, but also those who do not believe. If we are patient then we cannot have any condemnation for another’s act of sin. If we love them, we cannot have any hatred or anger, bitterness, or refuse to forgive them if they offended us in any way. Of course then if we were actually completely humble and gentle being patient we would not ever be offended in the first place. Feeling offended is a result of thinking more highly of ourselves then we should. Feeling offended is a self-centered attitude, rather than God-centered one. The point is that being patient according to the Greek word includes endurance, constancy, steadfastness, and perseverance. All of those qualities, or attitudes are focused on being beneficial for another person, rather than for ourselves, although, having those attitudes would also be highly beneficial for us as well. Being patient and bearing with one another in love would eliminate a whole lot of stress in our lives. Instead of always being upset or agitated about somebody or something they did, we simply are patient with them because we love them. Remembering the great love verse of 1 Corinthians 13,

1 Cor 13:4-8

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.

NIV

The very first thing is that love is patient and kind. When we see all those qualities of love it bears noting they are all about the other person, our loving them, our being patient and bearing with them because we love them. Of course, this can apply in a marriage and just think how great it would be if we lived like that. However, in addition, just think what kind of church we would have if we were not patient, not kind, and we envied each other and boasted about our achievements or our ministry, always telling everyone what we did or are doing for the church or the kingdom. What kind of church would we have if we were always prideful about our good deeds, or we ignored someone, which is being rude, or we were all about our self-edification? What kind of church would we be if we are so easily angered by someone’s comments or if we were ignored, or gossiped about? What kind of church would we have if we remembered everyone’s faults? However, what kind of church would we be if we always protected each other, we always trusted each other and we always hoped in each other and always persevered with each other and always loved each other? Then we would be patient bearing with one another in love.

Being Completely Humble

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

BEING COMPLETELY HUMBLE

Eph 4:1-6

4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

NIV

There are two people here, Paul, who is a prisoner, meaning he is confined and unable to freely walk about and from that prison, he writes to the Ephesians, who can freely walk around and live a life worthy of their invitation from the gospel. However, he is exhorting them to what that calling or their life should look like, having received their invitation. This calling also applies to us, as we have also been invited into this life by the gospel. We are to be completely humble and gentle. Before we get into the rest of these attitudes or behaviors, let us examine or explore this being completely humble. The Greek word translated as completely is used mostly as all, every, or the whole, when used as an adjective. This then would rightly mean completely, lacking nothing, every bit humble and gentle. Which the Greek word translated gentle means gentleness, or humble. In order words, if we have received a calling from God, from the gospel then we are not to boast about anything, even our calling, even the fact we are a believer. But that also includes being humble in our daily walk, in what we do. It would almost sound as though we should remove the personal pronoun, “I” from our vocabulary, at least referring to a form of labor. Paul certainly used, “I” as in urging them. He was not boasting as being a prisoner, it was a fact and he was making the comparison between his situation and theirs. It is so easy to get caught up in the, “I did this, or I did that” vocabulary, which comes from the heart, or attitude within.  This is the core of humility, our heart. If we think more highly of ourselves then we should, we have a tendency to use that word, “I” a lot. One challenge we can face is having to be confronted by another regarding our boastfulness. How do we handle it? How did the Ephesians handle it, for it seems Paul was confronting them and urging them to be completely, not partially, humble. On the other hand, what if we notice one of our fellow believers being boastful, how do we urge them to be humble? Can we do that without being prideful? Should we do it at all? It seems we are expected to, as Paul is inspired by the Spirit certainly is calling us to humility. Still, it is not easy to be exhorted or to exhort, to be urged or to urge to be completely humble.