Now we come to that hated word: submit. People today do not like the thought of submitting to someone else. So let's face it and see what it says. First, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21). People who are submitted to Christ, who reverence the Lord, should be able to submit to one another. In all kinds of relationships decisions need to be made. Sometimes all parties agree, sometimes they don't, and one party goes along with the other's decision. The level of submission required depends on the importance of the decision. One common place that Christians live this out is in their local church congregation. How much talk (gossip) goes on over church decisions? Let's be honest. Lots of decisions are rehashed for months and years. This does nothing to build up the body of Christ, and, in fact, tears it down and ruins our witness. We must learn to use discernment about what matters are really important enough to have a public disagreement about. For Reflection: We are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Christ first love us. He loved us when we were not submitted to him. If he can do that, can we not love others who love him and submit to others who submit to him? Let us pray. Jesus, you loved me even when I had no knowledge of you. You submitted your life to the cross for me before I was born. Help me to submit my life to you. Grant me discernment about submitting to others out of reverence for you.
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When Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians (and his other letters), he was writing to a community of people. He envisioned a group of people who were working together and growing together into greater maturity in Christ. They were to do this by fulfilling the roles to which Christ had called them. Some were called to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. The goal of all was to prepare the community for works of service among themselves until they should reach maturity. Their first goal was to build one another up into a cohesive unit who know the truth and live as the body of Christ. They were to become such a unit that they could not be swayed by outside influences. If we picture a human body, we realize that all parts grow at a certain rate. In the younger years there is a great rate of growth. In the teen years things can be a little out of balance physically as the body adjusts to greater maturity. But what if the arms decide they are not waiting for the rest of the body to grow? They want to grow now! Disaster results. Unfortunately, I've been in churches where people were growing individually but not corporately. Paul consistently warned against this. He was always pleading for people to get along and to grow in unity. I've also been a part of churches where it seemed the goal was not to build one another up, but to tear one another down. This does not help the body of Christ to grow in unity and maturity either. For Reflection: Am I a source of unity or division in my church? Am I growing together with the body of Christ or doing my own thing? What am I doing to help others grow? Let us pray. There are times, Jesus, when I have been guilty of doing my own thing. There are times when I have torn down rather than built up. Jesus, I want to fit better into your body. I want to be a better member of your body. I want to do my part - the part you have called me to do. I want to fulfill my destiny in you. In order to walk our path we must know who we are in Christ. Let's review who we are. We are God's children, heirs to all of his promises and heirs of the kingdom. We have the Holy Spirit on deposit within us guaranteeing our inheritance. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing. We are chosen, forgiven, holy and blameless. We are redeemed through his blood. We are God's masterpiece. We are members of Christ's body, the church, of which Christ is the head. So we are under the headship of Christ. And let's not forget we are loved. This list of who we are is just what Paul outlines in his letter to the Ephesians. He adds more in his other letters. Given who we are, our life on this earth should reflect what Jesus has done for us. Paul spends the second half of his letter to the community in Ephesus outline how we should live. Who we are in Christ is God's gift to us for believing in his Son Jesus. We believe; He gives. We do nothing to deserve it or earn it. We just receive it. Then, in gratitude, we try to act like we have it. We don't always succeed, but we keep practicing. We do our best. For reflection: Where or when did I do well today? Where or when could I have done better today? Let us pray. Jesus, as I look back over my day, I can see you in certain events, but not others. Yet I know you are always with me. Help me to look for you at the times I find the hardest. Some time back we looked at the beginning of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In chapter 1 he tells us that the Father raised Jesus from the dead to sit at his right hand in heaven. In chapter 2 we learn that we were raised with him by being baptized into his death and resurrected with him so that we too sit in the heavens with Jesus and the Father. So we must learn to sit with him, learn who we are, and see things from his perspective before we begin to do anything else. In chapter 4 Paul tells us we must learn how to walk on this earth in a way that is worthy of our calling and gives evidence of who we are. We must walk as people who are humble, gentle and patient. We must walk in unity with one another, at peace because we are one in the spirit and one in the body of Christ. We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God who is Father of all. For reflection: Does my daily walk reflect who I am in Christ? Let us pray. Jesus, your walk was not easy even though you, above all people, knew who you were. I am not as confident in who I am, and not as confident in my walk. Please light my path more brightly. Paul writes that we are all heirs, all members of one body, all sharers in the promise of Christ (Ephesians 2:6). Paul knew what it was like to attack other people because of their beliefs. He also knew what it was like to be attacked because of his beliefs. In fact he was in prison for his beliefs when he wrote his letter to the church in Ephesus. One might say that unity was a burning issue for him, a matter of great consequence. So he urged unity in his churches. He knew that it is the common witness of the church that will speak to the "rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms." And that common witness cannot be achieved if we in the church don't recognize that we are all members of one body, part of one another, one flesh, with Christ as the head. We cannot put up walls against one another or attack each other without damaging the common witness we are supposed to support. Let us receive Paul's prayer on our behalf today. "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work with us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:14-21) As a people who are away from home (God's Kingdom in Heaven) we often need encouragement to keep on with our lives, to keep on with the work God has given us to do, to keep on when things don't seem to be going according to God's plan. Paul wrote a letter of encouragement to the church in Ephesus, a community of people whom he knew well from having lived there for several years. Ironically, Paul writes to encourage them when he himself is in prison. Paul begins by reminding them of their status as Christians. They are "blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." They were "chosen before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless. . . adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ . . . given grace freely . . . redeemed, sins forgiven . . . lavished with God's grace, wisdom and understanding" (Ephesians 1:4-8). All of this comes simply by believing in Jesus. For reflection: Grace and blessings from God are unearned by what we do other than believing in Christ. If we find ourselves working to deserve or earn God's attention or blessings or reward, why? Let us pray. I thank you, Father, that I am blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. I thank you that I was chosen to be holy and blameless in your sight. I thank you that you have adopted me as your child through Jesus Christ. And I thank you that you have freely given me your grace. I thank you that I am redeemed and my sins forgiven by the blood of Jesus. Another argument against healing is what's known as Paul's thorn in the flesh. The apostle Paul mentions this in his second letter to the Corinthians (2:7-10). Many people have interpreted the thorn in the flesh to be some physical illness, and argue, therefore, that if Paul was not healed of his thorn in the flesh then healing is not for all Christians. Paul says the thorn in the flesh was given to him - God does not give us sickness because God is all good. Paul says the thorn in the flesh is a messenger from Satan - obviously not from God and Paul recognized that it was not from God. Paul then goes on to testify that he prayed, asking God to take it away, but God said "no." There is really no indication that this is a physical illness. More likely it was a person or persons who followed him around accusing him of apostasy to the Jewish faith and leading people astray. This is similar to what Paul was doing when he was called by God. God does not remove this person(s) who constantly reminds Paul of his former life. So it is another instance of Paul suffering on behalf of the Gospel - an irritating thorn in his side rather than the 40 lashes or stoning or shipwreck that he suffered at other times. Let us pray. Jesus, you suffered much more than we will ever have to suffer. Give us discernment and the ability to hear your voice as Paul did. Help us to know how to pray for healing and deliverance from suffering. We were talking about the apostle Paul and his lists of good and bad habits and attitudes. He speaks of "putting on" the good and "taking off" the old. One good activity he mentions is to "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16). I teach courses online in various theological subjects. Several of the courses are on Scripture. The students often lament that they don't have time to fit more Bible reading into their lives. Many people don't seem to know that you can now listen to the Bible on your smart phone or tablet. The Bible is on CD in several formats - with or without background music, in dramatic readings or with only one narrator. So, I think that if we want to fit more Scripture into our day, we can. Listening to it while we are driving or traveling or exercising may not be prime time but it is good time and can be one way of letting the Word enter into us more frequently. For reflection: Am I getting as much time in with God's word as I would like? If not, what can I do to change it? Let us pray. "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. (Psalm 119:9-11) In his letters, St. Paul is fond of providing lists of bad things to avoid and good things to do. He also is quite clear that our old rebellious nature died when we were baptized. Speaking for myself, it does not always seem that way. I think I'm just as temped to do things on the bad list as I would have been without baptism - but it's hard to know for sure. I've been baptized a long time. When writing to the Colossians, Paul tells them that the old rules - don't do this, stay away from that - simply don't work and never did (2:20-23). Instead, since we have been baptized into Christ's death and raised with his resurrection, we should change our mindset. Change what we think about. Put off the old and clothe ourselves with the new ways of Christ. In baptism, this is symbolized by putting on a white garment. And what does this white garment represent? Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Forgiveness, peace and thankfulness (3:1-15). Some years ago I asked a young boy, who had just been baptized and had on his white garment, what did it mean when the pastor told him to bring it "unstained" to the judgment seat of heaven. He said, "Don't get mustard on it." For reflection: How is my white garment looking? Let us pray. Jesus, would you give me a visual on how my white garment is looking today? Photo Copyright: 'http://www.123rf.com/profile_olgacov'>olgacov / 123RF Stock Photo</a> We last reflected on Paul's words of praise about Jesus in Colossians 1:12-20. John has a similar reflection at the beginning of his Gospel: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4) Let's intersperse the two passages: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He is the image of the invisible God. He was with God in the beginning. He is the firstborn over all creation. Through him all things were made, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. He is the firstborn from among the dead. God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him. For reflection: What does it mean that Jesus is God made visible? Adam and Eve had spoken to God face-to-face, as had Moses. But now all could see Jesus, image of the invisible God. The fullness of God was in him. Let us pray. Invisible made visible, show yourself to me today. Let me see your face. |
AliceI started this website and blog on May 1, 2012. I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years. I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s. Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs. It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. Archives
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