Day 15: Toward not For; Ours not mine

"For this reason, because I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love toward all the saints" Ephesians 1:15

The word that jumps out at me in this verse is actually one that I remembered incorrectly. I thought the verse said "and your love for" rather than "your love toward." These are not prepositions that I normally use interchangeably. Love For to me is much more passive and seems like more of an inward feeling. Love Toward is about action and doing. Not having the expertise to check the Greek, I checked another translation. Here it is:

"For this cause I also having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which ye show toward all the saints..." (ASV)

Having read this passage from the American Standard Version, I wonder if I should be memorizing in this translation. This translation maintains the toward but also adds this key phrase which ye show. So it seems that what Paul is praising here is not love the feeling but love the action.

Another interesting thing to note in this translation is the way Paul praises their faith. He does not praise their faith individually, but the faith that they have among them.

Two challenges from this passage: Activate my love for the saints and practice communal faith. I find that both of these are particular challenges to our culture which makes so much of sentimentality in love, and individuality in faith. I think I'll start both of these practices in my own home.

by the will of God,
Jonathan

Day 14

"who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:14

I was rocking my 2-year-old daughter to sleep tonight. She had woken up because she had an "accident." She felt bad about it and let me know. I made sure to tell her that it was not a "no-no" and that I loved her very much. As I laid her down to sleep again, I felt a pang of pain in my heart. I wanted her to be assured of my love for her, not to have to make sure every time she had an accident.

Reading these verses again from a father's point of view gives it a different tone. As God is our father (which Paul mentions a few times in) and as Paul himself is a father to the church in Ephesus, I think it is an appropriate lens. In this verse, God gives me a guarantee of my inheritance in the form of His Holy Spirit. Like my daughter, I still find myself in doubt of my heavenly Father's love when I mess up.

I wonder what Paul means by inheritance? It must be pretty awesome if the Holy Spirit is only a down-payment for that inheritance. Seems like the inheritance is the world in which God unites all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

May I live more by the Spirit tomorrow and become a sign of our future inheritance.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 13

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy spirit." Ephesians 1:13

I am not really feeling any connection to a part of this verse today. I am reminded of a question that I was wondering about on the second day of this journey. Why does Paul exclude the third part of the trinity from verse two. "Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ." And here we are, almost to the end of Paul's opening praise of God and just now arriving at the Holy Spirit. I wonder if there is something contextual about Ephesus or even about the trinity at this early period in church history, that caused Paul to lead with God and Christ, and only make brief mention of the Holy Spirit.

More questions I don't have answers for. It reminds me of my need for a good commentary on Ephesians. Suggestions are welcomed.

One other topic seems to come up here, though I won't try to address to tonight: assurance of salvation. Are we "sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ's own forever?" Can nothing separate us from Christ (Romans 8)? Like I said, I am not trying to address it tonight, just going to leave it there.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It has been a busy season. I pray that I would take time tomorrow to honor Mary, Joseph, and of course, Jesus. As the birth of my second child approaches, I pray that I, like Mary, would open more and more to the riches of his grace and trust Him for what the future holds.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 12

"so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:12

So now we find out why God has given us our inheritance-- so that we might be to the praise of His glory. It reminds me of Abraham who was blessed to be a blessing to all nations. But why would God choose me before the foundations of the world to be to the praise of His glory? Why not send angels to magnify His glory? I guess He does do that sometimes. And the heavens also declare the glory of God.

I keep running into this humbling feeling while reading this chapter. I don't feel like I am living to the praise of His Glory. I know that how I feel is not the only important thing and yet there is some truth to this feeling of humility. The only conclusion I can draw is that I am a work in progress. Thanks be to God who has not given up on me yet.

only by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 11

"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will." Ephesians 1:11

I think my first reaction to reading this verse was "What did I just read?" This is maybe the most convoluted passage so far. I don't know if its more theologically complex, but it is certainly wordy. I think my task here is to break it down:

In him we have obtained an inheritance. In him we have great wealth, but not the kind of great wealth we have earned, but the great wealth that comes when our father dies. What our father was rich in, we become rich in.

having been predestined... I talked about predestination in an earlier entry. What I see as essential about this predestination, is that God has already chosen to accept us. The gift of God's glorious grace is extended to us before the day begins.

according to the purpose of him... as we learned in verse 10, God's purpose is to draw all people to himself. So this gift, this inheritance, should be understood in the context of His plan and purpose fot eh world.

who works all things according to the counsel of his will..I'm not really sure what to make of this, except that Paul is reminding the Ephesians that God consults himself in matters of the universe, not necessarily us. Any other thoughts on this part of the verse would be appreciated.

I hope to be receptive to the gifts of God tomorrow.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 10

"as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." Ephesians 1:10 (ESV)

Finally made it to the climax of this first 10 verses. Here is the verse that the whole chapter has been driving at so far. And just as in the High Priestly Prayer of John 17, the purpose of God is revealed as unity. God wants to unite all things in heaven and earth in himself. Jesus said that when he was lifted up he would draw all the world to himself (John 12:32). Unity is obviously very important to God.

And of course the key words are "fullness of time" cause we are far from this unity in our friendships, marriages, churches, nations, etc. On every level, we demonstrate our propensity for disunity rather than unity. I start to feel hopeless when I look around at the disunity, even and maybe especially in myself. And yet my hope is not that we will one day figure it out, but that Christ in us is the hope of glory. God intends to transform this world through Christ and our redemption. That is my hope.

Another thought occurs to me. If its frustrating for me to live in a world so hopelessly divisive, how much more must Jesus have been frustrated when he said “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you?" (Luke 9:41) How twisted our world must look to God.

Have mercy on us, Father. Help me to see the ways that I rebel against Your plan that You set forth in Christ. Help me to open to your grace and be a part of your plan.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 9

"making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ" Ephesian 1:9 (ESV)

God reveals His will through Jesus. His plan for the world is understood through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. But, God's plan is not complete in Jesus. It is only set forth in Christ. Christ points to they mystery of God's will, but He does not complete it. God's plan, as seen in the next verse, is to draw all people to Himself. More on that tomorrow.

Of course, Christ is still active. But God puts some of the responsibility on us. What is our responsibility? I keep coming back to the very first verse: faithfulness. Our responsibility is to be faithful to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, the model set forth by Christ, and the promise of God's grace.

God, I want to have faith. Help my unfaithfulness.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 8

"which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight" Ephesians 1:8

God's grace is lavished upon us. Its a good thing it doesn't depend on mood, cause I am just enveloped by my busy-ness today. In fact, I got two words wrong in my memory verse. I think I need to spend my blog time today trying to recapture all the verses I've memorized so far.

Here are the first 8 verses from memory:

1Paul and apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus. 2Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundations of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purposes of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight...

only by the will of God,

Jonathan

P.S. I just had a final exam today for my research class. If you know anything about research, you know that in most experiments there are independent variables and dependent variables. The independent variable is what the experimenter controls. In social science research, this is often an intervention of some sort. The dependent variable is the result of the independent variable on the participants.

If I were to describe the first 8 verses of Ephesians in terms of a Godly experiment, the independent variable would be God's grace offered to us. We are the participants in God's grand experiment.

To describe the independent variable-- God's treatment-- Paul uses words like predestined, chosen, glorious, redemption, riches, and lavish.

In God's grand experiment, some people respond to the intervention, but most do not. So my question is this: what are the characteristics of the people who do respond? Paul lays out faithfulness from the start of this book. But let's forget the variations between the two groups (those who respond to God's grace and those who do not) and look at the variations within the faithful group. How is it that one day I am open and receptive to God's grace and the next day I am not? What are the factors?

It's actually kind of helpful to think about it this way. Can anyone extend the metaphor for me?

Day 7

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according the riches of his grace" Ephesians 1:7

Tonight's reflection will be shorter than normal. For one thing, it's almost tomorrow. For another, I spent most of the day studying the ins and outs of research methods and so had less reflection time than normal.

It has been one week since I started this journey with God through Ephesians. Already I am beginning to notice the steady effect that reflecting on God's truth can have in my life. Nothing earth shattering has happened. I may have been a more patient and giving husband this week. Temptations that normally seemed irresistible, were still tempting, but less so. And while the time I've spent on each verse has varied, as has my motivation, God's truth is seeping into my heart in ways I had not imagined. I find myself wanting to be faithful to Him. These are all great gifts to me-- the riches of His grace.

I am thankful to have begun this journey. Pray for me that I have the discipline to continue.

by the will of God,
Jonathan

Day 6

"To the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:6 (ESV)

As I reflect on God's grace in my life, I have experienced it most keenly at times when I knew I deserved it the least. When I have hurt someone because of my own selfishness and they extend not only forgiveness but a restorative love (I get a lot of practice at this in marriage). When I have felt so alone that I begin to wonder if I'm worth anyone's attention, and someone not only reaches out to me, but finds a way to care so much that my dignity is restored in my community.

His glorious grace indeed deserves our praise, but it is not glorious in the way we often see glory. This glory is that of a God running undignified to His prodigal son. It is the story of the orientation of our God to His people. So unworthy are we, and yet He has already decided that we should be offered Sonship. Knowing all that we have done and will do, he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ.

I guess I don't have to be so afraid of that word "predestined." I dislike it because I think it might rob me of my autonomy, my freedom, my choice to love in return. But I get the sense now, that this word means nothing of the sort. Jesus manifests God to us and invites us to share in His belovedness. God's grace is not glorious because of what it transforms us into, though if experienced fully it is transformative. God's grace is glorious because He sees us exactly as we are, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and decides in advance to reach out His hand in love.

I think to live in His grace means two things. First, it means to see ourselves as we are. This is why Paul says "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9)."

This is not some magic trick or way to manipulate God. It is not as though I can just boast about my weaknesses in some sort of false modesty and by virtue of that harness God's power. It is just a function of viewing ourselves as we really are. When we can do this, God can really work in our lives. What would it mean for me to live as though His glorious grace were sufficient for me?

The second thing living in His grace means is seeing others as they really are, while keeping in mind who we really are. This levels the power and status structures that we all operate in without thinking about it. It should motivate me to reach out to our brothers in need. It should motivate me to move counter to my privilege as a white, heterosexual, Christian, man, and advocate and support those who our society disadvantages. Who could I begin to see more as a brother/sister?

I'm sure there are other practicalities for living in grace, but I'm sure this won't be Paul's last mention of it.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 5

"(In love) he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will." Ephesians 1:5

I heard a funny story today from a teacher at the school I work at. She has a son in fifth grade. Another mother of a 5th grader mentioned that her daughter was dating this teacher's son. As this teacher had heard nothing about it, this news came as a surprise. She asked her son about it, and this is apparently how it went down.

While the boys were busy playing on the jungle gym, the girls stood on the side and decided, without any consent from the boys, which boys they were dating. This is how the dating scene was constructed in 5th grade.

The verse for today came to mind as this teacher was telling this story. The word "predestined" makes me think of God standing on the side of the jungle gym of life and saying "I choose that one." No wonder I have a hard time with predestination. But rather than get bogged down in theology today, God impressed something else upon my heart.

I have the sense that the two most critical phrases in the verse are "In love" which is actually from verse 4 technically, and "through Jesus Christ." Out of His love for us God has arranged things so that we might be His sons and daughters. And all of this is accomplished through Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He made. In other words, heirdom is offered by God and provided through Christ out of the deep love that God has for us.

In love. Through Jesus Christ. Whatever God is doing, whatever form His work takes in my life, I can hold to these two concepts. It is out of His love, and it is through Jesus Christ. That's really all I need to know.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 4

"Even as he chose us in him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love" Ephesians 1:4 (ESV)

I'm staring to notice a theme with Paul's writing thus far. Paul is an apostle by the will of God. The saints in Ephesus are faithful in Christ Jesus. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed us in Christ. And now in verse 4, we have been chosen in him. Verse 5 is full of phrases such as these, but I'll save those reflections for tomorrow.

At every turn, Paul reminds the reader that Christ Jesus is the source of our salvation, our faith, our vocation. It reminds me of the road to Penn State (322 West). Once you make the turn from Harrisburg, there is a sign every 6 miles posting the distance to State College (the "city" in which Penn State is situated). My friend, Geoff, used to joke that PENDOT must think Penn State students particularly dense, or at least easily distractible, to necessitate that frequency of signage.

Maybe Paul doesn't think the Ephesians are dense, but he certainly understands the distractibility of human nature. Maybe keeping this Christ-centeredness is what being "faithful in Christ Jesus" is all about. "In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28)."

Language is a powerful way to remind ourselves of this reality. Did Paul speak the way he writes? I wonder if there's a way to do this without sounding trite or like I think the world revolves around me and my God. Like people who praise God for giving them a green light. Does that mean God was cursing the other person with the red light? The universe just seems a bit more complex than that. And God's blessings are certainly more complex. As I mentioned yesterday, maybe the red light is actually the blessing.

I've noticed another theme as I've been reading; I am not coming to many conclusions so far in this journey. I think that is okay though. My training as a counselor has allowed me to be more comfortable with the process even if the content is not illuminating. The process has made more prayerful in my daily life, which is an enormous blessing.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places..." Ephesians 1:3

Sometimes I don't feel very blessed, and certainly not with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Like today...shopping. I hate shopping, especially around the holidays when I can't push my cart more than 3 ft without running into a holiday display or another frantic shopper. Reflecting on today's verse, I felt like my list of under-my-breath curses was longer than my spiritual blessings.

And yet there it is, in the past tense no less: "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." So what is at work here? Is this another of those instances where, if it were too good everyone would want it for the wrong reasons? If being faithful to God meant instant experience of all spiritual blessings, maybe everyone would want to be faithful just for the blessings.

Or maybe I'm looking at blessings in an upside down way. Surely Jesus was blessed and His life was much harder than my shopping woes. If I complain about that, how much more would I complain about betrayal and murder? It all reminds me of a song by Derek Webb. The refrain is this:

But I give myself to what looks like love
And I sell myself for what feels like love
And I pay to get what is not love
And all just because I see things upside down

("What is Not Love" on I See Things Upside Down)

Maybe I've been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, but I'm still acting like I am not because I see blessings as nuisances or interruptions or suffering, pain, and the like. These moments are filled with potential spiritual blessings-- I am just too focused on myself to notice. Not to steal my thunder in a couple months, but Ephesians 5:15-16 seems an appropriate note to end on tonight.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

By the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 2

"Grace to you and peace from God the father and our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:2 (ESV)

This passage took a lot less work to memorize than the first. This is probably because Paul uses this quick prayer in some form in almost all of his letters. A quick search on biblegateway.com reveals that Paul uses this prayer in his letters to the Romans, Corinthians (both of them), Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians (both), Timothy (both), Titus, and Philemon. My conclusion is that Paul considered this an important message. But why?

Grace and peace. Of all the things he could have prayed for these churches, Paul leads with grace and peace. Why not courage? Why not strength? Or love? I don't have an answer to that question. What is clear, though, is the type of grace and peace that Paul prays for the churches. He prays for the kind that comes from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

The kind of grace and peace that comes from God and Jesus is, first of all, not cheap. It is not an fleeting emotion and it does not come to us just by a smile or pat on the back. The grace and peace that Paul prays for the church Ephesus is a grace and peace that Christ won for us by His death and resurrection. It is offered to those who "are faithful in Christ Jesus" and it surpasses our understanding (Phil 4:7). This is surely a prayer that the persecuted church would welcome. When I think about it that way, it is also a prayer that I welcome.

I often feel overwhelmed by my responsibilities. Deadlines pile up, finances back up, my daughter needs to play with her daddy, my wife needs to share life with her husband. I need this prayer every day in my life. I need to remember that the peace that comes from God and our Lord Jesus Christ transcends my circumstances in ways that I will never understand; but I can be faithful to the author of that grace and that peace.

One final question that I do not have an answer for today. Paul seems to deliberately make a distinction in this passage between God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. It is clear that he is setting up the trinity in these early writings. This from Paul, who was formerly a strict monotheist as a Jew. I wonder how controversial this simple prayer would have been in his day? But here's the question I really need help with: why does Paul leave out the third person of the trinity? Anyone know the answer to that?

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 1

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus." Ephesian 1:1 (ESV)

Reflection

I sort of figured I would have to suffer through the first few verses of memorization with little or no reward. It is amazing, though, what a day of reflecting on a verse can do. I think the Holy Spirit impressed upon me just how foundational this first verse could be for the rest of the book.

First of all, I noticed the clause "by the will of God..." Paul knows in a powerful way that his identity as an apostle is only by the will of God. He was persecuting Christians before God intervened in his life on the road to Damascus. And Paul wastes no time in establishing God as the author of his life. I realize my life could do with some reframing in this way.

Jonathan, a counselor education student, by the will of God.

Jonathan, a husband and father, by the will of God.

The second thing I noticed was to whom this letter was addressed. The first part of the address is very direct: to the saints. Then he goes on to describe these saints with two clauses: who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus. As I reflected on the second part of the verse during the day, I realized that there are (at least) two ways to read what Paul writes here and the distinction may be very important.

The first way to read it is this. Paul is writing to the Saints. Which saints? The ones who are in Ephesus and who also are faithful in Christ Jesus. The second way to read it this. Paul is writing to the saints. Which saints? The saints who are in Ephesus. How do we know which are the saints in Ephesus to whom Paul is referring? How can we identify them? They are the ones who are faithful in Christ Jesus.

Do you see the difference? Paul is writing to a church here, so that raises the question: is he calling all people who hear his letter saints or is he defining what a saint is so as to include some in his message an exclude others? Do the instructions that follow apply to the whole church or just to the saints? Is there even a distinction to be made there? Nominal Christianity was probably not a concern for the early church. People who were not serious about it would either not attempt to join or would fall away in the face of inevitable persecution.

Paul is attempting to describe a new way of being in the world. It seems that he lays out faithfulness in Christ Jesus as a requirement. The same is required of us. Faithfulness, not perfection. What does this faithfulness mean? I'm hoping that Paul describes this faithfulness more in the next 154 verses.

I'm thankful to have started this journey. My prayer is that God opens my heart and mind to hear Him in my daily life through these verses.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

The Wright Challenge

Memorize the book of Ephesians. This was N.T. Wright's challenge in a chapel message to a Wheaton College. I happened to listen to the podcast. I will accept his challenge. Wright believes that this book in particular holds great importance for our time. I trust him. Maybe more to the point, I trust God to use this.

Here's the format of the challenge: One verse a day for 155 days. Memorize verse one on day one and look ahead to verse two. On day two, rehearse verse one, memorize verse two, and look ahead to verse three. Sounds simple enough. I wonder if its possible.

My plan is to use this blog to chronicle my thoughts, prayers, revelations, and struggles with memorizing this book. Here goes nothing...