For the Bible tells me so

"But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ-- by grace you have been saved" Ephesians 2:5-6

I walked down the steps this morning to see my daughter dancing in a circle singing Jesus Loves Me. I have often mused that this, the simplest of songs, is somehow the hardest for most adults to grasp.

Jesus love me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Hopefully by the time we reach adulthood, we have more evidence than just the Bible that Jesus loves us. Even so, we can read about the great mercy of God and the great love with which he has loved us, but it still doesn't sink in. We don't experience it.

They are weak, but He is strong Maybe this is the part that we are missing. We aren't supposed to be strong. We aren't supposed to have it all together. By Grace we are saved! I keep wanting my religion to make me strong, but this only gets in the way of knowing Christ. This strength-seeking does not seem to be what Christ was about. He was about emptying himself. He was about dying on the cross. He was about being totally exposed. I know I am weak in the face of His real strength. But if I know I am weak, I can know the great love with which He has loved me, because I am open to it.

by the will of God,
Jonathan

Wrath's Baby

"among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of our body and mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind." Ephesians 2:3

Whenever I hear the word wrath, I think of that old sermon by Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I think of red-faced preachers bellowing judgment from an elevated pulpit. I think of how my friends who do not espouse to be Christian would hear phrases like "the wrath of God" which, I found out, appears in the Bible 11 times (6 of them in Revelation). Most of the verses in the Bible that talk about wrath are more like the one above though. They are not necessarily talking about some future event or destination, but rather a state of being. This passage seems to say that when we choose to live in the passions of our flesh, God is no longer our father, but wrath is. And this was the state we were formerly in. This is probably why Paul says that we have been adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:5).

I definitely experience this wrath. I read in a study bible of some sort and it said that this "children of wrath" was a idiom from that time. I wonder what the translation would be today. If the symptom is following the desires of body and mind, I would guess the result would be anxiety and loneliness. That combination of feelings that seems to lead to a desperate hollowness which is a feedback loop to following the desires our body and mind. Maybe a more current term would be to call us children of despair.

But I know there's another way to live because I have lived it at times. I have lived in the freedom and purposefulness of God--living in my adopted identity. But I cannot gain this identity on my own. I must throw myself at the mercy of God and trust in his grace, which is where this passage is headed.

by the will of God,
Jonathan

Day 24: A new chapter

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." Ephesians 2:1-2

I've been a little delinquent lately with keeping up with my verses. I don't really believe in excuses, so I'll stick to reasons. My reasons were being overworked and then wrestling with some disappointment. The latter was in the form of not being accepted to the PhD program that I've been working towards for months. It was disappointing and it was surprising. I felt very (overly) confident about my chances. I believed I had what it took. I also made the mistake of telling God that if He didn't want me to be in that program that He should shut that door. Well, its not a done deal, but God certainly got my attention with that one. But I digress.

Anyway, the whole thing made me realize how much stock I put in how others evaluate me. All week I was feeling very confident. I believed in myself and my skills as a counselor. Then this news, and all of a sudden I began to doubt everything about myself. And all for what? I get firm direction from the Lord about something? I am still so invested in the course of this world. I realize how much my life is guided by how I feel in any given moment. I know I am probably more susceptible to this type of thinking than many. All the more reason why I need the Lord.

The course of this world vs. the way of the cross. May Your will be done.

by the will of God,
Jonathan

Day 22 + 23

"and he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all." Ephesians 1:22-23

Here we are at the end of the first chapter of Ephesians. It ends the way it started, with God and Christ. God is doing everything through Christ. Finally, Paul moves toward the church, Christ's body. If I had to pick a theme for the first chapter, it would be the greatness of God manifest through Christ as a gift for the church and a plan for all things in heaven and on earth to be united once again with him, to the praise of his glory.

I wonder what the theme of the next chapter will be.

By the will of God,
Jonathan

Day 21: A little comfort

"Far above all rule and authority and dominion and power, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." Ephesians 1:21

I'm so glad that God is so far above our leaders, and every name that I exalt in my life and that others exalt. Cause if God were on the same level as us, besides not being God, I certainly would not feel very good about our future. Sometimes I get to feeling so hopeless about the situation our world is in. The way we look to blame when a tragedy occurs, like the one in Tucson. The way we seek our own way in almost all circumstances. The way that our churches divide and criticize one another. I'm not advocating false unity, I am just glad that God has this thing figured out, cause I know I don't.

Praise God for that.

by the will of God,
Jonathan

Day 19 + 20: What is power?

"And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places" Ephesians 1:19-20

Power: this is a subject that is near to my heart. In fact, I am intending to make it the topic of my research in my PhD program. My research question is this: What is it about humans, in any interaction, at all age levels, in small groups and large, across races and ethnicities, that creates dominance and submissiveness, in-group and out-group, haves and have-nots. It was human "power" that sent Jesus to the cross (even though I know He laid down his own life).

But God's power is not this way. God's power is the kind that "raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places." God's power is the kind that restores, redeems, and raises up those who have been abused by the "power" of the world. His is a power that comes in the form of a child, not taking on human power in order to overpower humans. His ways are not our ways.

But how do I live this way? Its challenging as a white, heterosexual, middle class, Christian male. I have the added challenge of being aware of my privilege and innate power in society. I think the goal is to lay down this false power and take up the power of God. This is the power that is immeasurably great. It is the power that restores, redeems, and raises up. Its about living a different way and trusting in His power and not in my own.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 18- Social Construction of the Gospel

"having the eyes of your heart enlightened so that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints"

Paul seems to be casting a vision here. Something great is to be hoped for, something glorious to be inherited. Since I mistakenly raised my hand in a class last semester thus signing myself up to be an "expert" on the theory of Social Constructionism, I've often been surprised how much the mission of God is social construction. Christ's body on earth is socially constructed of the church. Where two or three are gathered, Christ is in the midst of them. And here in Paul's letter, where is the glorious inheritance to be found? In the saints. Christ's gospel is made known, is experienced, in the community of faith.

It is kind of shocking to see Paul write this passage in this way, because every other clause so far has been followed by "In Christ" (v.3); "in him" (v. 4); "through Jesus Christ" (v. 5) according to the purpose of his will (v.5); in the beloved (v. 6); In him (v.7); through his blood (v. 7); according to the riches of his grace (v.7); in Christ (v. 9); in him (v.10); In him (v.11); in Christ (v. 12); In him (v.13). See what I mean? It is clear who is the author and perfecter of all this. And yet here Paul departs from that very deliberately to make a point.

What point is he trying to make? I'm hoping that the following verses will make it more clear. What does seem obvious is that the saints, the people of God, the faithful, are foundational to the Gospel on earth.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 17- Near Death Nearer Wisdom?

"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him" Ephesians 1:17

I nearly died tonight. Working with my father-in-law on a dryer repair job, I went to pull the plug out of the socket and accidentally touched the hot ends of the dryer plug together. Needless to say I punched out all the power in our little townhouse, saw a big spark, and had a moment of sheer panic, but suffered no injuries. My wife has since banned me from all things electric.

It makes me wonder about this spirit of wisdom and of revelation. It is not often that I have a near-death experience. I started to reflect after the incident that this would be a pretty sad day to have gone out on. I woke up late because I'm sick. I did a few menial tasks. I was not particularly loving nor unloving to my family. I was probably a little selfish, as I have a tendency to be when I'm sick. I doubt that, if I died today, wisdom would be a word used to describe me. Passionate, maybe. Likable, I'd say so. Wise, I'm not so sure. But I have to remind myself that God's wisdom is not the world's wisdom. Maybe my near-death experience gets me closer to wisdom than a psychology course.

A passage from Proverbs illustrates what I mean: "The fear of God is beginning of wisdom." Maybe God's wisdom has more to do with knowing God, the eternal, the father of glory, the alpha and the omega. By comparison, well, you just can't compare. I am dust and to dust I shall return. Maybe understanding my own mortality is a better road to wisdom. This reflection fits better in lent than in Epiphany, but there it is anyway.

So all that to say: be careful if someone says they are praying for you to receive God's wisdom. It might not be what you expect.

by the will of God,

Jonathan

Day 16- Giving Thanks

"I do not cease to give thanks for you remembering you in my prayers" Ephesians 1:16

It's been a few days since my last post. I've been spending time with my family and haven't had time to write my thoughts here. While I was with my family, we celebrated my father's 60th birthday. For one night, we really took the time to thank my father for what his life means to us.

This verse is challenging to me because, while Paul may be exaggerating slightly when he says that he does not cease to give thanks for the Ephesians, he probably does live a life of gratitude for the saints he has encountered. The way that Paul does this, at least according to this verse, is to remember people in his prayers.

Sounds like a good starting place. Any ideas for remembering people in my prayers? I've heard of making note cards for people in our lives and praying for all of them during the course of one week. Any other thoughts?

by the will of God,

Jonathan