Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Ephesians 3:1-6

Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-6
1 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles --
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,
3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit of God's holy apostles and prophets.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Observation
When I read verse 5, I thought about how fortunate I am to be living in this age, after Christ. All these "mysteries" that Christ's coming revealed, and the law He came to abolish would still apply to me otherwise. I also thought about the great division between Jews and Gentiles back then. How amazing that God granted us a spirit of unity, and such a wonderful feeling of communion as a body! Christ came and didn't leave anybody out of His promise, or outside of His grace.

Application
The concept of grace is often still mysterious to me. Something so undeserved, freely given. It goes opposite to the world's teaching of having to earn things, then the constant boasting when we do earn them, then our constant comparison of what we have earned to what other people have earned, then an overall feeling of dissatisfaction with the whole process. And repeat. The more we pursue God, the further we get from that vicious cycle. With grace, we can see others as co-heirs of a beautiful promise, in a loving and unselfish way.  Instead of bitter, we can be encouraging. Instead of feeling dissatisfied, we can focus on all that God's faithfully providing and His eternal promise. I struggle personally with my current single state. BUT God's been so faithful in providing accountability and opportunities for me to grow and serve. I know He will provide the rest in His time. Meanwhile, I can enjoy fellowship with all you awesome moms and wives, and not feel out of place, as we are all members together of one body :)

Prayer
Thank You God for easing the anxiety in my heart. Thank You for providing this group of Godly women to give me a better understanding of unity. God, forgive us when we discount Your grace and take for granted Your provision. Help us to grow together in love, and encourage each other as co-heirs of Your promise. In Jesus's name, amen.

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