This summer our church is going through A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent. Chris picked up this book a few years ago at a NANC (National Association of Nouthetic Counselors) Conference in St. Louis that we attended. I had ignored the book all week. There was a nice lady in the hallway handing them out for FREE. But being the superficial girl that I am I thought the cover was pretty ugly, so I didn't take one. Chris on the other hand will take anything that is free and took the book and preceded to read it cover to cover, many times over. It greatly influenced his gospel focus and thinking and often times he would read me a section before bed at night. Well, I have had the privilege of reading it for myself this summer and there really is some great stuff in it. There are short little sections and we are to read one each day to help us focus on the gospel on a daily basis. Today I read this section that I'm going to quote and it really impacted me and the way we're so often taught about heaven. I've heard about the streets of gold and the pearly gates for most of my life, but never (in my memory) did someone remind me that those streets of gold are there to lead us to God himself, not just for our pleasure. Let me share this quote and you'll see what I mean....
"The essence of eternal life is not found in having my sins forgiven, in possessing a mansion in heaven, or in having the streets of gold on which to walk forever. Rather, the essence of eternal life is intimately knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Everything else that God gives to me in the gospel serves merely to bring me to Himself so that this great end might be achieved. Christ died for the forgiveness of my sins so that I might be brought 'to God.' Christ is preparing a place for me in heaven so that He might receive me "to Himself" and have me forever with Him where He is. And yes, there is a great street of gold in heaven, but is there any doubt where the street leads? Unquestionable, it leads straight to the throne of God Himself, as do all of God's gifts to me in the gospel. As I meditate on the gospel each day, I find my thoughts inevitabley traveling from the gifts I've received to the Giver of those gifts; and the more my thoughts are directed to Him, the more I experience the essence of eternal life. The "gospel of God" is from God, comes through God, and leads me to God; and it is in Him that my soul finds its truest joy and rest."
It seems that at times in general teaching the focus just ends up in the wrong place... on me and what might benefit me, and the same is true of teaching on heaven. True heaven is much better than hell and I certainly desire to go to heaven over hell. But heaven and all the benefits of it are not for me, they are to bring glory to the one who created and sustains it all. Heaven is all about God and just as Mr. Vincent says "The 'gospel of God' is from God, comes through God, and leads me to God; and it is in Him that my soul finds its truest joy and rest." Truly heaven would be nothing without our God and it is only in him that I will ever find any satisfaction. The streets of gold or the 'big' mansion I will someday reside in are not the ultimate goal. He is the Ultimate Prize.
Logging my lifetime journey of growth in grace.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
New Study Adventure Coming Soon
I'm really excited about my next 'study.' For some time now I've wanted to read through the Bible along with Mark Dever's The Message of the New Testament and The Message of the Old Testament. A few years back Chris and I visited Capitol Hill Baptist Church where Mark Dever pastors and heads up the 9 Marks Ministries. We had the opportunity after that Sunday evening service to visit with him for several minutes and he was kind enough to give us copies of several of the 9 Marks books, The Message of the New Testament being one of them. Ever since I've wanted to read it while reading through the corresponding sections of Scripture and I'm excited to finally get to do so! Mark Dever does an excellent job expositing the Word and has had a a big impact on Chris and I as we considered church life in a more Biblical light over the last several years. In this particular book he gives an overview, kind of a bird's eye view of each book of the New Testament. Instead of breaking it down verse by verse, he strives to capture the message of the book in its entirety. I think it will be a fun way to move a little more quickly through the New Testament, while keeping my eyes fixed on the theme and message of each book. A friend of mine, Susan Heck, challenged me a few years back to take some time to sit down and read through whole books of the Bible at a time in one sitting. She said that she picked up new themes in Scripture when doing so. I'm hoping to make the time to do some of that during this study. That won't be an easy feat with a 15 month old son and another on the way! Fortunately there are several shorter books in the New Testament that I can choose from. Join me as I work through the New Testament (with Mark Dever's help!). I'd love to share with you what I'm learning!
By His Wounds You are Healed-finished review
Last week I finished going through By His Wounds You are Healed: How the Message of Ephesians Transforms a Woman's Idenity by Wendy Horger Alsup. Having finished it I wanted to give my thoughts. Sadly, my initial reaction to the whole book was that I was a bit disappointed. I'll share why, then explain what I really liked about it. I think my disappointment stemmed from 2 key areas. 1) She skipped over a lot of the book. Ephesians is packed full of amazing deep truths and she hit on many of them, but also skipped over a lot and left me with some questions that I'm going to have to go back and study some more. Some of the more difficult passages to understand didn't become any more clear to me, mostly because there was little to nothing written on them. That's ok, but I was hoping for a bit more I think. 2) Wendy seems to have had some difficult times in church. And while we all have a history that plays into our sanctification process, I don't know that we need to hear about it as much as Wendy seems to bring it up. She'll mention how it was done wrong in the past in churches she's been a part of, and move on fairly quickly to the right way, but I don't know that the mention of the wrong was necessary. It adds a negative tone to her writing that I've noticed on her blog as well and has made me a less frequent visitor. 3) I was hoping for more application both at the heart level and at the behavior level. She leaves a lot of the application up to the reader. Granted I didn't do much with the questions at the back of the book, I think because they were at the back. I enjoy questions placed with the chapter they go with. Perhaps even some reflection space throughout the paragraphs.
I did pick up some really cool things from Wendy's study though. I loved the initial definition of grace and the sister passage she uses to explain the greek term. It hit me hard in the way I consider God's grace towards me and the way I think I might be showing grace to others. Do they deserve this? Then it's not grace! I also enjoyed her emphasis on the church and the way we should be living life together as believers. Ephesians talks about this a lot so I'm glad she fleshed it out a bit. Again I might have enjoyed a bit more specific application, but overall I was challenged. I also loved the continuous thought from the beginning to end keeping in mind what we have in Christ from the earlier chapters as we consider the way we live life together in the ending chapters. It brings a whole new light to the life we live together as believers. I particularly found refreshing thinking through the armor of God in light of these truths.
I was hoping to recommend this as a good small group resource for our church. I don't know that I'll be able to... it's missing the kind of application at the heart and behavior level that we like to have, as well as had a few theological differences, but I think I could recommend it to individuals looking for a resource to use along with their personal time in the Word. Thanks Wendy for your hard work!
I did pick up some really cool things from Wendy's study though. I loved the initial definition of grace and the sister passage she uses to explain the greek term. It hit me hard in the way I consider God's grace towards me and the way I think I might be showing grace to others. Do they deserve this? Then it's not grace! I also enjoyed her emphasis on the church and the way we should be living life together as believers. Ephesians talks about this a lot so I'm glad she fleshed it out a bit. Again I might have enjoyed a bit more specific application, but overall I was challenged. I also loved the continuous thought from the beginning to end keeping in mind what we have in Christ from the earlier chapters as we consider the way we live life together in the ending chapters. It brings a whole new light to the life we live together as believers. I particularly found refreshing thinking through the armor of God in light of these truths.
I was hoping to recommend this as a good small group resource for our church. I don't know that I'll be able to... it's missing the kind of application at the heart and behavior level that we like to have, as well as had a few theological differences, but I think I could recommend it to individuals looking for a resource to use along with their personal time in the Word. Thanks Wendy for your hard work!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Purity
Ok... I'm still SOOO way behind on blogging about everything... I believe I'm a whole chapter behind. But I don't want to lose this one in the shuffle. I don't know that I'll go back to all the others.... So here we land. Ephesians 5:3--But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you as is proper among saints.
Purity has been a big deal to me for a long time. Not that I'm perfect at it... far from it. I've struggled in multiple ways too. Just to briefly share my 'story' concerning purity I'll start in my teen years. I went to a pretty conservative, cuollot (how do you even spell that?!) wearing, non 'rock' music listening, KJV only type of church growing up. Despite those things, it really was a good church that loved the Lord, it was just a bit hung up on a few of those things. We went to a camp that also taught the same way and I remember one speaker sharing several times how that he and his wife didn't kiss until their wedding. Now coming from the source it came from, I thought the guy was nuts! At this point I think I was probably in Jr. High. I had had one 'boyfriend' in elementary school and hadn't dated since.... so I was kissless.
In early high school I got hooked on a book series called the "Christy Miller Series" by Robin Jones Gunn. In it there is a Christian couple that had chosen not to kiss until their wedding day. Same information, new source. I made the same commitment. I was a little older and wiser... probably 9th grade and still kissless. I knew that I desired to honor God and stay pure and I saw that as the ultimate act of purity. I wouldn't even venture into the arena of sex. Looking back, that was the best decision of my life! Not that it kept me from every bit of sin, but wow, did it protect me from a lot.
Over the years I watched my Christian friends date, and I knew that many if not all of them were 'making out.' I really didn't think a whole lot about it being sinful, but I was glad that I wasn't doing it. I knew my heart and I knew that I'd desire more than just a kiss or even kissing if I went there, so I was glad to stay away. It was protection from at least the physical sin. It was kind of a big deal at my high school too. I was the girl that wouldn't kiss. Then I went to Bible College and it was just as much of a novelty, which looking back breaks my heart. Purity at a Bible college should be the norm, not the exception. Sadly, I fear that it was very much an exception, at least among my peer group. I was still labeled the girl that didn't kiss and even had one guy date me with bets as to how long it would take him to get me to kiss him! Praise the Lord that I never did and he eventually moved on to someone that would.
Then, after 6 years of college and grad school at the ripe old age of 23, I got married and got my first kiss (with many to follow!!). I've NEVER regretted that decision. More than anything else I chose to do in my life, I'm so thankful for that one. After I got married I started reading more about purity and studying it from a Biblical perspective and realized that while I didn't understand the heart motives behind my decision at the time, it protected me so much from sin. And don't get me wrong I struggled. I wanted to be kissed. I craved attention from guys, among other sinful desires of my heart, but I'm quite sure that it would have been much worse had I been making out with a guy through all of that.
Why I'm sharing all of this I don't know except that this passage calls believers to another standard. Sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness should not be a part of our lives. When I teach unmarried girls about purity I ask them to think through kissing and making out with a guy that's not their husband... are we being 'holy' at that time as 1 Thess calls us to be? I can't fathom it! So why do we think it's ok as long as we're not having 'sex'? Would you want your married husband kissing another girl? No! So why do we do it before we're married? I don't get it. Where did we get that idea? I'm not going into much detail here and I hope I'm not sounding harsh, but somewhere along the line we aren't getting taught well in this area and it's causing so many brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble before marriage leading them to more struggles after marriage when God calls us to purity.
Purity has been a big deal to me for a long time. Not that I'm perfect at it... far from it. I've struggled in multiple ways too. Just to briefly share my 'story' concerning purity I'll start in my teen years. I went to a pretty conservative, cuollot (how do you even spell that?!) wearing, non 'rock' music listening, KJV only type of church growing up. Despite those things, it really was a good church that loved the Lord, it was just a bit hung up on a few of those things. We went to a camp that also taught the same way and I remember one speaker sharing several times how that he and his wife didn't kiss until their wedding. Now coming from the source it came from, I thought the guy was nuts! At this point I think I was probably in Jr. High. I had had one 'boyfriend' in elementary school and hadn't dated since.... so I was kissless.
In early high school I got hooked on a book series called the "Christy Miller Series" by Robin Jones Gunn. In it there is a Christian couple that had chosen not to kiss until their wedding day. Same information, new source. I made the same commitment. I was a little older and wiser... probably 9th grade and still kissless. I knew that I desired to honor God and stay pure and I saw that as the ultimate act of purity. I wouldn't even venture into the arena of sex. Looking back, that was the best decision of my life! Not that it kept me from every bit of sin, but wow, did it protect me from a lot.
Over the years I watched my Christian friends date, and I knew that many if not all of them were 'making out.' I really didn't think a whole lot about it being sinful, but I was glad that I wasn't doing it. I knew my heart and I knew that I'd desire more than just a kiss or even kissing if I went there, so I was glad to stay away. It was protection from at least the physical sin. It was kind of a big deal at my high school too. I was the girl that wouldn't kiss. Then I went to Bible College and it was just as much of a novelty, which looking back breaks my heart. Purity at a Bible college should be the norm, not the exception. Sadly, I fear that it was very much an exception, at least among my peer group. I was still labeled the girl that didn't kiss and even had one guy date me with bets as to how long it would take him to get me to kiss him! Praise the Lord that I never did and he eventually moved on to someone that would.
Then, after 6 years of college and grad school at the ripe old age of 23, I got married and got my first kiss (with many to follow!!). I've NEVER regretted that decision. More than anything else I chose to do in my life, I'm so thankful for that one. After I got married I started reading more about purity and studying it from a Biblical perspective and realized that while I didn't understand the heart motives behind my decision at the time, it protected me so much from sin. And don't get me wrong I struggled. I wanted to be kissed. I craved attention from guys, among other sinful desires of my heart, but I'm quite sure that it would have been much worse had I been making out with a guy through all of that.
Why I'm sharing all of this I don't know except that this passage calls believers to another standard. Sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness should not be a part of our lives. When I teach unmarried girls about purity I ask them to think through kissing and making out with a guy that's not their husband... are we being 'holy' at that time as 1 Thess calls us to be? I can't fathom it! So why do we think it's ok as long as we're not having 'sex'? Would you want your married husband kissing another girl? No! So why do we do it before we're married? I don't get it. Where did we get that idea? I'm not going into much detail here and I hope I'm not sounding harsh, but somewhere along the line we aren't getting taught well in this area and it's causing so many brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble before marriage leading them to more struggles after marriage when God calls us to purity.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Musings
I admit it. My brain is in some kind of a summer mode right now. It. Does. Not. Want. To. Work. At anything... much less my disciplines of being in the Word. I spend my time in the Word at work right now. Is it ok to publish that on the world wide web? I have the luxury of a job that allows that I guess and it just works best for the wisest use of my time on most days. I tend to get my 'work' done quickly, but need to remain in my place of employment for the hours required of me and find that reading the word and good books at work is better than TV Watching on Hulu (which I also do way too much of). In fact I have two more days staring me in the face with, more than likely, plenty of free time to use wisely and I'm trying to figure out what would be the best use of my time and what I can bring with me to accomplish here... instead of staring at the new iPhone4 and lusting.
I had originally titled this post Chapter 4 Update and Catch Up. But I think I'll save that for tomorrow... or at least a post later today. Right now I just feel like sharing my heart. God has been really, really good to us lately. Chris has started this new job, for which we are immensely thankful for a variety of reasons. It also came to my attention (through Chris) that apparently there were SEVERAL applicants for his position. And they interviewed SEVERAL of those applicants. And in the end they chose Chris. Now, I know why. He's an amazing, talented guy. He'll be great in this type of position. I'm saying all that to brag on him. He was chosen from many interviewers because he's awesome:) And we're so thankful that God blessed us in this way. It hasn't been without it's challenges though. We still have just the one car and it's been fairly challenging getting him, our Little man, and myself all the places we need to go in a day. Like here in a few minutes I have to leave work to exchange the car with Chris, who is currently working at the location on north Glenstone and Kearney, all the way across town. Annoying, but necessary. And I think I'm annoying my bosses... which I hate. Hopefully it will come to an end though. And this process is a necessary evil. We have to have Chris' income to save for another car! So we'll get there in time. So I'm just praying that we can save quickly and find a good deal on a reliable vehicle that we don't hate. (I know I'm not going to LOVE whatever we get, but I just would like to not hate it!) All of this has its goods and bads... as do most things in life I guess. But in it all I'm SO very thankful for God's provision for us.
Next... lately I've become somewhat obsessed with organic eating. It started when I was pregnant with Landon. Like I said I have a fair amount of free time at my job and I spend much of it online. They recommend more than usual to eat as organically as possible while you're pregnant. That tiny baby can't handle all the chemicals like our bigger bodies can. So I started researching more and more and more and now here I am. I bought organic ketchup last night, mostly to get rid of the high fructose corn syrup that plagues most ketchups. Nonetheless though... I bought organic ketchup! I've also started buying organic apples because they fall in the 'Dirty Dozen.' I've been shopping at the Farmer's Market the last few weeks and I planted a garden! So far it's not really costing me any more than normal because I'm not buying a lot of processed stuff. I'm trying to eat whole, natural foods. Fruits and veggies, and products with the least amounts of ingredients possible. The next step for me I think is looking into different meat. I've been eyeing the grass fed beef and free range chicken (oh... I have been buying fresh eggs from a local farmer at a little nursery and garden store in Ozark and they are SO good! It reminds me of our fresh eggs when I was a kid... yes we kept chickens :) at the Farmer's Market and trying to figure out how to fit that into our budget. This year I want to save up so that next year I can join a local CSA... you pay for your meat up front and get a discount as your bring it home throughout the year. We'll see if I can talk my amazing hubby into that! So far Chris has been very supportive. I've had him read a FEW of the articles I've found and he's loving the fresh produce from the Farmer's Market. He says it's the best he's ever eaten. So he's all for it. Plus, we bought a grill a few weeks ago and we're just enjoying summer eating. If only I could get him to like tomatoes.... that will never happen though. Like I titlted this post... musings.
You've probably stopped reading by now so I'll stop rambling. In 24 minutes I get to leave to pick up my little man, Landon. I love my sweet little boy so much and can't wait to see him!
I had originally titled this post Chapter 4 Update and Catch Up. But I think I'll save that for tomorrow... or at least a post later today. Right now I just feel like sharing my heart. God has been really, really good to us lately. Chris has started this new job, for which we are immensely thankful for a variety of reasons. It also came to my attention (through Chris) that apparently there were SEVERAL applicants for his position. And they interviewed SEVERAL of those applicants. And in the end they chose Chris. Now, I know why. He's an amazing, talented guy. He'll be great in this type of position. I'm saying all that to brag on him. He was chosen from many interviewers because he's awesome:) And we're so thankful that God blessed us in this way. It hasn't been without it's challenges though. We still have just the one car and it's been fairly challenging getting him, our Little man, and myself all the places we need to go in a day. Like here in a few minutes I have to leave work to exchange the car with Chris, who is currently working at the location on north Glenstone and Kearney, all the way across town. Annoying, but necessary. And I think I'm annoying my bosses... which I hate. Hopefully it will come to an end though. And this process is a necessary evil. We have to have Chris' income to save for another car! So we'll get there in time. So I'm just praying that we can save quickly and find a good deal on a reliable vehicle that we don't hate. (I know I'm not going to LOVE whatever we get, but I just would like to not hate it!) All of this has its goods and bads... as do most things in life I guess. But in it all I'm SO very thankful for God's provision for us.
Next... lately I've become somewhat obsessed with organic eating. It started when I was pregnant with Landon. Like I said I have a fair amount of free time at my job and I spend much of it online. They recommend more than usual to eat as organically as possible while you're pregnant. That tiny baby can't handle all the chemicals like our bigger bodies can. So I started researching more and more and more and now here I am. I bought organic ketchup last night, mostly to get rid of the high fructose corn syrup that plagues most ketchups. Nonetheless though... I bought organic ketchup! I've also started buying organic apples because they fall in the 'Dirty Dozen.' I've been shopping at the Farmer's Market the last few weeks and I planted a garden! So far it's not really costing me any more than normal because I'm not buying a lot of processed stuff. I'm trying to eat whole, natural foods. Fruits and veggies, and products with the least amounts of ingredients possible. The next step for me I think is looking into different meat. I've been eyeing the grass fed beef and free range chicken (oh... I have been buying fresh eggs from a local farmer at a little nursery and garden store in Ozark and they are SO good! It reminds me of our fresh eggs when I was a kid... yes we kept chickens :) at the Farmer's Market and trying to figure out how to fit that into our budget. This year I want to save up so that next year I can join a local CSA... you pay for your meat up front and get a discount as your bring it home throughout the year. We'll see if I can talk my amazing hubby into that! So far Chris has been very supportive. I've had him read a FEW of the articles I've found and he's loving the fresh produce from the Farmer's Market. He says it's the best he's ever eaten. So he's all for it. Plus, we bought a grill a few weeks ago and we're just enjoying summer eating. If only I could get him to like tomatoes.... that will never happen though. Like I titlted this post... musings.
You've probably stopped reading by now so I'll stop rambling. In 24 minutes I get to leave to pick up my little man, Landon. I love my sweet little boy so much and can't wait to see him!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
A little catch up....
Wow... I have a lot of blogging to catch up my Bible Study from where I left off to where I am now. Fortunately, I seem to have a little time this morning so I'll try to plow through it. It will be good review for me!
Ephesians 2:1-10 is the end of the first section of Ephesians and it takes us through a wonderful progression of thought that should at least cross my mind every day. It says that before salvation I was dead. I was a dead girl trying to find satisfaction in the passions of my flesh. (It kind of reminds me of all the dead pirates in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that would eat an apple and never be satisfied with its sweetness. They searched and searched to fulfill their passions). I was in my very nature a child of wrath, deserving of all of God's punishment toward evil. BUT GOD stepped in with his rich mercy and in spite of the evil running through my body saved me, and raised me up to sit with him in heavenly places. He did this for his own glory, to show his kindness toward me in Christ. You see I am His workmanship, and long before I even knew I existed God created me in Christ to do His good works. I think I'm going to post that on my bathroom mirror as a reminder to myself every morning.
Wendy gives us a great reminder after thinking all of this through. "Paul goes on to point out that it is not only our salvation that is all of God and none of us, but that the subsequent good works that follow coming to faith in Christ area also the result of God's work within us. The implication is that our attempts to boast in any good work after our salvation are as naive as our attempts to boast in the act that brought us to salvation." H.U.M.I.L.I.T.Y. I do nothing. God does it all. Sure I 'work out my salvation.' I do make efforts toward change and sanctification, but when I really get down to it, I do nothing on my own. Even my own efforts are vain and futile without God's hand guiding me toward change. He does it all. I have to remember that.... constantly. I am nothing without him.
Section 2--Ephesians 2:11-3:21
The end of Ephesians 2 is full of some deep stuff, deeper than Wendy goes, and deeper than my cursory reading and study goes, but the main gist is this. There are Israelites and the rest of the world is Gentiles. I am a Gentile. At one time I was separated from Christ, alienated from the benefits Israel had and the promises made to them. But now, in Christ, I have been brought near to God. Christ is now my peace. Israelites come to God the same way now that Gentiles do. "And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to show who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."
Moving into Chapter 3 Paul addresses the 'mystery' that he has referred to a few times. Building on what he said previously, 'we are reminded that.... the reason Paul is a prisoner for Christ on behalf of the Gentile believers at Ephesus is found in the closing of Ephesians 2--namely that the Gentiles are no longer strangers to God's promises, but are now being built together with Jewish believers into a temple or dwelling place for God the Spirit.' Paul goes on to explain that he has been made a minister of that truth. Basically it's his job to share it with the world. I would be saying 'seriously?!!' Not a job that i would want, but Paul took it and ran with it and we can see two character qualities in him that we should emulate: humility and confidence.
Paul knows himself. He says that he is the 'very least among the saints.' This job has nothing to do with his qualifications. Although let's face it he had a few--but he wasn't proud of them. He didn't revel in his own glory. He saw himself for what he truly was spiritually... nothing. I love how Wendy says this, "In reality, Paul has been entrusted with possibly the greatest message ever communicated. But instead of becoming puffed up with self-importance as so many of us do when entrusted with a great stewardship, he keeps an accurate assessment of himself. He is a good model for us here. He is not dwelling in self-condemnation. He is not insecure, searching for compliments to make him feel better about himself. Instead, he gets both the depth of his sin and the great grace that God has poured out on him." Paul was right on in his assessment. But instead of wallowing in self-pity over his true spiritual state, he trusted the riches of Christ and the grace that God had given him, which in turn produced confidence. Not in himself whatsoever, but in Christ. He is preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ! We should have the same confidence!
I also cannot move on without sharing the Tim Keller quote she uses. I've read it before, but it never gets old: "The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less." Enough said.
In closing out chapter 3 Paul wanted the Ephesians to be profoundly moved by the immeasurable riches of the grace of God through Christ Jesus. He wanted them to comprehend the breadth, length, height and depth of God's love--a love that surpassed their (and our) ability to grasp. But oh how we should try! Wendy explains that the last two verses in Ephesians 3 are verses often used to closes services in the history of the church, often called the benediction--Latin for a good saying. Paul is closing his thoughts on the mystery revealed of God's double reconciliation of Gentile believers to both himself and Jewish believers, focusing on the glory of God that is continuing to reveal through all generations, for all time. We are a part of that! And the same power that is accomplishing this is at work within each believer, day in and day out. Praise the Lord that he has revealed this part of his plan to us!
Ephesians 2:1-10 is the end of the first section of Ephesians and it takes us through a wonderful progression of thought that should at least cross my mind every day. It says that before salvation I was dead. I was a dead girl trying to find satisfaction in the passions of my flesh. (It kind of reminds me of all the dead pirates in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that would eat an apple and never be satisfied with its sweetness. They searched and searched to fulfill their passions). I was in my very nature a child of wrath, deserving of all of God's punishment toward evil. BUT GOD stepped in with his rich mercy and in spite of the evil running through my body saved me, and raised me up to sit with him in heavenly places. He did this for his own glory, to show his kindness toward me in Christ. You see I am His workmanship, and long before I even knew I existed God created me in Christ to do His good works. I think I'm going to post that on my bathroom mirror as a reminder to myself every morning.
Wendy gives us a great reminder after thinking all of this through. "Paul goes on to point out that it is not only our salvation that is all of God and none of us, but that the subsequent good works that follow coming to faith in Christ area also the result of God's work within us. The implication is that our attempts to boast in any good work after our salvation are as naive as our attempts to boast in the act that brought us to salvation." H.U.M.I.L.I.T.Y. I do nothing. God does it all. Sure I 'work out my salvation.' I do make efforts toward change and sanctification, but when I really get down to it, I do nothing on my own. Even my own efforts are vain and futile without God's hand guiding me toward change. He does it all. I have to remember that.... constantly. I am nothing without him.
Section 2--Ephesians 2:11-3:21
The end of Ephesians 2 is full of some deep stuff, deeper than Wendy goes, and deeper than my cursory reading and study goes, but the main gist is this. There are Israelites and the rest of the world is Gentiles. I am a Gentile. At one time I was separated from Christ, alienated from the benefits Israel had and the promises made to them. But now, in Christ, I have been brought near to God. Christ is now my peace. Israelites come to God the same way now that Gentiles do. "And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to show who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."
Moving into Chapter 3 Paul addresses the 'mystery' that he has referred to a few times. Building on what he said previously, 'we are reminded that.... the reason Paul is a prisoner for Christ on behalf of the Gentile believers at Ephesus is found in the closing of Ephesians 2--namely that the Gentiles are no longer strangers to God's promises, but are now being built together with Jewish believers into a temple or dwelling place for God the Spirit.' Paul goes on to explain that he has been made a minister of that truth. Basically it's his job to share it with the world. I would be saying 'seriously?!!' Not a job that i would want, but Paul took it and ran with it and we can see two character qualities in him that we should emulate: humility and confidence.
Paul knows himself. He says that he is the 'very least among the saints.' This job has nothing to do with his qualifications. Although let's face it he had a few--but he wasn't proud of them. He didn't revel in his own glory. He saw himself for what he truly was spiritually... nothing. I love how Wendy says this, "In reality, Paul has been entrusted with possibly the greatest message ever communicated. But instead of becoming puffed up with self-importance as so many of us do when entrusted with a great stewardship, he keeps an accurate assessment of himself. He is a good model for us here. He is not dwelling in self-condemnation. He is not insecure, searching for compliments to make him feel better about himself. Instead, he gets both the depth of his sin and the great grace that God has poured out on him." Paul was right on in his assessment. But instead of wallowing in self-pity over his true spiritual state, he trusted the riches of Christ and the grace that God had given him, which in turn produced confidence. Not in himself whatsoever, but in Christ. He is preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ! We should have the same confidence!
I also cannot move on without sharing the Tim Keller quote she uses. I've read it before, but it never gets old: "The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less." Enough said.
In closing out chapter 3 Paul wanted the Ephesians to be profoundly moved by the immeasurable riches of the grace of God through Christ Jesus. He wanted them to comprehend the breadth, length, height and depth of God's love--a love that surpassed their (and our) ability to grasp. But oh how we should try! Wendy explains that the last two verses in Ephesians 3 are verses often used to closes services in the history of the church, often called the benediction--Latin for a good saying. Paul is closing his thoughts on the mystery revealed of God's double reconciliation of Gentile believers to both himself and Jewish believers, focusing on the glory of God that is continuing to reveal through all generations, for all time. We are a part of that! And the same power that is accomplishing this is at work within each believer, day in and day out. Praise the Lord that he has revealed this part of his plan to us!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Memorial Day Weekend
I've been a bit absent on my blog lately.... I have been doing my Bible study though! Two weeks ago we were in Kansas City and the hotel charged more for internet for the week than we pay for a month at the house, so we decided to skip it. Then last week, I felt so behind on blogging that I never just sat down and caught up! I'm hoping to remedy some of that later today and throughout the rest of the week. However, I just wanted to share about our little weekend....
I just had the best time this weekend. Chris spent Saturday at the church in a Counseling Training session with Dr. Bob Smith. He said it was great. I however, hung out with our Little Man, which I always LOVE! We went to the Springfield Farmer's Market, where we picked up some fresh asparagus, new potatoes, strawberries, and green beans. Yummo! Then we went to the park. Landon loves to go down the slide and to swing! We seriously had a great time! While Landon napped I spent the afternoon working on a little tan (this preggo girl needs some color on her legs!) while I put together our new grill. We have been without a grill for over a year now. Our last one caught on fire (I guess we didn't clean it enough) and became way too much of a hazard to use! We had put off purchasing a new one for so long, but finally we purchased a charcoal grill and we're LOVING it! We used it a few times throughout the weekend. I had forgotten how good charcoal makes meat taste. Fantastic!
Later in the weekend we planted a new garden. Now I know... gardening and Abbie haven't really mixed for a long time. When I was a kid we had acres and acres of garden and I hated it. It was way more than we could keep up with (as far as weeding) so it was very burdensome (to me... apparently my parents loved it). I did however develop an appreciation for fresh veggies and berries and I've really missed them over the years. So this year, I decided to try my hand at it. Now our ground in Ozark is basically a gravel pit. So I had planned to purchase a small kiddie pool for my garden, but ended up with a neat little garden kit with a round outside container that we lined with newspaper and filled with organic dirt. Literally our ground is so rocky that all four stakes curled over as we pounded them into the ground. Ah the joys of the Ozark mountains! But we finally drove them in. I picked up a few plants that were already started at a local nursery... heirloom tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, and one butternut squash. I thought the squash would be great to get some baby food made ahead of time and in the freezer for baby #2. Then from seed I planted some spinach, lettuce, green beans, cucumber, and zucchini. We'll see how it all turns out. I'm afraid I put way too many seed in such a small place, but I figure that if I need to pull some out I can later on. It's all quite a learning experience for me. I don't remember anything from our gardening when I was a kid except pulling weeds taller than me and eating the yummy food! I may post pics on here or on Facebook at some point.
I just had the best time this weekend. Chris spent Saturday at the church in a Counseling Training session with Dr. Bob Smith. He said it was great. I however, hung out with our Little Man, which I always LOVE! We went to the Springfield Farmer's Market, where we picked up some fresh asparagus, new potatoes, strawberries, and green beans. Yummo! Then we went to the park. Landon loves to go down the slide and to swing! We seriously had a great time! While Landon napped I spent the afternoon working on a little tan (this preggo girl needs some color on her legs!) while I put together our new grill. We have been without a grill for over a year now. Our last one caught on fire (I guess we didn't clean it enough) and became way too much of a hazard to use! We had put off purchasing a new one for so long, but finally we purchased a charcoal grill and we're LOVING it! We used it a few times throughout the weekend. I had forgotten how good charcoal makes meat taste. Fantastic!
Later in the weekend we planted a new garden. Now I know... gardening and Abbie haven't really mixed for a long time. When I was a kid we had acres and acres of garden and I hated it. It was way more than we could keep up with (as far as weeding) so it was very burdensome (to me... apparently my parents loved it). I did however develop an appreciation for fresh veggies and berries and I've really missed them over the years. So this year, I decided to try my hand at it. Now our ground in Ozark is basically a gravel pit. So I had planned to purchase a small kiddie pool for my garden, but ended up with a neat little garden kit with a round outside container that we lined with newspaper and filled with organic dirt. Literally our ground is so rocky that all four stakes curled over as we pounded them into the ground. Ah the joys of the Ozark mountains! But we finally drove them in. I picked up a few plants that were already started at a local nursery... heirloom tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, and one butternut squash. I thought the squash would be great to get some baby food made ahead of time and in the freezer for baby #2. Then from seed I planted some spinach, lettuce, green beans, cucumber, and zucchini. We'll see how it all turns out. I'm afraid I put way too many seed in such a small place, but I figure that if I need to pull some out I can later on. It's all quite a learning experience for me. I don't remember anything from our gardening when I was a kid except pulling weeds taller than me and eating the yummy food! I may post pics on here or on Facebook at some point.
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