Ephesians 1:11-12
“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”
“Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.”
We had a place in Christ before we even knew of him. All of us crave this kind of knowing and belonging, of being treasured and protected, and it is God’s purpose for us. Regardless circumstance, we have a home in Christ, where we belong. Until we embrace this truth we search restlessly, accumulating wounds in our exploration. May we all find this place of belonging, for God’s glory.
Lord, praise you! It was this sense of belonging that drew me to you when I was a young child. No matter where I’ve walked, you have been with me. Thank you for this glorious hope I have in you.
Ephesians 1:8-10
“He thought of everything, provided everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.”
“He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ- which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ- everything in heaven and on earth.”
Our Lord is not only a creator, but a planner also. And he enjoys it, as we enjoy planning birthday parties for our children. The focus of this party is not a human child, but the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything will be wrapped up in him: perfect love, perfect justice, perfect administration and perfect politics. It will be glorious to see the world and universe put right, under the divine rule of a wise and compassionate king.
Lord, thank you for the comfort I have in you for the future. The anxieties of the present do not afflict me because I hope in you. Show me how to share this hope with the modern anxious, so they may hear this good news and breathe a sigh of relief. Guard me from aloof complacency. Help me engage with the worry, offering you and the hope you provide instead. Always for your glory.
Ephesians 1:7
“Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!”
“He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”
I love how The Message develops the idea of freedom. According to Chuck Smith (Verse by Verse Commentary on Ephesians C2000) the Greek carries the idea of a slave who could not pay their debts, purchased back from the slave market. I am that slave. The image of standing in chains on the auction block amplifies the joy and gratitude I have in my redemption. My freedom is indeed abundant compared to that. Thankfully, the graceful ministry of the Holy Spirit teaches me how to translate that glorious freedom into our theology of my daily life.
Lord, I thank you for opening my eyes, with passing years, of my freedom in Christ. You have taught me it is much more than just freedom from sin’s consequences. It is freedom to live a truly full life. It has been a joy to see ‘should’ and ‘ought to’ disappear from my vocabulary. Instead, there is simply and wonderfully, rest in you.
Ephesians 1:3-6
“How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.”
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.”
God had us in mind before he made the earth. He hovered over the cooling mass of molten rock and shaped it into the blue green beauty it is today. Love was there in the inhospitable having already laid plans to destroy evil and secure us for himself. What an amazing, totally other, generous God we have!
Lord, it is comfort to think of you freely navigating about outer space. You are not limited by the need for oxygen and water. How mighty you are, your greatest might being your love for me, because I am so small and undeserving. Only you know every nook and cranny where we humans hide. Only your great love would want to find us there. I worship you!
Ephesians 1:1-2
“I, Paul, am under God’s plan as an apostle, a special agent of Christ Jesus, writing to you faithful believers in Ephesus. I greet you with the grace and peace poured into our lives by God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ.”
“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
Paul opens his letters to the churches with a blessing. This one has two parts. Paul rejoices in being called as apostle to the Lord Jesus. It is the great rock of his being from which he looks out on life and serves others. Also, Paul blesses the Ephesians with the kind of grace and peace only the Lord can provide. It will become the engine of their faith.
Blessings like this are out of favor. They are critically received as arrogant and politically incorrect, as if they imply absolutism. They are maligned as only words when deeds are called for. Yet many lonely souls would welcome such encouragement. Let us be more humbly bold in blessing others. Ask God to direct our blessings with sensitivity and grace, that his love may pour out onto the lost and lonely.
Lord, grant me wisdom and power to bless others freely. Let resulting power and comfort be from you alone. Give me faith in your willingness to bless through me. May I bless freely and frequently always for your glory.
Ezekiel 38-48
Ezekiel 28-48
These final chapters detail the complex layout and dimensions of the new Jerusalem, a sacred square. They are given to Ezekiel by a man of bronze (the pre-incarnate Christ) using a 10 ft. measuring rod. Many dimensions are multiples of 7, signifying completion or perfection. No tribe or people is given priority as all allotments are perfectly equal. There is a location for every aspect of worship and living. Even farming has its own allotment assuring the city’s residents of nourishment. It is the perfect city. The last verse of Chapter 48 gives the city’s name, YAHWEH-SHAMMAH: “GOD-IS-THERE.”
The city is one of God’s greatest blessings to men. Within its close association culture blossoms, science advances and ease of living grows. Satan seeks to corrupt God’s gifts, and this is no exception. Cities also provide for transmission of sin and disease. But in Yahweh-Shammah there is no evil, only God. It brims with promise of uncorrupted blessing. Living there is so rich and satisfying it will occupy us for eternity. It is a fitting bookend to Ezekiel’s messages, balancing judgement with this city of joy.
When God led me to Ezekiel I had my doubts and have been surprised by what he has given me here. I wonder, where he will lead me next? I am excited to find out!
Lord, you are wise, the perfect tutor. I rest in your directions, not just in this, but in all of life. They lead me to still waters and perfect pasture. Thank you.
Ezekiel 37:24-27
“They’ll follow my laws and keep my statutes. They’ll live in the same land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever, and my servant David will be their prince forever. I’ll make a covenant of peace with them that will hold everything together, an everlasting covenant. I’ll make them secure and place my holy place of worship at the center of their lives forever. I’ll live right there with them. I’ll be their God! They’ll be my people!”
“My servant David will be their king, and they will have only one shepherd. They will obey my regulations and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren after them will live there forever, generation after generation. And my servant David will be their prince forever. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever. I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Here Ezekiel addresses both Judah and Israel, promising to unite them in their own land into one people that will never be divided again. It’s a profound promise to a people who were without a homeland for 2000 years. We gentiles were grafted into Jacob-Israel’s vine at the cross and can claim this promise too. For me the best part is God himself living right in the neighborhood. Imagine the Ancient of Days, Universe Creator, living just down the block, in all our neighborhoods, everything secured and made permanent by a covenant of peace. Then we can truly be his and he will be ours. I can’t wait!
Lord, I imagine such joy at seeing all parts of our human experience made right, living together, with you, fully complete, and exercising all the potential you put within us. I long for it. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Ezekiel 37:12-14
“Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, ‘GOD, the Master, says: I’ll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people! Then I’ll take you straight to the land of Israel. When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you’ll realize that I am GOD. I’ll breathe my life into you and you’ll live. Then I’ll lead you straight back to your land and you’ll realize that I am GOD. I’ve said it and I’ll do it. GOD’s Decree.’”
“Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you To rise again. The I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit I you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
God compares the state of his people in Exile to that of a grave. Israelites considered graves nasty unclean things, defiled by dead bodies. (Numbers 19:11) They must accept they are likewise unclean if they want a new heart and to return to the land. God alone is perfect. We are dead bones beside him. No amount of animal sacrifice or rule obedience will make us good. Praise God, Jesus gives us his goodness when we place ourselves under the umbrella of his cross. It is the only way. It is also the most offensive.
Lord, thank you I can leave the shame of sin behind because you carried it on your shameful cross. Continue to make my heart new, restoring me to fullness of life with you. I want none other.
Ordinary Things
Today I write about an experience illustrating much of what I’ve learned about walking with the Lord. It starts with a cat. Our’s of 14 years had recently died leaving a gap I wanted filled. I asked God to lead us to the perfect cat for our RV lifestyle. One day in Prosser, WA my husband was on his early morning walk and a cat called out to him from under a freeway bridge. God provided and directed from out of the ordinary in life.
He was a delightful pet, full of personality and loved meeting new people. He accompanied us on walks, enjoyed riding in the car, and preferred to do his business outside. We named him Oliver Stripe. God gave him, and then took him away and our hearts were sore for weeks.
“Why?” I asked. I had trusted the Lord to care for Oliver in his wanderings. I sank into worry and depression when he disappeared. My ‘need to know’ about Oliver’s fate led me astray and my trust proved shallow. I was faithless to the One who is everlastingly faithful.
God has always notified us of big change around the bend; a commitment wraps up, a roadblock opens, his Spirit convicts, signs he has given appear, or our perfect RV cat vanishes. Sometimes big rapids come into view, other times it is a peaceful stretch of calm water. Whichever, I must hang onto the lifeline of trust in my faithful Lord and pray now for his grace to sustain it.
Lord, thank you for your gift of Oliver. He was such fun! In his absence, please heal our grief. Make us ready for the road you have laid for us. May we trust you as we travel, regardless the road’s condition or where it leads, always and only for you and your glory.
Ezekiel 37:1
“GOD grabbed me. GOD’s Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun. He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘Master GOD, only you know that.’”
“The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones become living people again?’ ‘Oh Sovereign Lord,’ I replied, ‘You alone know the answer to that.’”
I love the conversational tone of this passage, and its veiled sense of humor. Ezekiel is with the Lord, whom he knows as well as any human could. His answer to God’s rhetorical question is like saying, “Come on, you know, and I know, you can do this.” This mountain moving God participates in the give and take of a casual conversation. It is mind bending but just what we want and need, because we were created for it. This is joy!
Lord, knowing you like Ezekiel did is a far reach for me. Help me grow into this kind of walk. May it flourish with all the joys and responsibilities of relationship with you, my totally other but totally intimate Lord.
Ezekiel 36:24-28
“For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!”
“For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God.”
This is a promise to hang one’s life upon. God has given me a God-willed, not self-willed heart. Now it is possible to do what he tells me. I struggle to stay under the promise. Imagine what it was like to live without it as the people of Ezekiel’s time. Their obedience came entirely from their own will. But I have a new heart to help my will along. I have been given much and I feel the weight of that responsibility.
Lord, you have given me many things, even a new heart. Help me to live like it, testifying to your good news, power to heal and desire to redeem.
Ezekiel 35:5
“I’m doing this because you’ve kept this age-old grudge going against Israel…”
“Your eternal hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless.”
The chapter goes to tell of Edom’s judgement for holding and acting upon an old grudge. We think our grudges are under control, but they silently wait like a spider at the center of a web, menacing and destructive. They poison far more than we know, like an iceberg hulking beneath the surface. It seems the Lord rarely heals them outright. Rather we are needily thrown upon his mercy over and over. Not such a bad thing.
Lord, search my heart. Show me my wicked ways that I may repent and be healed. May I ever look to you for deliverance. Do not let me fall victim to my grudges and go astray from your loving embrace.