Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 4:17-5:20 (day three)
“Wake up, sleeper.” Sleep is good for a body. But we also use sleep and dreaming as a metaphor for a state of unpreparedness or oblivion: “asleep at the wheel”; “snooze you lose”; “pipe dreams”. We can’t carry the weight of the world, so we try to sleep it off. We can’t accomplish our deepest longings, so we just dream about them. We cannot know what is real, what is true, what is a treasure, what matters, what lasts, what lives, until we wake up. And we will not wake up until we pay attention to Jesus Christ as the one and only person who can teach us how to live his kind of life.
Author: Bryan Richardson
Bryan Richardson is the Associate Pastor for Counseling and Pastoral Ministries at FBCSA.
Grow
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 4:1-16 (day three)
“Then we will no longer be infants.” Our destiny is to live with one another as fully capable human beings in a good universe sustained by the living God. If we refuse to live with one another now, though, we will not progress beyond infancy of character. The Bible talks of a future of reigning with God, but without maturity, that will never happen. And without one another, maturity will not take hold. All of the characteristics of a godly life are characteristics that take shape only in community: We can’t love in isolation; we can’t exercise patience without someone to wait on; we can’t live humbly alone; we can’t bear another’s burden when no one is around. It is no wonder that the second-greatest command after the love of God is the love of neighbor as oneself. Our future depends on it.
Apology
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 3 (Day Three)
“Through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” The church will reveal God’s wisdom to the entire universe only as it loves. Here’s Francis Schaeffer: “The final apologetic which Jesus gives is the observable love of true Christians for true Christians.” And what is love? It is to will the good for another. How do we learn to do that? We get to know Jesus, observing how he did that, and letting his life become ours. Will we love? It’s the only way the gospel will make its way into the hearts of men.
Near
Re: Verse reading – Ephesians 2:11-22 (day three)
“You are no longer foreigners and strangers.” The reality of God’s nearness keeps repeating throughout scripture: “God with us;” “Here are my mother and my brothers;” “The word is near you.” This nearness involves God’s drawing near us as well as God’s drawing us near one another. When God said “It is not good for the man to be alone,” he spoke the truth about a particular instance, and the truth about the entire human race at all times. It seems as if fellowship with others is but one of many good ideas about Christianity, but it is only in the community of God’s people—when you draw near to others—that you will draw nearest to God.
Human
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 2:1-10 (day three)
“God raised us up with Christ.” When God raised Jesus from the dead, he did not raise a ghost, or a zombie, or a metaphor. He raised a human being—a divine human being, to be sure, but a human being nonetheless. That was new. God’s power had raised the dead before, but never to life everlasting in a renewed physical body. There is now a way for human beings to live as human beings—that is, beings with both a physical body and a spirit—forever. Jesus was the first. And because God the Son lives forever as a resurrected human being, so can all of us who count on Christ. When God raised Jesus, he raised the possibility of eternal life for the entire human race.
Enough
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 1 (day three)
“…the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” We live in the fear that everything is a zero sum game: Whatever we give away means that much less for ourselves–be it money, possessions, or affection. The concept of “shortage” doesn’t have a place in the economy of God, though. The universe he has made, and the community he has birthed, knows nothing of scarcity. One of the results of taking seriously his lavishness is that we, too, become people who lavish what we have on one another without fearing that we will be left with nothing.
Actuality
Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (Day Three)
“The whole earth is full of his glory.” In one sense, the worship of God means seeing things as they actually are. The vision that the prophets in the Old Testament had in common reflected this understanding: “The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Elisha prayed for his servant: “‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” If we would worship God, we must be convinced of the reality of his reign. Perhaps a prelude to worship is this prayer: Open my eyes, Lord.
Invitation
Re: Verse reading – Romans 10:8-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (day three)
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” It’s not uncommon for some to claim that Christianity is exclusivist, whereas other religions or systems of thought possess much more generosity of spirit and remain open to anyone. The hallmark of God’s revelation in Christ, though, is not exclusivity, but radical inclusivity: “Come, all that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” While the world measures every man by this or that standard to determine his worth, Jesus Christ says that whosoever will may come. Invitations don’t get more inclusive than that.
Dust
Re: Verse reading–Psalm 103, Luke 17:11-19 (day three)
“He remembers that we are dust.” A person who does not express gratitude, who understands no need for thanksgiving, is a person who forgets that he is dependent. He is dependent on the mercy of others in order to live his daily life. And finally, he is dependent on God, who has made him. We chafe against this dependence. We consider it beneath us. But this life will end because we are indeed dust. How will we not be taken by surprise at this inevitable fate? By practicing thanksgiving. Gratitude will form us into people who will meet the end of these days with joy for the days that await us beyond. Thankfulness, therefore, is not just polite. It is life-giving.
Resources
Re: Verse reading–Deuteronomy 8:1-20; Matthew 25:1-46 (Day Three)
“I will put you in charge of many things.” It’s easy to read this portion of scripture as if it says, “You can now take it easy, because you’ve arrived.” But we don’t steward resources in order to get rewarded with a life in which we can waste resources. We steward resources because are made in God’s image. God is the maker of all things, and he stewards the things he has made. When we steward what we have been given by honoring God and doing good to others, we live true to that image in which we are made. We then rise to the high calling of living like God lives.