December 7
Ephesians 3:1-5:14
It is so sad, but growing up I simply saw no reason to pursue the things of God. I was brought up in the Episcopal church. By the time that I was born my parents were frustrated with the church. The priest who led the congregation in my younger years had refused to marry my sister in the church (my sister is cognitively at the level of about an 8 year-old), since she was marrying a divorced man. This same priest was still serving as a priest despite being in the middle of a divorce, himself. My parents saw hypocrisy in this action. Then there were those services. They were uninspiring, joyless, never changing, etc. Then there was the congregation. In those early years I sensed nothing unique or special about those in church. As a family we rarely went to church, not even for Christmas or Easter. When I was in my teen years, I had a sense that perhaps that I was missing something, after not going to church for over five years, but after going 4-5 weeks in a row, it was that same, what I perceived as joyless and loveless church. It wasn't until that woman who approached me in my late twenties as I sat by the bedside of my mother who had just passed away. She prayed Psalm 23. But it was so different. What I saw, for the first time, was love being represented by this Christian woman, as she spoke forth these words of Scripture in sincerity and love, wanting every word to wash over me. I was changed, asked for a Bible, and never looked back as I came to understand and witness the source of true love.
Jesus said in John 13:34-35, "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” I know that this is not what I experienced. We read in Ephesians 4:15-16, "Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." Though many like to blame an organization, a particular priest or pastor, "speaking the truth in love" is intended for all of His children. This is what makes us different. We are the church. When you approach anyone, whether in church, or anywhere else, do they know that you are a Christian, and are you exemplifying Christ's love? In addition to love, do we seem as weak, worried, disillusioned, and fearful as the rest of the world by the circumstances that we find ourselves in? We read in 3:16-20, "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
When we face obstacles, are we approaching them in our own strength, or God's strength? We read in Jeremiah 32:27, "“I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?" We tend to forget that. As Christians, we need not measure difficulty according to what we can handle, but according to what God can handle. As God's light-bearers, we need not measure our ability to shine HIs light based on our righteousness but on His. Paul did not emphasize his strength and abilities, as he referred to himself as, "I am the least deserving of all God's people" (Ephesians 3:8). What a difference we could and would make in this world if we simply became the vessels of love and fearlessness that He has enabled us to be. This day, you can make a difference in the life of one person. Are you willing, because He is more than able to use you.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: