Redeeming the Time

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Last Sunday our pastor preached on this text. Here is a brief meditation on it.

The apostle Paul is continuing a persuasive argument that we “look carefully then how [we] walk.” “Then” in this case is a synonym for “therefore” and harkens back to Paul’s motivating basis for which we ought to “look carefully…how we walk.” The motivating basis to which “then” harkens is the two-fold “push/pull” motivation of the gospel. Paul pulls us toward careful walking in vv. 1-2 where he commands us to, “as beloved children,…walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Remember that we are children of God, beloved children! God knows the plans he has for us, plans for welfare, to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). We are so beloved, in fact, that God gave his only son for us (John 3:16).

Paul also pushes us toward careful living because “you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” and “because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (vv. 5-6). Careful living is necessary if we are to avoid this disobedience which brings about the wrath of God.

So Paul begs us and prods us to “look carefully…how [we] walk, not as unwise but as wise.” As our pastor pointed out, “carefully” can also be rendered “precisely,” underscoring the need for our lives to be intensely thoughtful and planned. What’s worse, Paul continues, “the days are evil.” The corruption of our age adds grave danger to our failure to “look carefully.” Every bit of “time” and every opportunity (which “time” conveys) must be redeemed (or “made the best of”). And how are we to “make the best use of the time” and every opportunity? Certainly not as “foolish,” but as “wise,…understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

And this begs the question: “What is the will of the Lord?” A simple Bible search will go a long way here. I think the “will of the Lord” is summarized well in Romans 8:21 and the surrounding verses. There we are told by Paul “that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” The will of the Lord is the glorious resurrection, “all things made new” (Revelation 21:5), redemption, the regeneration, the “new world” (παλιγγενεσία; see Matthew 29:28). This “new world” is marked by the “freedom of the glory of the children of God”!

But what does this have to do with today, with our current age that is coming to a terrifying end? The reality is that Jesus, our Redeemer, has already begun this new creation in us (2 Corinthians 5:17)! The regeneration of all things has begun already! We Christians are ushering in the kingdom of God. Instead of looking with gloom upon the dying world around us, we can look with hope! Jesus has already begun the call to “repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He told us long ago that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to [him].” Paul worked with joy, saying “we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

If you have been redeemed, then “whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward” (Colossians 3:23-24). Your work is not in vain. If you are a cook, then “work heartily,” for only the best food will be served in the new world; only the best food will be served to Christ and his people! If you are a mom, then “work heartily,” for you are training up kings and priests to the Most High. If you are a computer programmer or a dry-wall finisher or an architect, then “work heartily,” for only the finest craftsmen will work in the new world. Your work is not in vain! Every wise and careful step you take will endure forever. Your work will remain and your excellence will be of great use to the King (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

If I Believed…Jesus is the Way

Elliot challenged me to write a blog post on a truth of the Bible and explain what my life would look like if I actually, 100%, without a doubt, believed it. The text I am eager to write about is John 16:4, “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” So how should/would this verse change the way I live, think, feel and act if I never doubted it?

In our age of post-modernity it is easy to fall into the belief that there are many ways to God. However if I believe that, I cannot claim to follow Jesus, because here he makes a wholly exclusive claim that, “no one comes to the Father except through [him].” No one. I can’t earn salvation by obedience to the law or being a good person in society. No amount of church attendance or Wednesday night involvement will get me to the Father. Other gods won’t lead me to the ultimate God. I can’t earn it by joining the peace corps, building orphanages or rescuing sex traffic victims. Homeschooling my children won’t save me  nor will the fact that I was home-schooled  Wearing dresses all the time won’t save me and neither will being like the culture – dressing, acting or looking like it – bring me to Christ.

Knowing Jesus is the only way to God the Father. If I really believed that every day, I don’t think I would doubt my salvation as much as I do. I would be satisfied knowing that Jesus promises to never cast me off. I would be confident that knowing Him is congruent to knowing the Father.

Secondly, if I truly believed that Jesus is the ONLY, SOLE, way to the Father and all others who don’t believe in him are damned to hell, I would do more praying for the lost and pursuing the unsaved or those who are not bearing fruit.

Today, it is in the news that North Korea vowed to hit the US with a nuclear bomb. Yesterday Senator Rand Paul rose awareness concerning a law endangers American citizen’s right to a trial before execution.  How does Jesus being the way, truth and life speak to these potentially scary situations? Interestingly enough, this passage directly follows another statement Jesus said regarding fear. “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). It’s as if Jesus is telling us not to be afraid about what may happen in this life, because he has something so much better planned for us in the future. Then he goes on to explain that he is the way to that better place – that great mansion. It’s as if he is saying, “Don’t worry about this life, because I am the way to the best mansion you have ever seen!” So, if I truly, 100% believed that Jesus is the way, I would not quake in fear that my government might kill me unjustly or that North Korea might destroy my “perfect” America, but instead I would rejoice that I know the way to a better kingdom.

Love Like Christ

I woke up with a selfish heart that did not want to serve again this morning, but going on strike is never an option when you have a baby. I went to the fridge only to find that the thawing chicken had leaked all over the bottom shelf. My frustration mounted. “I’ve wanted to be a wife and mother my entire life. This isn’t what I signed up for!”

Through my sin, God was gracious. He pursued me in my morning devotions and led me to this passage: “Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:1-2). It’s as if Jesus said, “I am not asking you to do anything that I have not done myself. I gave myself for you. You can give yourself for your family. Be ‘a fragrant offering and sacrifice for God.’ Imitate me.” It’s comforting to know that the ground I walk on, Jesus walked before me and that he does not ask me to do anything that he did not do himself. The very reason that I am commanded to love, serve and sacrifice is so that I can imitate my great God and Savior who loved, served and sacrificed for me.

 

Reluctant Service

At about 6:00 a.m. I awoke to Aiden’s crying over the baby monitor. I went to his room and brought him back to my bed to feed him, as is the morning custom. He cried and fussed because he didn’t feel good. He ate, but still wasn’t happy. Unfortunately, an unhappy baby leads to a frustrated, grumpy mommy, when she is not focusing on Jesus. My pity party continued. “Why does he always determine when I get up? Now I suppose I have to feed him solids. The baby inside me is complaining for food and telling me to use the bathroom. I’m controlled by bodily functions when I’m pregnant. I’m sick of this! I don’t feel good. I don’t want to serve other people. I want to go back to sleep!”

I knew my attitude was wrong, but I felt powerless to fix it. What I needed was a reminder of what someone did for me two thousand years ago. I didn’t need rules. I knew the rules. Even though Aiden can’t understand me yet, I am already trying to instill this law in him, “No complaining. Complaining is a sin” (Phil. 2:14). The Bible also teaches that I should be happy to serve, not merely for the sake of people but because its how I serve God (Eph. 6:5-8).

So here I was before God saying, “Lord, I know that by serving my family, I serve you. When I am angry and don’t want to serve them, I am really angry at you for asking me to serve. If I complain about serving them, I complain about serving you!” But it’s one thing to admit your sin and another to have the power necessary to turn from it.

In order to combat this sin, I needed faith in what Jesus did for me and what he is doing for me now.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:4-8)

 

When Jesus came to earth, he didn’t come as a royal king barking orders.”Be humble!” “Show mercy!” “Love others!” “Don’t complain!” “Be a servant!” Instead he said, “Follow me.”

For my sake Jesus came. He was a king wearing pauper’s robes. He laid aside his life of privilege and honor to be poor, beaten and nailed to a cross. He did that for me. He took my sin and gave me his righteousness so that I could be reconciled to his Father. He did that because this morning I sinned against my family by not wanting to get up and serve them, and for that disobedience I deserved hell’s punishment. But because of Christ’s death, when God looks at me today, instead of a self-focused mom, he sees his Son’s perfect, righteous record.

More than that, Ephesians 1:19-20 teaches that the power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in me. When I don’t have the strength in myself to get out of bed and serve, the power that raised Jesus from the dead is at my disposal. In speaking about spiritual gifts Peter writes, “whoever serves [should do so] by the strength that God supplies” (1 Pet. 4:11). As a redeemed person I have the power of God at my disposal. He is a desperate cry away from helping me.

So tomorrow, when Aiden wakes up earlier than I would like and I feel like the child in me is clamoring for my attention too, I need to look to Jesus, who by his amazing service paid for my sin of selfishness yesterday. Then I need to ask God in faith for the power that raised Jesus from the dead to strengthen my body and spirit, so that I can serve for God’s glory, not mine.

 

Rags to Riches: The Riches

Ephesians 2:1-3 leaves us with a bleak look at ourselves: dead, followers of Satan who obey the passions of our bodies and minds, and “children of wrath.” And then God comes in like a swooping knight in shining armor to save the ones He loves.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved-and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:4-7)

Because of love. What kind of love would it take to submit your son to divine wrath, humiliation, pain, suffering and both physical and spiritual torture? Might I add, this Son lived in a world without physical pain. He had more glory than any king on earth has ever known and lived in perfect, happy unbroken communion with his Father. What kind of love for humans would it have taken for God to send his Son in that perfect home to a place of suffering and death?

Well, maybe these people were worth the cost. Maybe there was something in them that caused God’s heart to bleed for them. Maybe they were good people who did not deserve to be punished, but were on their way there anyway. No, it couldn’t be. Remember the spiritual cadavers, following Satan and enjoying obedience to the perverted desires of the mind and body? Those were the people Jesus came to save. God joined us to Jesus “even while were were dead in our trespasses.” No goodness in us drew God to send his Son. Instead, He was “rich in mercy” and full of great, undeserved love.

Then God blessed us in Jesus Christ. Not only did we die with Jesus and our guilt for sin die with him, but God “made us alive together with Christ.” Remember we were dead in sin, following Satan. Our just punishment was physical and spiritual death. However, when God raised Christ from the dead, Jesus showed the world that he conquered death, sin and Satan.* Death could not restrain him, sin could not kill him and Satan could not ultimately defeat him. More than that, when God raised Christ from the dead, we rose with him. Like Jesus Christ, death cannot hold us, sin cannot kill us and Satan cannot be our master. The death defying, Satan defeating, sin disarming resurrection of Christ is also ours.

If that’s not enough, God “seated us with him in heavenly places.” Jesus Christ’s role as he sits at the right hand of the Father is to intercede and mediate for his people. When his  blood-bought brother or sister sins, all the Father has to do is look over at his beloved only Son, see his scars, and remember that the sinning saint is redeemed with the blood of that Son and covered in his perfect righteousness (Heb. 8:1; 9:24). Thus, when the Father sees Jesus at his right hand, he sees us there with him, clothed in the perfect righteousness of his Son’s finished work.

To be seated at the right hand of God is also to obtain glory (Heb. 1:3) and rule (1 Pet. 3:22). When Christ obtains glory, we obtain glory. Elsewhere in Scripture the Bible says, “those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). When Christ rules, we rule with him. These truths are hard to explain and even harder to believe since we cannot see them with our eyes, but even now as Christ is ruling, God the Father looks at him and sees not just his only begotten Son, but all those for whom his blood was spilt, ruling there with him.

Why would God do all that for us? We are undeserving. Why would he love us so much that he would take us from the rags of sin, Satan and death and bring us to glory, perfection  and reigning with him? After begging the question, Ephesians 2:7 explains that God’s goal is to show off his awesome kindness to us. God is so awesome that He enjoys revealing how amazing he is. And on our part, how awesomely, great and amazing it is that he does! We get the gift of eternal life and a share in Christ’s perfection, glory and reign while God gets the praise, adoration and worship. Not a bad deal.

* Thoennes, Erik, Biblical Doctrine: An Overview. ESV Study Bible.Ed. Lane Dennis et.al. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008. 2525.

 

Rags to Riches: The Rags

Ephesians 2:1-3 

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins, in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Paul is speaking to the believers at Ephesus. Yes, believers. He is confident that in their former life they were spiritual cadavers who found pleasure in violating the commands of God and pursuing Satan. Paul’s confidence in their prior dead state comes from the fact that “we all” were there once. After all, it is “the course of this world.”

If we are ever tempted to look at people around us in disgust at their attitudes, dress, demeanor, actions or motivations, we need to check ourselves. At one time, “we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the  body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.” When we see people enslaved to lust, lashing out in anger or devoted to gossip, we should remind ourselves that it is only because of God’s mercy in saving us that we are not still in their position. Instead of arrogantly thinking “I wouldn’t do that,” we should be grieved for them and feel a deep desire to give them the gospel because once upon a time, someone gave it to us.