Tag: Ephesians

I Wonder

Our church recently upgraded from old-timey bench style pews to more comfortable chairs with cushions and gave the old pews away. 

My wife and I were fortune it enough to get one of the pews and we placed it on our back deck.  We occasionally sit in it and marvel at God’s beautiful creation. 

I sometimes wonder how many people gave their life to Jesus sitting in that very same pew that we use to gaze upon God’s creation, with a command of His voice, that I am in awe of.  I wonder how many people sat there and cried during a sermon that pricked their hearts.  I wonder how many couples, male and female, sat there holding hands being preached to about God’s design in marriage covenant between man and wife.  Or how many young men and women sat in the very same pew and marveled at how God, Himself, took on flesh and died on the Cross for our sins, defeating sin and death through His descension into hell and resurrection and ascension into heaven for you and me.  

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:6 “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”[a] 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?[b] 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

I wonder how many sermons have been preached in that church with that old church pew.  And how many people sat on that old-fashioned church pew. And now my wife and I and children get to sit on the same pew that saw people give their lives to Jesus, the most important decision you will ever make, to spend eternity with Jesus. 

But there is still something about sitting in an old uncomfortable traditional pew that can’t be replaced.  I wouldn’t trade that memory for anything.   

Replace Sinful Nature with Good-Hearted Nature (Love)

My wife and I were reading our Bible plan and I came across these verses I wanted to share with you in Ephesians:

Ephesians 5:17 “With the Lord’s authority I say this. Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18. Their minds are full of darkness. They wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.”

20. “But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him. 22. Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  24.  Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy.”

25. “So stop telling people lies.  Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.  26.  And don’t sin by letting anger control you.  Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.  27.  For anger gives a foothold to the devil”, Holy Bible New Living Translation, Second Edition.     

I love these verses.  It’s not easy being a Christian and living up to all the expectations that others have for us, not to mention the expectations that we have as Christians.

Verse 22 says “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.”  Before accepting Jesus into our lives as our savior, we were more concerned about ourselves and filling our sinful needs and wants, but when we accept Jesus into our lives and become Christians, we need to be more concerned with others’ needs and not putting our sinful nature first. It’s about loving others and being more like Christ and when we do sin, we need to be aware of it and ask for forgiveness and try to not fall back into that same mindset again.      I love in verse 26 it says not to “let the sun go down while you are still angry.”  My wife and I try to not to go to sleep mad at each other and that is just one example, but the big picture is to not go to sleep mad at anyone.  That’s a hard feat to accomplish.  We don’t know if we will wake up tomorrow and it would be a travesty if we didn’t make amends with a loved one and didn’t get the chance to say you’re sorry and you love them.  Verse 27 says “for anger gives a foothold to the devil”.  The Devil wants nothing more than to destroy us and every chance he gets he will try to replace our good-hearted nature with sinful nature, so don’t let the devil get a foothold into your life, remember to Love like Jesus.