Devotional Archives--Ephesians Extravagance III

October 30, 2006 —

Life

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT

If you’ve ever lost someone you love, you know how hard it is to gaze upon his or her lifeless body. The person, once vibrant and full of ideas, is now still. All that truly made them is gone.

There is no laughter, no thoughtful gestures, no gentle admonitions. The corpse in front of you is not the person you loved. It’s just an image of someone beautiful, but not the real person. Their very essence is gone.

If your loved one knew Jesus, you stand before the lifeless body grieving your loss, but comforted with the precious knowledge that your loved one knows no death. That the next thing they know after they leave you is joy and celebration as they are united with their Savior and Best Friend. They are only beginning to live life at its fullest.

In Ephesians, Paul compares people who haven’t yet experienced life as a follower of Jesus to someone who is dead. Because they live with a narrow understanding of only the physical world, they are as a corpse. Lifeless, caught in sin, without the full essence of who they were created to be.

There is no hope of eternity with God and there is only a limited understanding of the life they are to live on Earth. They are limited to their own perspective, totally missing out on how God sees them and all He’s planned for them to become. 

The good news is that none of us have to live as a corpse; deadened to the fullness of the life God wants us to live. Our God is rich in mercy, full of compassion, and totally committed to taking us from that dead life of sin into a new life, lived in the fullness of His power and plan.

When God allowed His son to be killed and then raised Him from the dead, He gave each and every one of us the opportunity for life. Full life on this Earth, lead by His power and Holy Spirit, and life forever with God.

There is one little catch. There is only one way to receive this life—by admitting you need it and accepting it as God’s gift.  It is only God’s grace that saves us. There are no brownie points in heaven for good deeds.

You can’t be saved by being nice, following all the rules, or impressing the people at work. You can’t be rescued from a lifeless existence of sin by giving money or time to worthy causes. No matter how hard you try, you can never be good enough to escape the meaningless experience of life without God. You can never be good enough to earn eternal life. You may help someone here and there. You may make the world a little better place for those around you. But you can’t escape the death kiss of sin.

There is only one way to a full life on Earth, lived as God meant it to be lived. There is only one way to a perfect, joyful eternity.

Admit your need.

Accept the grace.

“It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience.

We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us.

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November 6, 2006 —

Seated With Christ

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6-7 NIV)*

Imagine a clear, tropical pool, fed by a cascading waterfall. Huge, green fern and vibrant flowers that saturate the air with their sweet scent surround it. When you breath in, you can almost taste the aroma that lingers in the air, warmed by the sunshine that causes the water in front of you to glisten.

You’re walking with Jesus when you come upon this lovely spot. He’s been listening as you share your deepest stuff—the thoughts and desires most people don’t take the time to dig far enough into relationship with you to bring forth. His eyes express delight as you share these innermost passions and dreams.

You feel very full. Someone has drawn you out and embraced the beauty you’ve hidden deep within. You think life doesn’t get any better than this when Jesus grins at you and takes off running. He flings Himself into the waterfall, laughing deep guffaws as the water splashes all over Him, drenching His hair, His clothes, His entire being.

You stand there like a fool, just giggling at His ability to live in jubilant abandon.

Then He beckons you come.

You hesitate only an instant before throwing yourself into the cascading waterfall, letting it pour over you as it did Him. Feeling the joyous sensation of water pounding, gurgling, saturating you.

When Jesus plunges into the beautiful clear pool, you immediately dive in after Him. You’re completely covered. Fully alive. Swimming in the cool water, inhaling the glorious scent of the plumeria that perfumes the air.

This is a picture of grace.

The kind of grace that would take the corpses of sinners, breathe new life into them, and seat them in the highest heaven with Christ.

It is a grace that fully covers us, saturating our entire being—soul, body, mind, and spirit. It is so profound that we cannot absorb it and the grace splashes on, through, over, and off of us.

We are drenched in it.

There is no stinginess in the work of God that would take you and me, rescue us from a life of futility, and seat us with Jesus on His throne.

Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6-7 The Message)

*For another look at the implications of this verse, you may enjoy a devotional I wrote called “The Throne Room.” Just look under the April 19,2004 entry in my archives: http://www.soulscents.us/parentheart.htm

** Note: I’ve recently updated the Soul Scents website, adding a new page called For the Children as well as tons of new book reviews on existing pages and lots of links to support homeschoolers on Paula Pens as well as on the homeschool page. Check it out! www.soulscents.us

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November 13, 2006 —

Grace Through Faith

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NJKV)

Take a second and make a mental note of what you did to be saved. Okay. Keep that thought in your mind.

Now make a mental note of all you are doing to keep your salvation.

Do you have the list?

I hope thinking that through didn’t cause you to run for paper and pencil to jot notes down so you wouldn’t forget what’s on your list. There is only one way to get saved. By accepting the grace of God. There is only one way to stay saved. By accepting the grace of God.

We humans are awfully egocentric. We keep trying to make the Christian walk about us instead of Jesus. We come up with sets of rules that insure our salvation. Or we have a pet theology that guarantees we’ll make it into an eternity with Jesus.

There are Christians who doubt another’s salvation if that person doesn’t belong to their particular brand of Christianity. I’ve even heard people’s salvation put into question because of how they dress, worship, or run their family.

Or, we think “doing” Christianity helps us get brownie points with God. Have devotions. Help in the nursery. Bake for potluck. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. This mindset keeps us in a cycle of pride and guilt. Pride when we “do” Christianity well. Guilt when we blow it.

Desiring righteous living and doing acts of service should be a natural outgrowth of our love for God. But they don’t make us holy. They don’t put us on a list in heaven of the “good” people. Remember who impressed Jesus? Not the ones doing righteous acts, but the man who smote his chest and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Scripture is clear. We are saved by the merciful act of redemption by our Loving God. He sent His beloved Son to earth and allowed Him to die to purchase us for Himself.

  That is grace.

How are you saved? As the old saying goes, “By grace. Through faith. Plus nothing.

*For more thoughts on the meaning of the grace that saves us, visit the Soul Scents archives for a series from a year ago called, “Unwrapping Grace”: http://soulscents.us/UnwrappingGrace.htm

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November 20, 2006 —

Masterpiece

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)*

My friend, Niki Nowell, sometimes talks about her favorite masterpiece. She loves this particular work of art for several reasons. The first is the stunning beauty of the piece. The second is the way the artist created such a breath-taking portrait of the subject, pulling out her uniqueness while painting her in such a way that viewers could see not only who the woman was, but who she was becoming.

This work particularly intrigues my friend because the masterpiece is unfinished. Niki enjoys imagining just what brush strokes the artist planned to finish the work—what colors he would use and what nuances he would put into the completed work.

I recently taught some teenaged girls from the book of Ephesians. When we reached the tenth verse of chapter two, I invited Niki to come and talk about her favorite masterpiece. She brought her favorite artwork to class with her; only she didn’t show it to us immediately. It sat, veiled, in front of the classroom while Niki encouraged us to take our time and study it when she uncovered it.

She instructed us to notice some specific things—the way the hair of the subject framed her face just so; the particular lines of her lips, the glow in her eyes and the hint within them of what she was becoming. Since the work is unfinished, she suggested we might want to consider what the artist had in mind for the completed portrait.

Then Niki asked the girls to surround her so they could have a good view of the masterpiece when she uncovered it.  As she pulled away the shroud, the girls gasped. Inside an ornate gold frame stood a mirror.

My friend, God’s words calls us a masterpiece. Our Creator delighted in designing each and every nuance of who we are and He knows exactly what brush strokes to use to complete our portrait. Won’t you embrace the work of the Artist’s hand?

* If you’ve been around Soul Scents for its duration, you know I love Ephesians 2:10 and have written about it on more than one occasion. For more thoughts on this amazing Scripture visit the Soul Scents archives. You can find the November 22, 2004 devotional called “Guidance” at: http://www.soulscents.us/Empowered.htm and the May 2, 2005 devotional entitled “Unveiling” at: http://www.soulscents.us/RealYou.htm

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November 27, 2006 —

A Tribute

Please join me as I honor my grandmother for this edition of Soul Scents. We’ll return to the Ephesians series next week.

Eunice Holderby
  March 26, 1916 – November 22, 2006

This Thanksgiving my daughter Sarah made three beautiful apple pies. The crust flaked just so and the sugar glistened on the top. They tasted as good as they looked, as evidenced by how quickly they disappeared into her brother’s bottomless stomachs. I was proud of Sarah, not just because she whipped those pies out, but because she made Grandma’s pie crust.

Through Sarah’s efforts I felt connected once again to one of the people who most shaped my life. Grandma was my teacher, my friend, my spiritual mentor, and my safe place.

Many were the times I’d hop off the school bus and dash through the gate in front of Grandma’s house, letting the metal clink behind me.  I’d scamper up the steps to the front door and rush in, the screen door banging. Grandma, who always smelled like something good from the kitchen, would greet me with a hug.

Then, Grandpa would tease me and shake his head in mock consternation when he found that those “town teachers” had not disciplined me for all the meanness I’d surely caused. I’d joke with him and then sneak into “my” bedroom.

Hanging on the closet door would often be a new dress Grandma had made from pretty floral fabric. I’d slip it on and Grandma would fuss over me, seeing if it fit, then send me out to model for Grandpa. He’d hurrmph, but there would be a twinkle in his eyes as I twirled before him. I was never sure what pleased him more—my prancing pleasure in a new dress made just for me, or Grandma’s sewing talents and gift of love.

Grandma taught me to sew, to make a killer piecrust, and passed on to me the value of building family by gathering them around a well-cooked meal, but the best thing she gave me was her belief in prayer. Grandma’s lips used to move as she stood over the big, black, cast iron skillet or placed homemade rolls onto a cooking sheet.

I once asked her whom she was talking to and she got embarrassed. “I was just prayin’, I guess,” she answered. And pray she did—her lips moving constantly in silent communion with her Lord. Grandma encouraged me to do the same.

One time, when my life was particularly trying, I asked her why God wasn’t doing something about it. She told me she didn’t know, but that we just had to keep praying and trusting the Good Lord. I treasure and cling to this advice even as an adult. Grandma’s faith that God is real and can be trusted is the greatest gift she could have given me.

As I mourn her passing, I also rejoice, reminded of the Scripture that says, “To Him who overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life.” I know that my relationship with my dear Grandma has not ended. It has only just begun. She and I will spend eternity together with Jesus. When we’re with Him, all the pain of this life will disappear and only the joy of our relationship will remain. Grandma and I have an eternity to love each other as we were meant to love, without all the messiness of life getting in the way.

I’ll bet our Lord will join us on the front porch of Grandma’s house in the world to come. He’ll chuckle with grandma and me as we gently sway on the porch swing, holding hands and listening to my grandpa’s outlandish tales.

When we meet there we’ll once again gather around a crowded table and feast with the family, only the guest list will include Jesus and we’ll share that meal in perfect peace and beauty. I look forward to unending years with my loved ones, never again being separated by distance, pain, or death.

In that place to come we will live together as we were meant to live. All the stress will disappear and God’s abounding love and peace will rule.

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