"But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift...And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." (Ephesians 4:7,11-16)
I am reminded that a member of the body of Christ, it is my privilege to be praying for those in the body whom may be "spiritually weak." To be honest, my gut instinct is to scream in the faces of those who are willingly disobedient, overstuffed with pride, and plagued by selfishness.
But then I remember that from God's perspective, I don't look any different from these neighbors. I am a sinner, just as they are, though maybe more crafty in the means by which I attempt to hide my filth and dirt from God and others.
By the blood of Christ, I am now a new creation, deemed spotless in His sight, only by His doing.
God has the power to transform us, to take us in our sinful state and purify us by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. Let us pray today for those who are blindly distant with God, that He may "...mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."
May God be glorified in His willingness to carry us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
But then I remember that from God's perspective, I don't look any different from these neighbors. I am a sinner, just as they are, though maybe more crafty in the means by which I attempt to hide my filth and dirt from God and others.
By the blood of Christ, I am now a new creation, deemed spotless in His sight, only by His doing.God has the power to transform us, to take us in our sinful state and purify us by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. Let us pray today for those who are blindly distant with God, that He may "...mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."
May God be glorified in His willingness to carry us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment