January 11, 2024

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4.1-6)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

HUMBLE: The apostle Paul’s urging was not to be humble. Yes, I can see the word in the printed text. But, the word is not without modification whether it is a noun or a verb. We reflected on that modifier yesterday. While there probably is more to say about that modifier, we must press on to understand the “more” by reflecting on the succeeding word(s). “Humble” is the first succeeding word in the phrase we have been reflecting upon. We have an understanding of humble which directs our thinking and consideration to “making one less in value and worth, to reduce one’s rank or to demonstrate less importance than another. Whether it is person, place, thing, thought or action being humble infers making deference to something that is greater. What being humble is not meant to be is devaluation or reduced to nothingness. That word would be represented by the concept of “humiliation.” Paul is not speaking of humiliation. Whenever we consider God’s mercy and grace, humiliation is never to be brought into the conversation except that we may have been humiliated by others and having no refuge or sufficient retort we are left with nothing. We become nothing. We do nothing. That is the intent of the enemy of our heart, mind, soul and spirit. The enemy wants to reduce us to nothing. However, the enemy cannot accomplish that feat on his own. We only have to turn back to the story of Job and see that truth and reality. Satan could act out on and upon Job within divine parameters. God gave permission to Satan to wreak havoc, make all hell break loose, on Job. He could do anything but reach in and take Job’s soul. Satan’s purpose was to convince Job of relinquishing his hold on the soul’s relationship to God. Letting go of it made it fair game to any and all. Job humbled himself before God not by making himself less. He didn’t have to do that. He had Satan and his “best” friends to do that for him or to him. No, Job humbled himself before God by making God the more. Instead of focusing on his dire situation, he concentrated on the goodness of God promised in both his past and his future. That would mean that in his present day, despite all evidence to the contrary, Job knew that God was blessing him with the favor of His presence. We can see a similar scenario played out on the journey of Jesus to Golgotha’s hill. All that was done to Him from His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane to the judgment court of the Elders to the courts of inquiry of Herod and Pilate to the scourging pit and ultimately to His crucifixion between two thieves was for the purpose of humiliating Him. Such humiliation was thought to have a profound effect on the people. Their ideas of Messiah would have to mirror their own because how could “those” things happen to a “god.” But, Jesus had already humbled Himself before God and acted in obedience to the “word” which preceded Him. Jesus was “completely” humble surrendering all holds to this world trusting that God’s promise of resurrection, salvation, redemption and reconciliation would be realized. Being truly humble does not mean putting one’s self down but lifting up others. Humiliation does the opposite by lifting one’s self up by putting down others. Paul is reminding the Ephesian community of faith in Christ to keep God first in all things as the means of living one’s life worthy of the call put upon it. Our purpose is to keep God first in all things regardless of the circumstance and situation or our thoughts of survival in this world.

GENTLE: It stands to reason that following the redirected thinking and perspective given to the word humble or humility, the same would be true for gentle. The world really despises gentleness. It processes the word to mean weak, docile, effeminate, soft, without power or substance. In the eyes of God who Himself is gentle, nothing could be further from the truth. Being gentle has nothing to do with “less” but “more.” The more [authentic] loving, caring and compassionate we are the more gentle we become in our approach. It doesn’t mean we do not ever act out in strength or power. But, such strength and power is mediated by an understanding of meaning and purpose in both situation and in community. The Good Shepherd knows that a firm nudge against a contrary ram will redirect it far more effectively than trying to butt heads. We certainly have a lot of head-butting these days in every circle of life around us. The hope of “the goat” is to humiliate its opponent whether man or beast by reducing it to an unconscious bloody mess. Butting, kicking, stomping and a few offer efforts I will not mention are the tools of humiliation used to put another down in order to be “lifted up” as the g.o.a.t. [the greatest of all time.] But, this is not the way of the community of faith called together in the name of Jesus the Christ. They are called to be gentle. That is they are called to be kind, compassionate, loving, caring, understanding, merciful and even sacrificial as “gentle” ones of Christ. In that they emulate both the nature and character of God and Christ by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Yes, those characteristics can be demonstrated by anyone who has a heart, mind and will to. So, it means that there is something more definitive in our calling as Christ followers when it comes to gentleness. That “something more definitive” is the outcome of one’s actions of gentleness to another. Our outcome is concerned with eternal life and salvation as receiving the promise of God for the eternal future beyond our time on earth in this world. Those actions in the hands of “good” people and worldly people are never anticipating life after death but living life in the here and now as well as possible. Of course, we would all want that but “What does it profit a person to gain the complete/whole world if they forfeit their soul?” Thus, Paul’s urging of the Ephesians in the community of faith in Christ to be “completely” gentle is a call to act in such a way as to lead others to “the way, the truth and the life” which leads directly to the gates of Heaven. Maintaining the balance of emotion and reason with a focus on the gospel allows us to be gentle in the Spirit for the good of others.

Let us, therefore, strive to be completely humble and gentle so that all we say and do not only glorifies God and lifts Him up but restores dignity and hope to those around us and lift them up to God.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit spoke us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.