February 6, 2024

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“So, Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4.11-13)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD (Part 1 of 3):

Paul speaks of such a challenge to the faith in Christ community of Ephesus with the following charge:

      “…become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

What is the “whole measure of the fullness of Christ”? I submit that simply defined, as if it were simple in fulfilling the call to live so worthily, “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” is love. In the practice of being a loving person in its authentic and truest sense, we are known as His disciples; we will be able to fulfill the Law and the Commandments; we will honor God with our words, actions and thoughts as well as be able to withstand the attack of the enemy who opposes both God and His people who dare to “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” So far, only Christ has been able to accomplish that expression of love to its completion. And in that accomplishment which comes by faith, He is able to enjoy the fruit of it as abiding in both Heaven and earth having been raised to the one and having overcome the other. Mighty ones of God it is promised to us as well upon His return. When He returns as the true judge of all humanity, indeed of all creation, Heaven and earth will be reborn into one essential dwelling place of God. We, who pursue accepting the challenge to live by faith in hope with love, share be called into that place and live forever in the glorious presence of God. It is Jesus’ greatest hope, I believe, that so many will be able to enjoy that eternal moment with Him. It is His greatest sorrow, I believe, that so many will refuse the invitation and make for themselves something less than wholeness believing it is all that is needed.

So, what then might the call to maturity look like? I have to think that Micah 6.8 would be the best scriptural exposition of Christian maturity: to “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.” Let’s consider each of these briefly knowing there will be more to see, hear and understand as we go along.

Act justly: The cry for justice in today’s world is an indicator of two things. Firstly, it tells us that people have a sincere desire for justice to be done. That may mean justice is understood as “rewarding those who are right” and “punishing those who are wrong.” The problem exists in that “right and wrong” are easily subjectified to mean “what I think is right and wrong.” Many times, justice in that sense feels more like vengeance. We know, as mighty ones of God that “Vengeance is Mine, thus declares the Lord.” By that word, any who take on the act of vengeance usurp the will and place of God in this world and become as guilty as those they think should be “victims of justice.” Does that make justice more a verb than an adverb. To “act justly” means that our words, actions and thoughts are modified by a sense of justice which exceeds all expectation. It cannot mean simply whatever we want it to mean that serves our purpose alone. So, secondly it tells us that there has to be a baseline application and understanding of justice which exudes wisdom. The biblical example, apart from Jesus of course, is Solomon the Wise. What was his baseline understanding of justice but the wisdom which comes from God. It wasn’t his opinion that created wisdom. It wasn’t his opinion which invoked the execution of justice. It was his relationship with Yahweh Elohim which informed his thoughts, actions and words. He was able to objectify what made for justice in any given situation. It was plain to him because he had decided to dwell in the midst of God’s presence as the “true Judge of all humankind.” Solomon became God’s ambassador of justice through the desire to be wise. Was Solomon perfect? Far from it as we can read in scripture itself. But, it was his goal and ambition, his soul’s sincere desire, to be wise and just according to the word of God and His will for his own life. How are we to act justly? We, too, must live according to the Word of God in its entirety. To this end Jesus asked His Father to send down His Holy Spirit to dwell among all people, in them and through them. It is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Teacher and Guide which instills in us that sense of justice and empowers us to be just. It is that same Spirit which will also convict us of wrong-thinking (our moral conscience) and our wrong-doing (our physical response to a given situation acting on our own volition instead of God’s. It is this for which Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane “Not My will but Yours be done.” In that prayer, Jesus was fully committing to the whole measure of “acting justly.” It should be our commitment as well.

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.