February 7, 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 2 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,..LOVE MERCY: As God revealed His will to Micah, we are given the quick counterpoint to justice as the world viewed/views it and how God desires it. As yesterday’s reflection described the apparent understanding of the world concerning “justice” as being more vengeful and compensatory over and against God’s understanding of obedience to His Word and Will, so the call to “mercy” would seem to be the antonym to justice. It is true that grace means “receiving blessings we don’t deserve” and we love the experience of grace; especially grace that allows us to continue in a way that demonstrates we do not deserve such blessings. Let us call that “culture and climate” attitude entitlement. We are living in the full-blown expression of “the Age of Entitlement.” I would suggest that while the roots of entitlement stem from the very presence of sin in the world, the age of entitlement may have been been born in “The Age of Enlightenment.” That pursuit of higher knowledge as the fullest expression of a “maturing” people and culture limited itself to the things of this world. Those things which some called “religion” were considered as “under human control with the expansion of humankind’s knowledge.” Such thinking lacked wisdom, I would suggest, because it created a religion of its own which was the absorption of self; or rather the indulgence of self. Without the bridle of faith in Yahweh Elohim, humanity frolicked in the pastures of the world like colts in Spring. Their race was not meant to be disciplined or even for a prize except to be “free to be.” The plea for forgiveness was the asking of grace for a wrongdoing but without the consideration of transformation and redemption. Salvation in the world was bought with a price if the price could be paid. Ultimately, the price was the forfeiture of one’s own life.

So what then of “mercy”? Mercy means “not receiving discipline or punishment [of a punitive nature] that we do deserve. Such mercy is intended to elicit humilty, remorse and the pursuit of a “new life” free from the burden of “doing that again.” Biblically speaking, mercy is what God extends to His people with the broader stroke of time in mind. What God has in mind is our salvation, freedom for the ravages of sin which is death, and the joining together of all those who accept their salvation into the Kingdom of God “on earth as it is in Heaven.” Ultimately, as we reflected yesterday, the two becoming as one in the Day of the Lord when Jesus returns in glory to redeem His own as a groom comes to take his bride “home.” God extended mercy to Adam and Eve in the Garden for their transgression against Him failing to heed His warning and abide by His Word alone. God extended mercy to Cain who murdered his brother Abel and set His mark upon him and directed him to a safe city (presumably where others were gathered as well.) God extended mercy to the brothers of Joseph who had in their jealousy faked the death of their brother, sold him into slavery in a faraway land and lied to their father as a cover-up to the misdeed. Joseph himself expresses God’s mercy saying, when he revealed himself to them in Egypt, “What you intended for evil, God has used for the good of all.” And God has shown us mercy, too, in Jesus Christ. He took upon Himself the sins of the entire world (past, present and future) and became the acceptable sacrifice. His sacrifice exchanging His life for death allows us to, by faith, exchange death (as the consequence of our sin) for His life. And, as Paul, declared, “We must thus use such a gift then as a reason to continue sinning thinking God’s mercy is our failsafe. If that is our belief, then we have not truly nor fully accepted the gift of mercy, grace and salvation. We are not living that “changed” life which should be the true response of gratitude and thanksgiving for so great a debt that has been set aside.

Mighty ones of God, the call to “love mercy” does not mean to reveal in it but to honor and respect the gift which has been given by the only One who can truly do so. We should so “love” mercy as we are called to so “love” God, our neighbor, our enemy and ourselves. It is not meant to be abused, misused nor excused. it is meant to be received, shared and made active in our words and deeds. In doing this, the world will be exposed to the truth blessing of God and all its benefits. This is the worthy life we should live in confessing the call that is before us, on us and through us.

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.