Colossians 4 -

¹ Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

Further Instructions

 ² Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴ Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Final Greetings

 ⁷ Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant^[a] in the Lord. ⁸ I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our^[b] circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. ⁹ He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. ¹⁰ My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) ¹¹ Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews^[c] among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. ¹² Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. ¹³ I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. ¹⁴ Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. ¹⁵ Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
 ¹⁶ After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
 ¹⁷ Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
 ¹⁸ I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
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⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.




Most of these thoughts are from Barns' Notes on the Bible:


Here Paul is talking of how we should be treating each other in speech. Being "full of grace" would show how our words and ultimately our thoughts are governed by Christ. Rather than being negative and cynical, we would be mild, polite, and honest in our conversations. If others know we are Christians, these attributes will display the character of Christ through our actions and conversations, instead of having to force the nature of Christ over those around us. This is graceful. This shows people that we care enough about them to respect who they are, and where they have come from.

To the Greek, salt was a symbol for wit. In Barns' Notes on the Bible, it is said "Here the meaning seems to be, that our conversation should be seasoned with piety or grace in a way similar to that in which we employ salt in our food. It makes it wholesome and palatable." If our conversation is not filled with grace, it is flat, uninteresting, and often leading to damage. Whereas grace will make it what God intended; worth while, useful, and beneficial to everyone. 

Finally, when we are engaged in conversation, it is not that we are to have the answers to all, but that we will have humility in responding. In a well known topic of conversation, we can contribute truthfulness without over embellishing; that our answers would be loving and kind. In reverse, if we are ignorant of a topic introduced, we stay humble, and accept explanation. This way we will not overcompensate for our lack of knowledge, which allows for shame, frustration, and discomfort to surface. Or worst of all, so we never let dishonesty regarding ourselves take hold.

A Godly conversation is filled with love, respect, honesty, and leads to truth, always.

Thank you Lord for revealing your strategy of engaging in conversation. 

Colossians 3 - Whatever You Do.

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

 ¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your^[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

 ⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.^[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

 ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Instructions for Christian Households

 ¹⁸ Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

 ¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

 ²⁰ Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

 ²¹ Fathers,^[c] do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

 ²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵ Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

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¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters

I think the message Paul was trying to get across is that in whatever you do, do it for Jesus. Nothing is exempt from that statement. Paul did not make any exceptions under this advice. What he is trying to say is not a metaphor; yet its funny how unfortunately easy it is to misunderstand though. Most likely because we tend to think everything in the Bible is, for some reason, eluding to something else. But in this case, Paul's statement has no metaphorical edge. He truly means what he is saying, no joke.

Colossians 2 - More Freedom? Seriously?!

 1 I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ.

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[b] was put off when you were circumcised by[c] Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.[e]

Freedom From Human Rules

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

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This scripture is challenging. This scripture is so challenging, it makes me nervous for the kind of stuff God has planned for his body in the near future. "Down with the government" type stuff. Standing up in Tiananmen Square type stuff. There is a lot of injustice in the world, a serious amount of it exists today, and it is only growing. Justice and vengeance are mine saith the Lord, but I do think he uses his body to bring them about.


We are called to defend the oppressed (Psalm 10:18). So we have been given the kind of freedom that allows us to tell the Parliament what it is doing that is wrong. To speak for the people who do not, or don't think, or have been told, they don't have a voice in the public eye. We can speak out against corporations whom have no regard for the earth, or the people that live on it.


This freedom is exiting. Thank you Lord for giving us lives of meaning.

Little Baby Bohdin

On the bus, back home to Edmonton to press play on my life again.

My sister has given birth to a wonderful baby boy named Bohdin, two days ago!

I wonder and dream what kind of life he will lead. Where will God lead him to? Will he begin his life with holiness? Will he grow, knowing Christ from a young age, or will he come to know who Jesus is through time here on Earth? 

His face will change, even weeks from now, developing the muscles he has never used. His personality will begin to form, becoming a young man, burping and farting. Eventually he will begin to make his own decisions, little ones at first; will it be apple juice or orange? Does he want to wear his blue shirt or red shirt today? All the while his mind, still innocent, trusting his parents in every great decision they will make for him. Knowing how sweet the benefit of listening to them is, coming to know that there are rewards in obedience. 

His years as a child will be different from most other children his age, for Melissa and Erik recognize what it means to be set apart. He will blossom in a family of generosity and love based in Christ being the bottom line for everything. I pray that he will be different from the beginning, knowing what it means to accept the people around him for who they are, and not for how they treat him. That he will enter his first social engagements with the awareness of how important everyone surrounding him is. How God made all of them and that he loves them all too. Oh Dear Jesus, please help Bohdin exude the love he feels from his mommy and daddy. 

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Oh where oh where can my baby be? - Great song. Oh look, farm land. Oh look, I can see forever! I Can't wait to be back in Edmonton. I also never thought I'd say that.

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Bohdin is a huge baby; his noggin is massive and when he first came out, it was squished from birthing which made it look like Admiral Ackbar's head. By the next day it was back to normal again though. He doesn't look like a new born baby at all, with a ridiculous amount of Kelly Rhudie's hair, and his gigantic Brock Leznar mits; sports are going to be a blast if he plays them. I'm so exited that he has been born in a time that the Canucks are doing so well. Even though Erik seems to think he will be a Leafs fan, I think he will recognize the Canucks too, like I recognized the Red Wings from their on going success. 

He is going to be free from wondering if sports are of use in the Kingdom or not. Why? Because he will know that as long as he devotes it to Jesus, it can be an act of worship. He will bring the Kingdom on to the rugby field or the hockey rink. What an atmosphere to exemplify Christ in. Submitting to each game's rules; honoring everyone involved; playing not for himself but for the success of the team, which will benefit others and himself at the same time. Kingdom principles can result in a successful career in most every sport, as long as he is in fact gifted in them. 

Maybe he won't be the athlete we think he will be. Maybe he will dive in to the life of politics, the arts, or even science? In ANY case, whatever life he dives in to, it is exiting to think that he can bring the Kingdom of Heaven there with him. I do hope that he will not be paralyzed in his ability to choose whatever path God has laid out for him. That he will know it is not a sin to make money, it is a sin to store money. That it is given to us, to give to others. To be resourceful with. That if he gives it all back to God, God will multiply it beyond his imagination. 

So much more to ponder and dream about for him, but I'm done writing now. Time to catch up on some reading... or Smallville? We'll see.... Oh, nope I'm going to work on the block party we are going to have on Sunday! Hurray! 

Colossians 1 - Jesus Christ is Awesome

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ:

   Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[b]

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[d] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of the Son of God

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[g] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Paul’s Labor for the Church

24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.

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Way to go Epaphras, high five.

 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

Free from accusation; free from blame for... not telling the person next to me about Jesus? Or not giving away all of my stuff to the poor? How about free from the guilt felt when I don't get to read my Bible until later in the day, or even dare I say, at all in the day?

To study the word is a privilege, and to walk in the spirit is too. But we must remember Christ has given us grace enough to give him back the wheel as many times as we need to. If developing a curriculum takes away from my time in the Word and in prayer, I am not faulted for it, grace has covered that. Jesus is there next to me, ready to receive my attention again. He has preemptively reconciled whatever it is I do, or do not do. 

The burden of Christ is light, and we have been given eternal life in it. Christ died for freedom's sake, so we might be able to live with him for eternity, and also live on this Earth as a people who are free from any bondage. Any and every bondage. 

This is not a gospel of slack, this the freedom of Jesus Christ, who has given us a life of permanent reconciliation in Him. Be encouraged to let Christ direct you; his hands are open wide and he is exited to speak with you again. 

Ephesians 4

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:

   “When he ascended on high, 
   he took many captives 
   and gave gifts to his people.”[b]

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 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.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Instructions for Christian Living

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

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 - 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Unity: we must not talk of it as a fad. We must hold on to peace through the Holy Spirit, who empowers us through Christ as ministers of reconciliation. For unity in the Body and our love for the Lord is what will set us a part from the rest of the world. They will see our love for each other even in times of disagreement, and when they see us still bonded as brothers and sisters, they will long for this mysterious life, the mysterious life in Christ.

I pray that the Church of Edmonton will unite together, even in disagreement, to bring love into our neighborhoods. 

Ephesians 3 - Woe!

God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

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- 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 

No one before Christ could approach God on their own; there were strict rules set in place in order for the Jewish people to connect with their Yahweh. These rules were called "The Law", which was set in place by Moses after the Jews made their way out of Egypt. Only in the temple could anyone enter in to Gods presence, and only through the mediation of a priest could their sins be forgiven. Only clothes made of one kind of cloth were to be worn. Only certain animals declared clean could be eaten, only after a certain method of killing and cleaning their bodies. Crimes or offenses were punishable by harsh, physical consequences, often leading to death. Other types of people groups were considered unworthy, so their houses were not to be entered. In order to be righteous and acceptable in God's sight, these rules had to be strictly followed. There was a rule for virtually every single aspect of life.

Well fortunately, Jesus, through his death and resurrection, came and abolished the Law Moses had set in place, effectively setting free the love of God for all to take part in! Now, through Christ's resurrection and our faith in him, he has taken the wrath of God's judgment upon himself. Rather than visiting God in a temple, now, through Christ's resurrection and our faith in him, we can be with and talk to God at all times! Now, rather than having to follow a set of standards to be made righteous in God's eyes, through Christ's resurrection and our faith in him, we have been made holy and righteous once and for all!

Hallelujah! 

I pray that while we are reading this scripture as a church, our community would have the ability to grasp the full meaning of this text. That we would be able to understand these statements in their entirety, without objectively belittling them down to nice metaphors. May we grasp on to what this book says God has done for us, and will do through us.

Ephesians Chapter 2

Made Alive in Christ

 ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,⁷ 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. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

 ¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— ¹²remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

 ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

 ¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

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The book of Ephesians is so beautiful! 

"For he himself is our peace" - how true that is. The more often I dig in to the word prayerfully, the more I begin to realize all my insecurities and doubts about life and direction are fading away. Before I knew Christ, my life was filled with uncertainty and a lack of identity. Fortunately this wonderful book regarding the bold instructions before leaving earth, has my job description, my therapist, my diet, and pretty much everything else wrapped up inside of it!

So who does this Bible say I am?

If we are fellow citizens with God's people, and members of his household, this means we are a part of the family business: Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)! When Christ came in to the world, he brought the means for hostility to end between all people. His means is justice and equality through Love. True love, not tolerance, not the kind of love that turns it's back when trouble shows up at the doorstep. A love that is confident, caring, concerned, honest; a love that stirs one on in compassion (which is followed with action) if presented with the opportunity to help a total stranger. With a love like this making it's way from neighborhood to neighborhood, how could anyone sustain it? This is worth trading your car for, emptying your savings account for, or trading your life for.

Jesus has brought peace in to the world, and he is going to let it run wild until every corner of the Earth has tasted it's sugar. How sweet that sugar is.