Wednesday June 29, 2022

Today is Wednesday, June 29 and we are exploring chapter three of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

I am here to meet with God. I take a few moments to still my wandering thoughts, relinquish my nagging worries and rest in the comforting presence of my Lord.

Pause and Pray

Dear Lord, I treasure these precious moments with you at the beginning of my day. I know that you are with me amid all challenges and concerns. I place complete trust in you in all the circumstances of my life. Speak wisdom and guidance to me. Amen.

I begin this day joining all God’s people to praise him with the ancient words of Psalm 145.

Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:2-4

Pause and Pray

Paul understands himself as a servant of the gospel. He describes his role as an intermediary agent, an assistant to a superior completing assigned tasks. Paul was a product of both Jewish and Gentile cultures. He possessed the perfect combination of experiences to help unite the early church. Paul was a Jew who committed himself to education, the study of the Torah, and observance of Jewish customs. Paul was also a Roman citizen born and raised in Tarsus, a diverse, populous city in eastern Asia Minor with a mostly Gentile culture. His task was to enlighten all people (both Jew and Gentile) by unveiling God’s redemptive plan and unite them in the early church. He unveils the mystery of God’s rescue plan for all people for all time.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 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, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. Ephesians 3:7-9

The word gospel means “good news.” The good news of Jesus Christ is the very best news of all time. Paul sees himself as a servant of this good news that he is to share with Gentiles as well as Jews. A mystery hidden for ages is to be made evident to everyone. He sees himself unworthy of this calling and describes himself “less than the least” of all God’s people. He knows it is only by the grace God has given him and the power God imbues in him that he can share this mysterious truth at all. He knows it is a critical time in the history of humanity – a time when God’s rescue plan is revealed, a time when there is hope for salvation from sin and death, a time when the “boundless riches of Christ” are imparted. The word boundless means vast, unfathomable, unsearchable, and beyond comprehension.

Ask: Have I put bounds on the “boundless riches of Christ”? Have I fully comprehended the good news of the gospel for me personally?

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord God, I am your servant. Give me the gift of your grace and the promise of your power to fulfill the call you have placed on my life. I acknowledge my frequent failures and know my faith is often less than it should be. Help me personally understand the boundless riches of Jesus and let me make his love plain to others. I read the words from Ephesians again and listen for the message you have for me.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 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, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. Ephesians 3:7-9

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

I consider which words from this particular passage of Ephesians most resonate with my soul. Words like servant or administrator may indicate something I am called to do for God. Words like gift, grace, power, or riches might signify something I am to receive from God and not attempt to find within myself. There are words which indicate an opposite state of spirit – the words “least or boundless” and the words “keep hidden or make plain.” What could these contrasts indicate about the current state of my heart or circumstance? What do I possess the least of and what is boundless? What is being kept hidden and what is made plain?

Pause and Pray

Holy and loving God, come and speak to the recesses of my soul. Whisper your truth, shout your guidance, and reveal the spiritual riches you have for me in Christ Jesus. Whatever I am lacking on my spiritual journey, I ask you to provide. Help me experience your boundless love and endless grace and prepare me to walk the life of faith you have laid out for me. Amen.

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. Colossians 1:27

I leave this time of prayer contemplating the boundless spiritual riches of Jesus Christ. I go to shine his light and share his hope with a lost and broken world.

Amen