Ephesians 4.1-10 (4)
Pray Psalm 103.1-4.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies…
Sing Psalm 103.1-4.
(Old 100th: All Creatures That on Earth Do Dwell)
O my soul, bless the LORD’s great Name!
His many benefits proclaim:
He pardons sins and heals disease,
and from the pit grants us release.
Read Ephesians 4.1-10; meditate on verses 7, 8.
Focus on the phrase, “captivity captive”. To whom does this refer? Why these terms?
Preparation
1. What has the Lord given to each one of us?
2. How do we know Him there? What are the effects of His being there?
Meditation
Gifts are given within the framework of unity outlined in vv. 4-6, and therefore must be used to sustain and strengthen that unity. By focusing on ministry to others, building the Church, being clothed with Christ, and advancing His kingdom, we may expect the gifts we have received to be consistently improved and fruitfully employed for unity (4.11-24).
The Holy Spirit is the great and inexhaustible Gift of God. He brings new life to our soul; rewrites the Law on our heart; opens a school for learning Jesus; empowers us to live for and bear witness to Christ; bears holy spiritual fruit in us increasingly; transforms us into the image of Jesus; and brings with Him gifts for us to use in serving our Lord.
Some Gift, huh?
God intends the knowledge of His glory to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2.14). To this end, He gives us gifts, that He may dwell in them. Those gifts are used as He intends as we apply them to unity through growth in grace, ministry, building up the body of Christ (which is at all times one Body), and seeking the Kingdom (rule) of Jesus over, in, and through all things.
God will make His glory known through our use of His gifts if we develop and employ them as He intends.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The outward working of God’s grace occurs when the inward working of His grace is experienced.
Paul suffered constantly from some malady either of body or soul. We know not which. And because it is not made clear, we can safely assume that God’s grace is sufficient for both. As Paul suffered and pled with the Lord to remove his problem, Jesus comforted him with these words:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12.9).
Paul’s response to Jesus shows us clearly how he managed to live such a graciously successful Christian life, in every situation he encountered—physical, mental, internal, and external problems—all inclusively:
“Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12.9, 10).
As Christ took captive all the things that might keep us in captivity, He made a way for us to live out His grace—being His show of grace—to our Personal Mission Field.
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all…But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills…Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Cor. 12.7, 11, 27).
We must have the mind of Christ, as we proceed daily into the calling with which we have been called: “My food is to do the will of Him Who sent Me, and to finish His work” (Jn. 4.34).
Jesus, of course, has accomplished all the needed work for forgiveness and salvation; but He has left us here to do the works “which God prepared beforehand” for us to walk in (Eph. 2.10).
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart’” (Ps. 40.6-8).
As we delight in living through His grace for ourselves,
we will “find grace to help in time of need” (Heb.4.16), for others.
“The Holy Spirit is the great and inexhaustible Gift of God.
He brings new life to our soul;
writes the Law on our heart;
opens a school for learning Jesus;
empowers us to live for and bear witness to Christ;
bears holy spiritual fruit in us increasingly;
transforms us into the image of Jesus; and
brings with Him gifts for us to use in serving our Lord.”
Indeed, some Gift!
Reflection
1. What gifts has God given you? How are you using them for unity in your life, home, work, and church?
2. What aspects of the Gift of God’s Spirit would you like to see more of in your life? How can you begin to do that?
3. How can believers encourage one another in realizing more of the Spirit in their lives?
Unto every believer is given some gift of grace, for their mutual help. All is given as seems best to Christ to bestow upon every one. He received for them, that he might give to them, a large measure of gifts and graces; particularly the gift of the Holy Ghost. Not a mere head knowledge, or bare acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God, but such as brings trust and obedience. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) Commentary on Ephesians 4.1-16
Pray Psalm 103.19-22.
Thank God for His sovereign rule, His many gifts, and the strength you need to serve Him day by day. Ask Him to make you a blessing to others today.
Sing Psalm 103.19-22.
(Old 100th: All Creatures That on Earth Do Dwell)
He rules upon His throne in heav’n;
His sovereign rule o’er all is giv’n.
You angels, bless the LORD, rejoice,
who live in strength to heed His voice.
All you who serve Him, bless the LORD,
all you who heed His righteous Word!
Let all throughout the cosmos whole
unite to praise Him, with my soul!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we continue looking at ways the Law of God applies to our lives. This week in our Read Moore podcast we consider the question of what it means to know Jesus Christ. Our Crosfigell teaching letter continues our study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
