Ephesians 3.1-7 (6)
Pray Psalm 27.4-6.
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Sing Psalm 27.4-6.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise)
One thing we request but to dwell with You, LORD.
Your beauty to test and to think on Your Word.
In trouble You hide us secure in Your grace;
no foe may o’erride us: We sing of Your praise.
Read Ephesians 3.1-7; meditate on verse 7.
How did Paul understand the work of grace in his life?
Preparation
1. What did Paul mean by “minister”?
2. Where did the power come from that enabled Paul to do his work?
Meditation
The word “minister” is, alas, misleading. Paul was a proud up-and-comer in the religious circles of the Jewish Sanhedrin. He no doubt looked forward to the day when, like Gamaliel and the others, he would have theological and traditional weight to throw around in the highest courts and councils of Judaism. He would never have regarded himself as a διάκονος, diakonos, servant, most commonly, a table-waiter.
But God had a different calling in mind for Paul. And when, by the grace of God, he learned what Jesus had done for him—coming to earth as He did, as a διάκονος and a δοῦλος, doulos, a bondservant, a slave (Phil. 2.7)—Paul could do no other than pursue a similar calling. And the grace of God helped him to do so. We tend to think of grace mostly as the love of God that reaches us for salvation. But grace is also “effective working…power”, wrought by the Holy Spirit, to enable each of us, like Paul (1 Cor. 11.1), to discern our gifts and calling in the Kingdom of God and to pursue these as a διάκονος and a δοῦλος of others for Jesus’ sake.
Each of us is a διάκονος and a δοῦλος to the people in our Personal Mission Field (Mk. 10.42-45). To see ourselves in any other way is to shut off the flow of grace, forsake the power of God, and divert God’s love to ourselves alone. Make sure that’s not where you are in your walk with the Lord.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.God made Jew and Gentile alike to be heirs of the same body and partakers of His Promise in Christ through the Gospel. And He made Paul to minister to both groups “according to the grace of God” given to him “by the effective working of [God’s] power” (Eph. 3.6, 7).
And the same is true for us—in all aspects of our work and ministry—in the Personal Mission Field which God has placed us.
The effective working of God’s power—
Who has experienced that?
Who wants that to be true of them?
Who believes it is possible?
“Through Him
we have received grace and apostleship
for obedience to the faith
among all nations for His Name,
among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ…” (Rom. 1.5, 6).
“To the church of God…
to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints,
with all who in every place
call on the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord…” (1 Cor. 1.2).
“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16.9).
As defined: Something that is effective works well and produces the results that were intended.
God’s power works well and effectively in us.
Then that effective power produces the desired results
that God’s effective power in us was intended to produce.
“For it is by [effective] grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the [effective] gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
For we are His [effective] workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for [effective] good works,
which God [effectively] prepared beforehand
that we should [effectively] walk in them” (Eph. 2.8-10).
“For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I AM the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, they shall return to Me with their whole heart” (Jer. 24.6, 7).
God’s glorious and good gift of grace, effectively bestowed upon His people,
through the “effective working of His power”
to give His people power
to do effective good works
for His Kingdom and glory.
Effective Grace.
Reflection
1. How do you need the grace of God to work effectively through you today?
2. How should you prepare to be a servant to others today? What kind of mindset must you have? What kind of heartset?
3. Give thanks for all the ways God’s grace has worked effectively in and through you during the past week. What can you do to help make sure that grace keeps flowing from you to others?
To produce something great out of nothing, shews the effectual working of his power. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Ephesians 3.7
Pray Psalm 27.7-14.
How do you need the grace of God to be at work in you today? Lay before the Lord your tasks and opportunities, as well as the people you will encounter today. Pray for grace specific to help in all your times of need.
Sing Psalm 27.7-14.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise)
Hear, LORD, when we cry and be gracious, we pray!
LORD, do not deny us Your favor this day!
Our help, our salvation, though others may fall,
preserve our good station when on You we call.
LORD, teach us; LORD, lead us because of our foes!
Hear, LORD, when we plead for release from their woes.
Had we not believed all Your goodness to see,
our heart sorely grieved and in turmoil would be.
Wait, wait on the LORD; persevere in His grace.
Hold fast to His Word; seek His radiant face.
Be strong, set your heart to abide in His Word;
His grace He imparts; therefore, wait on the LORD.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and 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 our Read Moore podcast wrapped up our consideration of the question, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth?; and 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.
