Ephesians 2.11-18 (7)
Pray Psalm 40.16, 17.
Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”
But I am poor and needy;
Yet the LORD thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
Sing Psalm 40.16, 17.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
Let them shout for joy and sing who in saving grace delight!
Let them praise to Jesus bring, though affliction be their plight.
Christ, our help, our Savior, He! Of us ever mindful be!
Read Ephesians 2.1-18; meditate on verses 12 and 18.
Read these verses aloud, then listen as the Spirit speaks to your soul. Do you see grace here?
Preparation
1. How has knowing Jesus affected the lives of those who believe?
2. How is the divine Trinity involved in that change?
Meditation
Without, within. The grace of God in Jesus Christ has moved us from a place of being without—outside God’s covenant, without any relationship to God, and with no lasting hope in life—to that of being within—enjoying complete access to God the Father in Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit. There no words for how incredible, how amazing that transformation is: “Amazing love, how can it be/that Thou, My God, shouldst die for me?”
Now we enjoy all the promises of God’s covenant; we are blessed with all we need so that we might bless the world with God’s love. We know the peace that comes only from resting in the work of Jesus, and we long to increase in Him and in His Body. We participate in Jesus’ work of restoring the world He has reconciled to God to its “very good” state, bringing every aspect of our lives within the pale of Christ’s gracious rule.
Now we who were afar off, squandering the grace of God on selfish interests and diversions, worshiping and indulging ourselves in a far country, have been brought near to God, within the orbit of His grace and pleasure, that we may know and enjoy access to God through Jesus and by His Spirit.
Within God’s grace we know peace, joy, and rest. But we also have received power to go to those who are yet without hope in this world, to show them the way, through Jesus, to come within His rest, peace, and salvation. We who were without have been brought within, so now we who are within may go to those who are without and show them the way to hope, peace, and joy.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Imagine for a moment that you were sitting in a small office with a doctor, seeking help for your condition.
“What are your symptoms?” he queries.
“Well, for starters I am without Christ.
Second, I am alien from everything holy.
Third, I’m a complete stranger to all the covenants of promise.
Fourth, I have no hope.
To sum up, I’m completely without God in this world.” (Eph. 2.12)
Says your doctor, “I see no remedy ‘But God.’
And through Jesus, you now have hope for a full recovery,
and access by One Spirit, to God the Father.” (Eph. 2.18)
A long time ago, the king of Syria besieged the city of Samaria; and the people inside the walls were starving.
There were, at that time, four lepers who were sitting outside the city, having no access to the city, because they were outcasts. So, because they too were starving, they decided to go have a look at the Syrian camp to see what was happening there. And “when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. For the LORD had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army…therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives” (2 Kgs. 7.5-7).
So, the lepers “ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing.” Then their consciences being pricked, they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household” (2 Kgs. 7.8, 9).
Those four men, who were without hope, without promise, without family, friends, or city, became the heroes of this story. They now had access to hope, and they told everyone about it. They shared the remedy to starvation for the entire city of Samaria, who now also had access to the remedy for their hunger.
We, too, once were like the remedy-seeking patient and like those outcast lepers, totally without hope because we were without God in the world (Eph. 2.12). But now we know the truth. And we, like the lepers, must know that “We are not doing right” if we neglect to share the best news of the remedy for all woes.
“Within God’s grace we know peace, joy, and rest.
But we also have received power to go to those who are yet without hope in this world,
to show them the way, through Jesus, to come within His rest, peace, and salvation.
We who were without have been brought within,
so now we who are within
may go to those who are without
and show them the way to hope, peace, and joy.”
Reflection
1. How would you share your “without, within” story to a non-Christian friend?
2. How should you pray for the people in your Personal Mission Field who are still “without”?
3. Whom will you encourage today who is “within” God’s covenant?
How abundant is his grace and how multi-faceted is the glory in which God has caused us to be seated and reign with Christ, after freeing us from the tribulations of the age! Jerome (347-420), Epistle to the Ephesians 1.2.7
Pray Psalm 40.1-8.
Praise and thank the Lord for bringing you within the orbit of His grace. Pray that He will send you to those who are yet without to share His love and tell the Good News of access through Jesus.
Sing Psalm 40.1-8.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
I waited patiently for God; He inclined and heard my cry,
lifted me up above the sod, set me on a Rock on high!
New songs in my mouth He gave; may He through me many save.
Blessed are all who trust in You, turning both from lies and pride.
Countless wonders, LORD, You do, and Your thoughts with us abide.
LORD, Your worth who can declare? None with You can e’er compare.
Off’rings You do not require – open now my ears, O LORD!
What from me do You desire? Firm delight to do Your Word.
Take my life in ev’ry part; write Your Law upon my heart.
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 are immersed in the first of 14 studies on “grace economics”. This week our Read Moore podcast begins a tour of the exaltation of Christ and His work in the here and now from our book, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth? In our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, the saint presses on in his journey to reach The Promised Land of the Saints. 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.
