Lately, we have been asked to take special notice of the "good" that is happening all around us... In our last staff meeting, we were asked to encourage our co-workers... The other day, Cheryl Wahlberg sent an email, requesting that we take time to encourage our volunteers...
Encouragement is big...our words can uplift or tear down.
What does God think of us?
God thinks that we are extraordinary people. He sees our interactions as being compassionate; full of grand knowledge & wisdom. He imagines the Joy that we will experience, when our feet first land in His eternal Heaven. He sees the many who will greet us, among whom will be those we didn’t even think could possibly be touched by our attempts. His only desire is that we step into the next level of life with Him; simply freeing our whole being into His capable hands—for greater, fuller ministry. Though we feel under qualified, we are eternal Royals, to whom He has given a very special & precious name that is way too wonderful for any other being to even hear. It is this precious name that we have heard in the quiet moments of our days. He has been calling & inviting us to Him; to deeply know His heart of Love.
God knows all that we do and yet sees us as walking in humility, simply allowing Him to shine His Glory through us. He perpetually invites us into deeper Joy & intimate relationship with Him & with those we serve. He invites us to “Watch what He does, and then do it", like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.
Mostly what He does is love us. He desires that we keep company with Him and learn a life of Love. He desires that we observe how Christ loved us. His Love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. God desires that we Love like that” Ephesians 5:1-2 (The Message).
God thinks that we play a large part on His Team, here at the Water Street Rescue Mission.
- Norm Lowry, Men’s Ministry
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Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Nice words Brother Norm....
There is definitely a wealth of knowledge within verses 1 and 2 of Ephesians 5, but I do not think The Message (which is more of an interpretation of Scripture than it is a translation) captures the true exegesis of these verses; it leaves out an important detail about Christ's sacrafice...
Let's look at the Amplified Bible translation: 1THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].
2And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.
To offer an encouraging devotion based on these verses, please allow me to share from Matthew Henry's commentary:
Here we have the exhortation to mutual love, or to Christian charity. The apostle had been insisting on this in the former chapter, and particularly in the last verses of it, to which the particle therefore refers, and connects what he had said there with what is contained in these verses, thus: "Because God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you, therefore be you followers of God, or imitators of him;’’ for so the word signifies.
Pious persons should imitate the God whom they worship, as far as he has revealed himself as imitable by them. They must conform themselves to his example, and have his image renewed upon them. This puts a great honour upon practical religion, that it is the imitating of God. We must be holy as God is holy, merciful as he is merciful, perfect as he is perfect.
But there is no one attribute of God more recommended to our imitation than that of his goodness. Be you imitators of God, or resemble him, in every grace, and especially in his love, and in his pardoning goodness. God is love; and those that dwell in love dwell in God and God in them. Thus he has proclaimed his name, Gracious and merciful, and abundant in goodness. As dear children, as children (who are wont to be greatly beloved by their parents) usually resemble them in the lineaments and features of their faces, and in the dispositions and qualities of their minds; or as becomes the children of God, who are beloved and cherished by their heavenly Father.
Children are obliged to imitate their parents in what is good, especially when dearly beloved by them. The character that we bear of God’s children obliges us to resemble him, especially in his love and goodness, in his mercy and readiness to forgive. And those only are God’s dear children who imitate him in these.
It follows, And walk in love, v. 2. This godlike grace should conduct and influence our whole conversation, which is meant by walking in it. It should be the principle from which we act; it should direct the ends at which we aim. We should be more careful to give proof of the sincerity of our love one to another. As Christ also hath loved us.
Here the apostle directs us to the example of Christ, whom Christians are obliged to imitate, and in whom we have an instance of the most free and generous love that ever was, that great love wherewith he hath loved us. We are all joint sharers in that love, and partakers of the comfort of it, and therefore should love one another, Christ having loved us all and given such proof of his love to us; for he hath given himself for us.
The apostle designedly enlarges on the subject; for what can yield us more delightful matter for contemplation than this? Christ gave himself to die for us; and the death of Christ was the great sacrifice of atonement: An offering and a sacrifice to God; or an offering, even a sacrifice—a propitiatory sacrifice, to expiate our guilt, which had been prefigured in the legal oblations and sacrifices; and this for a sweet-smelling savour. Some observe that the sin-offerings were never said to be of a sweet-smelling savour; but this is said of the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. As he offered himself with a design to be accepted of God, so God did accept, was pleased with, and appeased by, that sacrifice.
Note, As the sacrifice of Christ was efficacious with God, so his example should be prevailing with us, and we should carefully copy after it.
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