Good afternoon, Grace Family. Below is Anthony's blog post for today's readings. Have a blessed day!
Isaiah 51:1-53:12
Ephesians 5:1-33
Psalm 69:19-36
Proverbs 24:7
Raised by Christ
It's been noted that the way a child is raised greatly affects how they will behave in the future. Maybe it determines what interests they will have, what their work ethic would be, perhaps the sports team they'll root for, or even whether they call it tomato sauce or "gravy"... but what Paul teaches to the Ephesians in chapter 5 of his letters begins to open their minds as to how life should be by being raised by Christ and this can happen whenever you accept Jesus into your life.
At the beginning of chapter 5 Paul clearly states that his audience needed to "Follow God's Example… and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…" He was basically repeating Jesus' command from John 13:34. This was said as a reaction to what he heard was going on in Ephesus amongst the new Christians there. He follows this order by issuing warnings of their current behaviors, which he calls "fruitless deeds" since they were not acts of goodness, righteousness, and truth. He then points out that these evil actions are seen and witnessed by God and cannot be hidden - hello wake-up call!
But Paul was not only going to play the role of that strict teacher you had from high school, pointing out every error on your test in bold red ink. He also showed his audience hope and compassion by later talking about how different life would be if they applied what they learned from Jesus and His teachings to their own lives. He was motivating them to study in order to be prepared for the test of life. They simply had to let themselves be raised by Christ.
Are you willing to let yourself be raised by Christ? Are you going to forgive as God forgave you? Are you going to expose sinful actions and try to correct them as Paul was doing and as Christ did before him? Are you willing to let go of any pride and choose to submit to others, putting their needs before yours, just as Christ did for you? Are you going to lead your household in the way of love and truth?
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