Tag: Ephesians 4

Before renewal

Before we can undergo a renewal, a few things have to happen. If you want to improve an old home you can add new flooring and give it a fresh coat of paint. But have you actually improved the building or have you just “put lipstick on a pig,” as the saying goes.

If you want to improve an old house you have to inspect it and find the flaws. Maybe there is a lack of insulation (our old home would have been warmer through this cold snap if we had better insulation. Maybe it’s a crack in the foundation. The builder must inspect and find the defects. These problems should be fixed. Then, when the new paint goes on it represents the improved state of the home.

In the Old Testament, Malachi refers to the ‘refiner’s fire’ in this way; “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” (Malachi 3:3) The idea of burning off the impurities and extracting the best parts of the metal.

Hard times suck. Plain and simple. But we need to have difficulties and trials, we need to have our sins and defects burned off and allow the glory of Jesus to emerge. It’s like the old hymn that starts, “All of self and none of thee.” And through the verses it progresses to the final verse saying, “None of self and all of thee.”

The aim of renewal isn’t to emerge from the ashes as a better and stronger version of ourselves. But rather to emerge from our struggles and trials as a stronger reflection of Jesus. His glory is the aim not our own. The old saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” should actually be “What doesn’t kill you makes Jesus more visible in your life.” It is not as catchy for sure, but to me that is the ideal.

I do fall short! I know. But this is the aim.

Ephesians 4: 22 – 24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Learning from hardship

My firstborn girlie turns fifteen this weekend. Fifteen years ago we were in the midst of a whirlwind of crisis and activity. This little baby was arriving with a half a heart. We were facing the largest hurdle and challenge life had thrown at us. We didn’t know what to expect, and we were anxious and afraid. But calm. There was nothing we could do but hope and hang on.

As I look at this event in the rear view mirror, much of the pain is hidden. I see the outlines, like a city fading into the distance. I don’t see the raw, ugly streets that were traversed. Just the fading emerald city.

Life is like that. We can’t hold onto the pain. It must subside, or we couldn’t manage to keep moving forward. We carry the scars and the lessons of the past, but we move onward. Sometime onto better days, sometimes into other struggles. But we must keep moving.

If we are wise, we let the trauma teach us without embittering our hearts. This is tricky, but essential. If we see our suffering as a lesson that we can share with others, then we are less prone to envy. In this way we can find benefit in the hard fought experience, not just pain. This is how we can avoid bitterness.

Ephesians 4: 31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.