Tag: Ephesians 6

The time is now

I have been watching the developments in our world for the last few years. Our politics is nastier, our culture more extreme, our values nebulous and ever-changing. It is hard to get a sense of our footing.

But as all this madness around us swirls I am more convinced than ever that God is the answer. What we are seeing is a world with no stability, nothing to cling to.

What can we do? Can we change the direction of the world? No. Can we affect great change? No. But we can believe in something meaningful. We can set an example. We can have a small influence in the world right around us.

Now is the time. Now we need to step forward. Now we claim the territory. Now we say, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Do it now. Don’t wait. The world needs people of faith. Desperately.

Ephesians 6: 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day
of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

A different kind of courage

What do we think of when we think of courage and bravery? I think of taking a stand, going into battle or working hard to overcome an obstacle. I think of the passage in Ephesians chapter six exhorting the reader to ‘put on the armour of God.’

But sometimes we require a courage of a different kind. The bravery that comes with endurance and suffering. I know several people who are walking this path now. The lonely, ugly, thorny path where you are faced with horrible news. An illness in the family, a marriage dissolving, a tragic event; the kind of news that is beyond repair. These are situations where there is nothing to do but keep breathing and walking.

This is the hard part of life. The part where there are no answers. We sometimes struggle to see the point in the suffering.

Jesus offers something very special to this group of people. He doesn’t offer human solutions, or rites or activities to get you through. He offers so much more. He offers himself.

When we find ourselves mired down in the tragedies of life we can reach for Jesus, and he will carry our burden.

Matthew 11: 28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”