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From the series:
"Living the Abundant Life "
- How God Talks to Us In Our Dreams -
If the only biblical material a person had was Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, that would be enough. Ephesians is God’s Little Handbook for living, and contains in succinct form a description of God, God’s astonishing plan for humanity, and God’s design for living that enables us to experience The Extraordinary Life. All the basic principles we need to know are in there:
- How God relates with us
- How we are to do relationships with God and one another
- How to care for ourselves, including spiritual warfare (chapter 6)
God also shares his main purpose for the Body of Christ, the Church, and the three outcomes he plans it to achieve (4:11-13).
I
discovered all this one day while railing against the Lord for making the
bible so difficult to understand. “How come you didn’t put all the
important stuff in one place,” I complained, “instead of spreading it out
all over the place, and forcing us to hunt through the entire book.”
“Read Ephesians, “ he told me, with an air of confidence. So I read the
letter anew. Though I’d read it through before several times, written
seminary papers on it, and taught it in bible studies, this was the first
time I saw all the things I mentioned above. Why is it we often don’t
see the whole truth every time we read scripture? I’m sure there’s still
more for me to learn in Ephesians.
Some of the most amazing revelations from God are in Ephesians 3:17-4:24, in which God shares his vision for humanity. God’s “vision” is God’s dream of what he wants to accomplish with, in, and through people. In this instance, he describes a process in which he intends to elevate people to be his equals in the areas of love, maturity, and holiness! This seemed so unbelievable to me, I had to reread the verses several times to be convinced this is God’s intent.
The
first eye-opener is in chapter 3, verses 17-19, as Paul shares his prayer
that his readers might understand how amazing is God’s love. He writes,
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have
power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high
and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses
knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness
of God. [NIV, emphasis mine]
Lest we think we’ve misunderstood Paul saying we can have all of God’s love, just 15 verses later, he uses very similar phrasing to describe one of God’s objectives for the body of Christ—that “we all … become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (4:13)”
Paul’s not through. In chapter 4, verse 24 he reveals another astounding truth of God’s plan. It comes at the end of encouragement to live the way God designed us to live.
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. [4:22-24, emphasis mine]
Within 26 verses, Paul finishes up describing God’s plan, which he began at the opening of the letter, by telling us this plan includes filling us with God’s love to the same fullness that God has, giving us the same maturity that Jesus Christ has, and transforming us to be just like God in his righteousness and holiness!
Obviously, we can never attain these things on our own. We will always be God’s creation. Rather, God plans and desires to make us to be like him in these ways. After all, God made us in his own image, which evidently includes the capacity to be all of these things, by means of God’s power and total makeover of us. God loves each of us (no exceptions!) so much that he wants to have a relationship with us as much equal as possible.
God has already proven that he is willing to become subservient to us, by coming to earth as the Son, giving up his throne in Heaven to assume the form of one of his own creatures, serving humanity, touching lepers, washing feet, and ultimately giving his life that all people may have eternal life with him. When we realize this is who God is and how God loves, then it easier to accept that this same love seeks to make us equal with him, so that we may more fully enjoy our relationship with him, and as Paul also says, so that we may delight in the inheritance waiting for us as God’s own children. God wants us to grow to become just like our Heavenly Father in most ways. No wonder Paul says this love “surpasses knowledge.”
God’s Little Handbook has many more wonderful revelations, and all the instruction we need to live The Extraordinary Life God wants to give us. If you aren’t using it already, begin using Ephesians as your Handbook For Life, and experience God’s transformative power and blessings for yourselves.
Mark Gardner is a Christian Life Coach in Eaton, Ohio who specializes in helping people and churches experience The Extraordinary Life God promises us. Learn more at gardnercoaching.com. Article Copyright © 2007 by Mark Gardner.