I have been studying Ephesians a good bit lately. I love it because, from beginning to end, each thought flows naturally into the next. And it all starts with two profound chapters on the heart of the gospel and all of our spiritual blessings in Christ. From there, Paul shows how these gospel truths transform how we think about the church, our marriages, our children, our workplace, and pretty much every situation Satan throws our way to trip us up in our daily lives.
It all starts and ends with the good news of the gospel. And Paul teaches that THAT is the key to dealing with every relationship conflict in our lives. However, in my life, turning to the good news of Jesus Christ is not my first response in stress or conflict. Despite my years in the faith, this is a fairly new thing for me. It makes no sense to English teachers, but when I reach the end of myself in some stressful situation, I am learning to cry out to God, "Gospel me!" I pray, "God, I know from Ephesians 1 that You have accomplished something for me on the cross that is deep and transforming. I know You promise that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in me now. God, open my eyes to that power and transform how I think about this trial. I know I am free from the power of sin. Change me now so that my responses reflect all that I have in You."
God has been so gracious to use this prayer and meditation to transform how I think about my trials and frustrations. I have prayed this many times recently, especially in times of conflict with my children. Recently, my 3 year old son and I flew home on a 6 hour nonstop flight. By hour 2, I was at my wit's end. None of my plans for entertaining him were working, and he, I, and everyone around us was feeling the stress. I got to the place where the only thing I could do was cry out to God, "Gospel me! God, surely there is something about the gospel that equips me to deal with this situation in a way that brings honor to you. How do I deal with this stress? Open my eyes to Your power to transform my responses to ones that reflect all I have in You." And He did. In His own way, He transformed how I thought about the stresses around me, calmed me down, and ministered His grace to me, my son, and those around us as only He could do.
Most of us believe the gospel is powerful and transforming. But do you believe it is relevant? Do you believe it matters at this moment in your daily life? I am learning I am moment by moment utterly dependent on the good news of Jesus Christ. And this has been the most important lesson I have every learned.
2 comments:
I prayed about several family situations this past week asking for specific, unselfish help that would have benefited other family members, not myself. Specifically, I prayed that He would control my words, my tongue and give me the helpful comments, not cutting and mean remarks. I really wanted that for my own good but even more for my family. God did not choose to bless that request.
Thankfully, the gospel shows us the next step in this case as well. We repent, ask forgiveness from God and others, and rest in the fact that Christ has paid the penalty for that sin.
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