Gracepoint Devotions

Submitted by Sieun C. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:18-24  

• What was Apostle Paul’s view of prayer?

After explaining that we have armor as Christians to fight against the devil’s schemes (6:11-17), Paul says to pray at all times in the Spirit. Prayer was another weapon and armor needed in order to stand strong in the Lord, and Paul’s view of it was that there was no limitation or boundary and that it actually had an affect – he says with ALL prayer and supplication, at ALL times.

Several things hit me about what Paul’s view of prayer must have been. One is that there needed to be frequency. He said to pray at all times. It’s not bound by set prayer times, just before meals, other specific settings, but at all times we should pray. Maybe he saw in his life as he followed God that he needed prayer at all times, that along with the spiritual armor, it was constantly praying and relying on God that sustained him. Another thing that I see about his view of prayer is that he saw it as being done in the Spirit. It wasn’t just something Christians do in order to feel good, blindly hope that God would have caught our prayer amongst many and answer a few, or is just another religious practice, but God’s Spirit was involved and in prayer. In the letter to the Romans, Paul explains it as the Spirit even interceding in our prayers when we don’t know the exact words to say. The next thing I notice is that he says to pray with all prayer and supplication. This part strikes me because he doesn’t say to just pray about God’s will, he doesn’t say to just pray about spiritual things only, but that I can pray with all kinds of prayers and supplication. Maybe this was the secret to his growing depth in relationship with God, ability to continue walking with God despite life getting tougher and tougher – he prayed all prayers and supplication, whether about himself or others, whether it was good or bad, complaint or thanksgiving. And he was confident about prayer as well, that it would work, because he says here to pray for him that he would have words to preach boldly about the Gospel – because he knew it worked, he was confident about asking for prayer in his weakness.

• Note the words “keep alert” and “all perseverance” in connection with prayer. What do these words reveal about prayer?

He says in order to pray to this end, need to keep alert and persevere in prayer. One thing this reveals is that prayer is not something that naturally comes to us, it’s not something that we keep in mind to do continually and at all times, it seems like we need to be pretty deliberate about praying, to be alert to all the situations in which we should pray. I find this to be really true, because apart from regular times I set aside to pray, my mind doesn’t naturally think or decide to pray to God throughout the day. There’s something about life and the rush of my day that wants to get me to just run through the day without considering prayer, even though I may be hurting, may desperately need to be trusting and leaning on God and His strength. But it’s when I keep alert and are deliberate to pray throughout the day when things come up, whether it’s asking for supplication during hard times or extra strength and grace for difficult times, this is when I experience closeness and strength from God. Another thing that is revealed is that sometimes the answer or the solution isn’t always immediate or clear, so I need to persevere in prayer. It’s not a one time magical thing, so it’s not necessarily about getting all my prayers and requests answered, but about relating to God and leaning on Him in all situations, regardless of whether the answer is immediate or not.

• What did Apostle Paul ask the Ephesians to pray for, and how can I apply this in my life?

He told them to pray all kinds of prayer and for supplication. Basically, to pray for everything. The guarantee isn’t that it will all be answered and pan out the way I want it to, but that I am able to and that the Spirit will be in my prayers, listening, working actively, answering in some way. This is very applicable in my life because as I get older, I have more variety of things always crowding my day and my mind. It’s not just work and ministry anymore, but along with the increased concerns and burdens in each, but there’s also the daily ups and downs that come with raising children, running our household, with marriage, with work. And especially during busy seasons in ministry, it’s so easy to have little things pile up and become a huge knot inside my heart that won’t go away. To these things, I need to be alert and persevering in prayer. It doesn’t have to be just during the morning prayer times, during our “official” prayer meetings, but throughout the day, as different things come up, frustrations, burdens, tough times – I can pause and pray, knowing God receives all kinds of prayers and requests and that this isn’t something that He just tolerates. But rather, it’s part of the armor He has given me so that I can stand strong in Him. And through tough transitions in life, through painful growth pain moments, prayer is what’s going to anchor me and keep me sane and in His grace, rather than in my own abilities which often fall short and make me feel helpless or frustrated.

• Reflect on Apostle Paul’s sense of his identity and mission. To what extent do I share in this sense of identity and mission?

Ultimately, Paul prayed and asked for prayer regarding the main focus and drama of his life – sharing and boldly proclaiming the Gospel. Yes, he says all prayer and supplication, but ultimately, the biggest thing in his life that caused him need for prayer came from his identity as an ambassador in chain for the Gospel. His weakness, his struggles, his requests for help, for aid from God, all came from the fact that he had to go out there and proclaim the Gospel to as many as possible, and the people he was bringing it to were difficult, the path and life of living like this was dangerous and fearful and unpredictable. So he says, pray in supplication for all the saints, and for me – we who are chained and living solely for the Gospel. To what extent do I share this? I think my prayers and what I pray about will show to what extent this is my mission. Of course I need to be authentic in what I pray about and what I ask for help in. But even midst personal difficulties, when I am genuinely able to pray, cry out, and intercede on behalf of others to whom I am trying to minister to and share the Gospel with, other saints who need intercessory prayer, it shows that my identity is as someone who is chained as an ambassador for the Gospel, not chained to just the drama of my own life and concerns. And this is what I should aim for. There are times when all I can see are my own daily hardships and needs, frustrations, and I know that God does listen when I pray. But I can imagine His delight when even midst these times, my heart is genuinely focused and praying on behalf of the ones He is reaching out to, for other saints who are chained to the Gospel.

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Submitted by Ander C. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:18-24

• What was Apostle Paul’s view of prayer?

Apostle Paul’s view of prayer was that it was to be done “at all times” so it is a universal practice for all people and thus it was of great importance. Prayer was the one thing that anyone could do and it was to be done before any kind of ministry. Apostle Paul stresses the importance of prayer because it is the one thing that every Christian can do. For anyone who is a follower of Christ they need not talent, not money, or resources to move God’s ministry but any person can and is able to pray.

• Note the words “keep alert” and “all perseverance” in connection with prayer. What do these words reveal about prayer?

The words “keep alert” and “all perseverance” in connection with prayer reveals that prayer is very connected to the work of the Lord. These words reveal that prayer is not to be taken lightly. The words “perseverance” and “keep alert” denote that prayer is something to be done with conscious effort and not something that we can just do casually. It is something that must be done with purpose and with intent. This reveals that it’s a practice that to be done by everyone and to “keep alert” means that we are to know what we are praying about and praying for. It’s an integral part of God’s work and ministry. Ministry is not just going out to the world and preaching the gospel to them. But it is to be led and sustained by prayer in the Spirit.

• What did Apostle Paul ask the Ephesians to pray for, and how can I apply this in my life?

What Apostle Paul asks the Ephesians to pray for him to have the words to say and to be able to open his mouth and be bold “to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.”

How I can apply this in my life is to pray this prayer for myself. I need to pray for boldness as I reach out to and minister to students on the college campus. To pray that my insecurities would not keep me from urging my students to take their faith more seriously, from being a voice of truth, or from helping them to deepen in their understanding of Christ. I need to pray for boldness because I am someone who dislikes any kind of drama, and any kind of relational tension. I’m someone who would rather just pretend everything is okay for the sake of my own emotional comfort. As a minister I want people to like me and I want to be someone people can easily get along with. But the truth of the matter is, the gospel is so much greater than me. My ego is something that I have to stop protecting. Apostle Paul’s heart for people is incredible for he was in chains and yet his prayer request is that he could be bold to proclaim this message of the gospel. That’s the heart that I pray I can have today, the heart of love and willingness to do what it takes to bring them the gospel. So I need to pray that when those difficult conversations come, I must pray for boldness to be able to correct them, dig a bit deeper into their lives, and ask the follow up questions. Sure its vulnerable and both emotionally and mentally taxing but that’s why I need to pray that God will give me this confidence and boldness to be ready to face rejection, people slandering me, disliking me, looking down on me because of the gospel.

• Reflect on Apostle Paul’s sense of his identity and mission. To what extent do I share in this sense of identity and mission?

In asking the Ephesians to pray for him, Apostle Paul indicates to me how humble of a man he was. His act of asking for prayer from others in the church shows his reliance on them. For me, a very independent, proud and self-sufficient person this is something I must learn from today.

Apostle Paul’s identity and mission were very clear for him. The fact that he was in chains didn’t matter for he doesn’t ask them to pray he would be freed but he asks them to pray that the gospel would be boldly proclaimed. In fact he goes on to call himself an ambassador in chains but that doesn’t matter as much as the gospel being preached. I’m reminded today as I think about this picture of Apostle Paul who is totally centered on Christ, it is the life that I pray that I can one day live out.

I wish I could say that I share this sense of identity and mission in my life to such an extent. The truth is that my sense of identity and mission often revolves around myself. I’m so ashamed as I think about the Christ centered identity of Apostle Paul compared to my life where I’m daily having to struggle with myself in order to place God at the center of my life. This tells me that I am in need of the prayers of my leaders, peers, and my church that much more. In order to not lose sight of my identity as a minister, an apostle, a slave for Christ I know that I need to keep on being faithful in ministry. I do want to sometimes stop, take a break from it all when things get difficult; when I’m struggling but I know that I cannot stop because I will lose this sense of identity and mission in my life, the identity and mission that has given me my life’s purpose and meaning. So I although I am ashamed again to see that I’m such a selfish, proud and self centered person I am encouraged to keep on pushing ahead and to embrace my identity as a minister. My prayer is that I can get to the point where God is rooted and fully center in my life, where I can be in chains and yet see my role as an ambassador Christ as my identity.

Personal Prayer

Heavenly Father thank you for challenging me through the life of Apostle Paul. God, I want to pray as he prays asking for help, for wisdom, for the words to say and for the boldness to proclaim the gospel. Paul doesn’t just ask that he can live out the gospel but that he can be a proclaimer of it. So God I pray this same prayer that you would help me not give into my pride, my insecurities, my sinful desires, but live consciously and purposely with the identity that I am a minster of the gospel in mind. I confess and repent for my self-centered ways of wanting to be emotionally comfortable, for not loving and being faithful to those you have placed in my life today. God, I ask that you protect me, that I would constantly lean on you and I pray that I can humble myself daily to embrace this identity as a minister you have planned and envisioned for me since the beginning.

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Submitted by Myra C. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:18-24

• What was Apostle Paul’s view of prayer?

Apostle Paul’s view of prayer was that we needed prayer at all times with all kinds of prayer and supplication. This shows just how dependent he was on prayer in terms of daily life, struggles, needs, and all things. Moreover it shows that he was just constantly praying as he was praying in all circumstances at all times. In the previous verses, Apostle Paul had talked about needing to put on the armor of God in light of the reality of the spiritual battle and prayer is how we are called to engage in that spiritual battle.

As I see this picture of Apostle Paul’s view on prayer, I definitely need to grow in this kind desire and dependence on prayer. I don’t pray as often as I should because I can have the mentality that I am okay or don’t need to pray. When I am over-confident and things are going well, prayer isn’t on the forefront of my mind or what I turn to. Often times only when things are hard and I am at wit’s end do I end up crying out in prayer and turning to God. This is a misunderstanding of how to live Christian life especially when the fact that I am a sinner. Over years, I have learned to grow in dependence on prayer as I see that God is the one who changes hearts. I can plant the seeds and water it but it is God who makes the seed grow into a plant. Moreover, genuine prayer has helped me to grow in heart and burden for people even when I might not have initially felt that way. I cannot fight this battle with my own power, wisdom, and strength. Apostle Paul’s dependence on prayer shows me his clear understanding of his identity as a sinner and need and desperateness for God.

• Note the words “keep alert” and “all perseverance” in connection with prayer. What do these words reveal about prayer?

Apostle Paul calls us to keep alert and persevere in prayer because it is hard. Prayer takes discipline and focus and heart. In order to really pray and burden for people, I cannot merely be praying mindlessly, listlessly, or keep repeating mindless phrases. Also, I need to remember to pray for people and know what to pray about. It takes hard work because I am engaged in spiritual battle for my own sake as well as others. There are high stakes involved. Moreover, it takes perseverance because my prayers might not be answered right away but can take time and patience on my end. The reality is that Satan will try anything to hinder me from engaging in this battle and distract or fill me with all kinds discouragements in order to prevent me from praying. I need to persevere to pray despite my laziness, distractions, etc.

• What did Apostle Paul ask the Ephesians to pray for, and how can I apply this in my life?

Apostle Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for supplication for all the saints as well as prayer for himself so that he could speak boldly to proclaim the gospel. This means praying for other Christians and for zealousness for the gospel to be preached. I can and need to pray for myself but because of this spiritual battle, I am also called to pray for other Christians in my life. As I think about all my brothers and sisters who have gone on church plants, I am obligated to pray for them and to be faithful in this way, knowing that we are the sending body. It’s not just the team that goes on the church plant that does all the work. Even though they might be far away, I can keep them close to my heart as well as engage in spiritual battle with them through prayer. Even though I haven’t met many students in Taiwan, as I was listening to the Thanksigiving video for Taiwan, I felt a strong sense of ownership and bond with students I had never met because I had been praying for prayer requests or events like Camp Blue, etc. This means being diligent and faithful in praying for them and being proactive in remembering people and praying for them.

Moreover, I need to pray for zealousness and boldness to preach the gospel. I personally have been praying this for myself. Although I have been serving and am dutiful, I find that my heart can get used to the routine of Christian life and even ministry. But I never want to get comfortable where I am or stagnant, but that I would be consumed by zealousness for God’s word and to preach it with confidence and boldness. Apostle Paul could have asked for many different kinds of prayer requests such as his needs, his imprisonment and struggles, etc. Instead the one thing he asks for is for the words and to be able to boldly proclaim the gospel. More important than physical needs is his mission to preach the gospel boldly. Even in prison, it is all about the gospel. This is his identity and mission and what he’s all about. Although I have grown in my identity as a minister, I have been praying for this kind of zealousness and boldness in my own walk with God as I see my time as short and my main mission in life to share this amazing news.

Submitted by Jenny H. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:14-17  

• How would a soldier in an ancient battlefield have viewed each piece of his armor?  List and reflect on each item of the “whole armor of God” (cf. Ephesians 6:11) with a sense of personal appreciation for the value of each one.

• Is there a component of the armor that I am weak in, or have been neglecting? 

A soldier in an ancient battlefield would have viewed each piece of his armor with such value and importance, like how could I leave one piece behind and have one piece compromised. I read an account in the Gates of Fire, the battle of the Persians vs. the Spartans and it was an account of what fighting and battle looked at during that time. Just like all wars, it was gory, ruthless, and the stakes were high. There was a strong enemy who was looking to destroy. As a soldier in the thick of battle, with a cruel and cunning enemy advancing and arrows and swords on every side, of course I would see each piece of armor, every weapon as crucial. I would not neglect them, leave them behind or not take the time to learn how to use or fasten them.  As a spiritual soldier, as one who is in the thick of spiritual battle, with an enemy who is more cruel than any enemy any Roman soldier would’ve faced—Satan himself—I think about each of the pieces of armor Apostle Paul talks about here and affirm that each piece is indispensible.

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the BELT of TRUTH.” (6:14)

Why is the belt of truth first. Truth is what holds all things together. As a Christian, I don’t have wishful thinking on my side, just “nice” thoughts or opinions. I have Truth on my side as I live and walk as a Christian. When I was a non-Christian, the last thing I wanted to become was a Christian. But I did so first and foremost because I was convinced that Christianity and what it said about God, the world and my life was true. As a Christian, as I go through different seasons of life, that confidence in the truth of the gospel has instead of waned, has deepened and become more firm. Why do I need this belt of truth? Because the main weapon of the enemy I’m fighting is not a gun or sword – it’s LIES. The way that Satan is described in the bible is the “father of lies.”

Therefore the way I am going to counter that is with the Truth.

“Breastplate of righteousness”(6:14) – From the commentary: “Paul was not writing about judgment, but the fact that the new being is created to be like God (4:24). To put on the breastplate of righteousness means that Christians are to reflect the righteous character of God in their actions.”

This is really true to life that as we allow God’s sanctifying work in our lives, as we submit to his ways and engage in righteous acts out of love for God, those righteous deeds serve as a “breastplate,” a protection to our lives. Oftentimes, I have experienced ministry as that “hedge of protection” in my life, protecting me from the otherwise self-indulgent and self-destructive deeds I could be engaged with.

“Shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (6:15) - this is interesting that this is part of the full armor of God. This struck me because is what it looks like to stand firm – it’s being ready to move as a response to the “gospel of peace.” What it looks like to be rooted in God’s love and standing firm is to have your feet ready to pick up and move where God’s work is, where the need is. Think it’s also readiness to flee from the evil desires of youth, readiness to run from sin and temptation instead of passively standing around. This tells me to stand firms is a very active thing, it has to do w/ me being ready to do some things.

I think there is a misconception sometimes about what a Christian life ought to look like – calm, not moving, peaceful, quiet.  But looking at Apostle Paul, the one who penned these words, his life was characterized by a readiness given by the gospel of peace. His life was constantly uprooted, interrupted by people he loved, ready to move because of the gospel he had received.

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” (6:16)

Shield of faith – what does this tell me?  This tells me that there is an enemy I need protection from.   Apostle Paul is underscoring the reality of the “evil one,” there is an enemy. And this enemy is not passive or in active. He is on the contrary, very active.  He’s catapulting flaming arrows at you. Satan wants to steal, kill and destroy. Revelations 12:12 says: “He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”  To go into a battlefield filled with flaming arrows without this shield would be ludicrous. What would it look like for me to hold up the shield of faith against the flaming arrows of Satan?  Faith, according to C.S. Lewis, is not just wishful thinking or feeling, it is affirming or going back to what you already are convinced is true.

“Helmet of salvation” (6:17) – I was very personally struck by this imagery of the “helmet of salvation.” The helmet protects the mind.  I thought it rang so true in terms of how spiritual battle is waged and so much of Apostle Paul’s exhortations to Christians has to do with the MIND, THOUGHTS, BELIEFS.  The commentary says: “Salvation” and ‘the word of God’ in verse 17, however, are clearly gifts from God, which at the same time enable and motivate human obedience. […]

What can I learn from this?  The salvation that God has already gifted me with–this is something that can protect me. How does this happen?  I think as I consider what God has done in my life, as I take the time to reflect and unpack the grand gospel that has come to me, how God has LED and LOVED me so personally, recounting and thanking Him, it becomes a helmet of protection against temptation, against, for me, the lies that Satan is constantly lobbing my way and the lies that have already been embedded in my mind that need to be uprooted.

Satan wants to knock Christians out of the battle.  He wants to infiltrate our minds and hearts with his lies. But I see so many people walking around without their helmet of salvation; I lament my own folly as I walk around without protecting my mind. I have recently been experiencing what a bulwark and protection my salvation and my testimony is. This past Sunday’s baptism service was a tear-filled time of just that for me–considering and remembering my own salvation story as I listened to the amazing and loving ways God led my younger sisters and brothers to salvation. I felt that “helmet of salvation” being strengthened. Recently, as I confessed the lies that I’ve given into and received counsel from those who’ve struggled through their sins and this life longer than me, who are wiser and stronger in their faith than me, and as I claim God’s word and truth for myself, my helmet of salvation becomes more sturdy and Satan has a harder time knocking me out of the war.

“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” (6:17)

This is the one offensive weapon that Apostle Paul talks about there. This is pretty amazing and I think it really dispels the wrong notion that the bible is antiquated or irrelevant. In Hebrews, the word of God is described again as a sword of the spirit. In Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”

So many times in my Christian life, I have experienced the word of God as this sword, as this hammer that can break to pieces the lies of Satan or my own stony pride. What does this sword do? It not only battles Satan, but my own heart, it can pierces my own self-delusion and pride to get to the truth of who I am. It can cause me to confess and convict me of the truth of who God is.

“‘Word of God’ does not refer to the Bible but to the gospel message. The Greek word used here (rhema) usually refers to a teaching or prophetic utterance or, more specifically, to the gospel.”  [Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 193-228.]

The word of God and as the commentary states that the gospel – this is a sword, this is my weapon to fight this spiritual battle.

I think the older I get, the more of life I see, the more of my own sin and lack as a person, minister, friend, wife, mom, the more people I interact with, the more I am convinced of how true and how profound the gospel is. The way that Jesus tries to describe the worth of the gospel in Matthew 13 through this story: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” This truth is something that I have come to appreciate not less as I grow older, but more; it’s a story I find myself often thinking about these days. As I wield the truths of the gospel, it cuts through the fog of my own spiritual life, cuts through the lies of Satan and the “deceitful desires” (Ephesians 4:22). As I look at the world through the lens of the gospel, all the glittering sights that dazzle of pleasure, money or “freedom” are cut through and shown for what they are–pale imitations and phony substitutes of the life God created for us, and I see more clearly again, that yes, the gospel is that treasure worth selling all for.

Through reflecting on each piece of armor, I see each part is indispensible to stand firm in Christian life. But another reason and motivation to put on each piece is and to stand firm is for the sake of my fellow sisters and brothers, for the lost who don’t know God’s salvation, who are defenseless in many cases against Satan’s lies and corruption. In Satan and His Kingdom, it says something chilling: “Satan agrees with God on the importance of the church. He won’t wait for us to come to him. He aggressively moves in to corrupt the life of the body of Christ. His success in history should give us a new appreciation of his powers of persuasion and deception.”  I need to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” for my sake, to experience indeed the mighty strength of the Lord and for the sake of His church, the hope of the world, the mystery Christ died to reveal to us.

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Submitted by Maurice C. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:14-17  

• How would a soldier in an ancient battlefield have viewed each piece of his armor?  List and reflect on each item of the “whole armor of God” (cf. Ephesians 6:11) with a sense of personal appreciation for the value of each one.
  

“The belt of truth” – The belt is the implement that girds all else; without it, the rest of the armor falls apart, there is no place to strap the sword. You could have the toughest armor, but without a belt to hold it in place, it would be useless. Likewise, the truth serves as the binding agent in our spiritual lives. Without truth, our other spiritual endeavors become meaningless, or ineffectual, or both. There have been many times where, because I did not confess the truth about where my heart was, even though I heard messages and had talks with friends and leaders applicable to the issue, I did not experience forgiveness for it, release from it, freedom from it. Relationships cannot progress on half-truths and smiling masks – you have to get to the bottom of things and be honest and have a mutual respect for the truth. Spiritual progress cannot be made unless we confess who we are and what we have done. Sharing the Gospel cannot really happen, and is painful even as we try, if we are not vulnerable with our own brokenness as we share the truth of the Gospel and God’s grace. I’ve learned these lessons through both negative examples, where I did not hold to or admit to the truth and sooner or later suffered the consequences, as well as positive examples, where I took steps of faith in admitting the truth, and at the very least was able to present the real me to people. Because in the end, acknowledgement of, submission to, the truth, is so key. It is to admit to and acknowledge reality itself. Without truth, what can you do in life? What can you trust, believe in, operate off of? But with truth, you can make genuine progress.

“Breastplate of righteousness” – The breastplate would have protected the soldier’s most vital organs. It would allow him to strike forward more confidently. Likewise, perhaps part of the function and duty of the breastplate of righteousness, is to protect us.  When we have not walked in righteousness, and instead sought our own desires, our evil impulses, even if we do it with seeming confidence, inside there is often a disturbing sense that we have done wrong, that our path and decisions and actions contain something amiss. It causes us to doubt peoples’ love for us for no reason, it causes us to shrink back and “guard” ourselves, it causes us to be fearful. But when we have surrendered to God’s call to walk in obedience to his righteous commands, there can be a sense of peace and confidence – not in our bravado, but vis à vis the God who sees what we do in secret and is pleased when we obey him.

“Put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” – The gospel of peace gives us motivation to give it our all in living for God, to venture forth even into unknown and scary situations, and as such, they function like shoes, enabling us to go further, to attempt to traverse rough terrain, to go to far off places. They are also the medium through which we “stand firm.” The gospel is very much the one thing that I have over and over come to realize is the only thing that I can stand firm upon in this life. Money comes and goes. Success is short-lived. Thrills and pleasures suffer diminishing return-on-investment. Even the best things, like familial love, romance, friendship, are sooner or later tainted by our sinfulness. But the Gospel unflinchingly calls our sin what it is (that which was so dark as to send the sinless son of God to the Cross) and offers us a solution to it all the same. God’s suffering love. Christ’s sacrifice. And no up or down in this world can shake that. In our Christian lives, if we try to make our “shoes” of other material – approval of others, spiritual status, the benefits of living in close community, passive following of the crowd – we will not be able to stand firm. I have seen this play out many a time. Those materials are simply not capable of forming the shoes that we need. Life is too hard, the call to Christian submission and obedience too total, our sin too strong, for any of those things to make our walks last. But if we, daily and as much as we are able, place our hopes and confidence in the Gospel alone, all the ugly and beautiful parts of it that slay and save us at the same time, we will be able to stand firm.

“Helmet of salvation” – The helmet protected the soldier’s head. It allowed him to keep his head up, even in the thick of fearsome battle. It would allow him to literally “stick his neck out.” Likewise, our assurance of salvation – again, proven by Christ’s willing death on the Cross for our behalf, and his resurrection just as he promised – enables us to not keep our heads down in our day to day lives, timid and unwilling to engage with our lives, others’ lives. Instead, with our salvation secure, our eternal destinies assured, we are able to keep our heads up, to look toward the battle, to seek out where we are needed, to be all there, with confidence.

“Sword of the spirit” – The one weapon of offense in the list. Protection is great, but the soldier is a soldier to engage in battle, and without a sword, he is impotent for the charge he is given. We are called to assail the gates of Hades. We are called to demolish the strongholds and false arguments of the devil. We are called to set the captives free. And our weapon with which we are to accomplish these tasks, is the Word of God. It is God’s Word that is able to expose all the many lies that bind people: that sin isn’t real, that there is no such thing as moral truth, that we are mere animals, that seeking pleasure with no restraint is the highest good, that we should protect ourselves and not give to anyone in love. God’s Word has slain these lies in my own heart, and I’ve experienced sharing God’s Word with people going through struggles, how it addressed them so precisely and perfectly, and how it cut through their chains of unbelief or rebellion or doubt, to set them free.

• Is there a component of the armor that I am weak in, or have been neglecting?
  

I need to grow in my knowledge of and practice in applying the Word of God. Like honing a sword, I need to grow in my breadth of familiarity with the different truths proclaimed, stories recounted, promises made, in God’s Word. Applying the same few sets of verses to all situations is like clubbing everything with the same blunt weapon. But as I came to know different passages, and the nuances about who God is and what He is like that emerged from them (both separately and in conjunction), the Word became suddenly more “relevant” (though of course it always already had been) in more and more situations, even though the very same Bible had seemed so dull and irrelevant when I was younger. But I need to grow much more in this. And not only that, but I need to practice wielding it, so that I am able to swiftly deploy it in battle, and in the right places and with the right force. How? Reading and growing in breadth of knowledge is not enough. I need to practice wielding it in my life, in the lives of those I am ministering to. The more people you have concern over, the more you have need of the Word, the more you struggle to apply it to different situations. So I need to invest myself into people more, pray over them more, and speak into their lives with and through the Word more. As with most of the other disciplines, solely seeking my own benefit is not enough of a motivator. But really recognizing that in many cases, I may be the only one speaking the Word into a person’s life, someone I am ministering to, has made me approach the Word more hungrily and fearfully, and this is something I need to do more of as well.

Personal Prayer

Dear God, thank you for knowing what it is that we truly need – the armor outlined above. We don’t need better life situation, we don’t need temporary thrills – we are in a battle for our own souls and those of the people you have placed in our care, and you knew exactly what it was we needed to survive that battle, and not just to survive, but gain victory. Your Word, your salvation, your Gospel – these are such powerful things, yet by our willingness to put them on or not, they are rendered effective or impotent. What a scary thought. Please continue to remind me how important it is that I put these on daily, that I value these pieces of armor highly, not only for my own spiritual state, but again, for those you have entrusted into my care. Thank you for being a powerful God who is able to defeat even the demons within me; thank you for sending your son on the Cross to be victorious in the battle against sin and death, and help me to soldier on, through your grace, to win the skirmishes we have until we can rest in heaven.

–

Submitted by Wenjie C. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:14-17  

• How would a soldier in an ancient battlefield have viewed each piece of his armor?  List and reflect on each item of the “whole armor of God” (cf. Ephesians 6:11) with a sense of personal appreciation for the value of each one.

A soldier in an ancient battlefield would have viewed these pieces of armor as his lifeline during combat, each protecting a vital area on his body. Without one of them he would be exposed and rendered ineffective and even life threatening. Therefore the solider would have seen each piece as very valuable to his very livelihood. In addition, the soldier would also be very well versed in each item as well. Having trained long and hard for the battle, these pieces of armor would have been very familiar, how to handle the sword, when to use the shield, moving with varying pieces of armor from the shoes to quickly get into places to the breastplate allowing for closer action that can be afforded due to the protection, etc.

Belt of truth:  For me, this is something that is a reminder of the truth of who God is, what I have in Christ, and just the Christian worldview and the accuracy in which the bible talks about the world. It is that ultimate source of authority and I am not guessing like the rest of the world, I have the source of truth with me to go to for discernment and to guide my decisions and plans. The belt of truth is the undergirding element of everything because it represents what it means to reference everything against the ultimate authority.

Breastplate of righteousness:  This is righteousness that comes only through what Jesus has done on the cross, living a life perfect and pleasing to God. And it is this righteousness that I am granted, nothing I have done to attain for or try to make up for, but just given to me. God sees me as righteous because of Christ. And the things I do to try to live a righteous life is not so much from my efforts and will power, but rather a recognition that I can point to Christ as having it modeled it for me and I am simply trying to imitate Christ as I follow him. I do it out of an understanding that I am called to reflect God’s righteous character in my life before the world so that they too may become convinced of God’s goodness and holy character.

Shoes with the readiness given by the gospel of peace:  I have received this gospel that has brought me peace in my otherwise previous life of striving and trying to achieve for myself some kind of purpose and self worth. God reconciled me to himself, and that is the amazing gospel that I have and been given me to properly understand what has happened in my life. I think about the ways in which God lead me to the gospel, the people and circumstances that he used, and now I play that role of being equipped to readily go and share this gospel message with others as well. Being a college minister, I see the mission field before me and the many on campus that are not at peace but rather enslaved and striving for something that they hope will bring some kind of meaning and worth, but they are all following blindly what the world says, but instead I have the real deal, the gospel that will bring them peace and I need to go to them so that they may know.

Shield of faith:  As I live Christian life longer I have experienced many more of Satan’s ploys and attacks. Whether in the form of people close to me such as family to difficult life events or the voices of the world or using my deeply rooted sins, Satan’s arrows come at me often times when I am least suspecting or in wave after wave trying to deplete my resolve. In each of those times it came down to holding onto God for dear life. I remember there have been times in the last couple years where it would have been so much easier to just heed the voices and throw in the towel instead of continuing to struggle, but in the end it came back to remembering the promises of God and his faithfulness in my life, and for me to continue to trust God with my life, repenting of my faithlessness and putting my faith in him again. It really has been that shield in my life protecting me from Satan and his deceitfulness.

Helmet of salvation:  I can only praise God for my salvation. Especially recently just witnessing the baptisms of 20 of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and hearing some of their stories, I was reminded of my own salvation, the ways in which God came and rescued me from my life of purposelessness and media seeking ways that was destroying and desensitizing me to the world. Ultimately my relationship with God was reconciled, because the penalty for my sins were paid. Something I could never have done was done for me, salvation freely given me at the cost of Christ’s life. But now I enjoy the freedom of my salvation, no longer the words of Satan and the world have the final say, but I can point to what Christ did on the cross and my new eternal destination.

Sword of the Spirit:  I have the word of God to cut through the lies and deceit of the world. The one offensive weapon God gives me is his word, to expose things as they are, to shine light upon the deeds of darkness. And I’m thankful for the intake of the word of God at our church from Sunday message to the staff bible studies through Romans and 2 Corinthians as well as the devotional text and questions so that I may be able to see things clearly, to not get caught up by the hype and glitter of the world and its promises but to discern properly what is truly important. The gospel message of how to have eternal life, of having a reconciled relationship with my heavenly father, an answer to my sins, and purpose for me life, are what anchors me and motivates me to live each day for God.

• Is there a component of the armor that I am weak in, or have been neglecting? 

One component of the armor that I am weak in and need more attention to is definitely the Sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Just being able to quickly reference the word of God for whatever occasion or topic is very necessary in dispelling the attraction and temptation that would otherwise might have led me astray. It is not enough to bank on history and what God has done in my past or simply going back to my salvation and get re-convicted which is what I often do during times of struggle or needing more encouragement and confidence in living out my faith. However, it ultimately has to be the offensive with the word of God to dispel the lies and seemingly very enticing persuasion of the world. Also, especially in helping others fight these lies and to live out their commitments to God faithfully its about giving them the relevant verses and passages so that they may as well be on the offensive instead of just being on the defensive in this spiritual war. And just with our times of DT review, being convicted that much more being equipped in this area and allowing myself to take full advantage of these times to be prepared to share the explanation from the word of God as the ultimate authority and thus removing any doubt or reason for pause. I need to continue to be faithful to my DTs which is one of my main sources of intake of God’s word as well as just all the messages I hear to really sink in so that I can not only retell the points of the message but also to recreate the message and give it in the future. Therefore this is an area that I need to continue to really grow in a lot.

PERSONAL PRAYER

Thank you God for today and just reminding me all the ways in which you have prepared me to fight this spiritual battle. Help me to be reminded daily that I am a soldier of Christ and that I am joined in this battle, it is war time and thus for me to have a war time mentality instead of the kind of peace time mentality the rest of the world seems to have. Help me to be reminded that I need to make the most of the time, not as unwise but as wise because the days are evil and that is an urgent cry for me to live out my faith seriously and to use all the armor of God that’s been given me to put Satan on the defensive. Please help me in the area of really being trained up with regards to just having greater aptitude and reliability in handling the sword of the spirit so that I can be a source of blessing not only to myself and in my spiritual walk with God but also to many others as well. I think about all the ways in which God has given me blessing after blessing and even in this area of living out my spiritual walk to be provided for and blessed. God, please help me to really soak in your word so that I can have your words ready to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Submitted by Nelson W. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:10-14 

• Notice the balance between human action and God’s provision – i.e., what we are called to do, and what God will do for us.  In what ways have I had to be “strong in the Lord”?

God provides us with so many blessings. He has given us everything we need to engage in spiritual battle. But that doesn’t mean anything if we don’t receive and use what He provides. We must never think that we don’t need to do anything even though God’s provisions are sufficient. He gives us His love and invites us to receive His forgiveness and salvation but we actually need to respond to His invitation with faith and receive the free gift of salvation. It’s the same with all of God’s other provisions. We need to respond and act. God gives us His whole armor that we need to engage in spiritual warfare but that armor is not actually on us unless we do the work of taking it up and putting it on. And when we are equipped with the whole armor of God, we need to do the fighting and stand firm against Satan’s attacks.

Though I am sinful, vulnerable, helpless at times, and weak to temptation, I have only been able to stand my ground in this spiritual battle through the strength that God provides. It’s through times of being humbled after trying to rely on my own strength and willpower that I saw how desperately I need to depend on God’s strength. I am only strong when I utilize what God gives me. Then His strength can be my strength and His might can be my might. Satan attacks me by sowing seeds of mistrust, causing me to doubt God’s motives. He lures me with promises that earthly treasures will bring me lasting joy. He convinces me that God is fed up with me and that I too unfit to be used by God. Against these, God gives me His word that is truth and power. Through His word, my thinking has been renewed and I have become increasingly persuaded of God’s goodness and love for me as well as His desire to use me to be a blessing to others. I am weak to temptation but God’s word protects me by giving me the strength to resist and flee from it. His amazing grace gives me the assurance that I am forgiven and when I reflect on how incredible and wonderful this is, I am compelled and motivated to respond to His love through faith and obedience.

• What words describe the context for our need to “put on the whole armor of God”?  What can I learn about the nature of the spiritual battle raging around me from these verses?

“The schemes of the devil” suggests an enemy that is cunning and active. Satan is utilizing all his power and everything under his disposal to prevent people from relating to God and having fellowship with Him. He is tirelessly working to keep people from God and neutralizing believers from doing His kingdom work. We are battling “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We’re not fighting against forces of comparable strength or against an enemy that we can see or understand. The spiritual forces of evil are operating on an entirely different realm. Their ways and abilities are beyond us. They attack with ideas and in ways that we are not even aware of. Satan and his forces are experts who know our every weakness and they are waiting to pounce at every single opportunity. How can we hope to stand a chance against such a clever, powerful, and relentless enemy? With human weapons and methods, we stand no chance. It is only with the whole armor of God that can we stand. Nothing else is sufficient. It’s because the situation is so dire and the enemy so fierce that we need the whole armor of God so that we will be completely protected and equipped to battle the forces of darkness. Being only partially or even mostly equipped or protected is not enough because Satan needs only a small foothold on that which is unprotected to exploit our weaknesses. We really do need the whole armor of God, not just some or most of it, to be able to withstand the schemes and attacks of Satan.

• To what extent do I see myself as involved in a spiritual battle?

I’ve always been fascinated with war history and I love certain war films, like Glory, that really depict the terror that soldiers face in war and the dedication and sacrifice required to face it. In the movie Glory, many army officers during the Civil War don’t take the black soldiers of the 54^th Regiment seriously because they don’t think they will ever be sent into battle. They are not interested in properly equipping or training the regiment because they won’t need it if they will never see battle. But Colonel Shaw, the commanding officer of the regiment, hopes and believes they will be sent into battle and so he takes his duty of preparing them very seriously. He understood that this was a matter of life and death for his men. And he was well aware of the high stakes of the war, of how many lives it would affect. The more someone believes that war is coming, the more he will take it seriously, and the more he will prepare and labor for it. I think of what it’s like to be a soldier in war. They train hard so their bodies will be well conditioned to move quickly and meet the extreme demands of warfare. They train, hone their skills, and formulate strategy so they can be ready to fight the enemy. Soldiers devote all their time and energy preparing for and engaging in battle. They don’t involve themselves in civilian affairs or slack off because to do so in the face of war would be utterly foolish and irresponsible. They endure everything and risk everything, including their lives, so that the war can be won.

As I look at my life and assess whether or not I have been adequately involved in spiritual battle and the answer is no. Though I have been getting equipped, I have also involved myself in “civilian affairs” every time I relax, fill my mind with entertainment, or give into physical or mental laziness when there is urgent work to be done. These things might be acceptable during peacetime but not when there is war. I haven’t taken myself as seriously as Colonel Shaw. I need to be as disciplined as he was and anticipate battle as he did. I am a minister and have people that I have been entrusted to minister to and mentor. I am the watchman on the wall and it’s a tremendously important privilege and calling. I need to be vigilant for them and train them up as much as Colonel Shaw did. One huge way in which Satan can attack me is to hide the fact that there is spiritual battle going on or make me think that it’s not that serious or difficult. He tries to hide his own movements and make his influence subtle so I won’t take him seriously. He draws my focus away from the reality that there is a harvest field full of people who desperately need God but don’t know Him. So, I need to be constantly aware that there is a spiritual war going on and the stakes are high, higher than in any other earthly war between nations. People’s eternities are at stake. It’s in this context that I should live my life and put on the full armor of God so that I and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ can be equipped and ready to do God’s kingdom work.

• What is the significance of Apostle Paul’s repeated call to “stand” (vv. 11, 13, 14)?

Spiritual battle doesn’t end with just taking up and putting on the whole armor of God. We need to actually fight, engage, and stand against the spiritual forces of evil. What good are we if we just equip and prepare for battle but don’t actually fight? I am one who doesn’t like to engage is something until I am fully ready for it. Sometimes, this causes me to be passive and miss opportunities because I don’t think I’m ready for it and so I don’t engage in the battle. Satan can fool me into thinking that God won’t help me. Or he distracts me and occupies my mind and attention so that I am unaware of the spiritual battles I should be involved in. Satan can have great victories by neutralizing God’s people and rendering them ineffective. That is why Apostle Paul repeatedly calls us to stand. We need to do the work of being vigilant and looking out for the cunning and sneaky enemy so that we are not unaware of his schemes. We need to know where the battles are, where the weaknesses are so we can put defenses up and stand. We can’t just sit around with our armor. We need to get up, go to where the battle is, and stand against the schemes of the devil. There can be no rest or ceasefire because Satan gives us no rest or opportunity to relax. This is wartime and we need to be on our guard and stand.

Personal Prayer

Write out a brief prayer based on today’s DT.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the blessing of your word that equips me to engage in spiritual battle. Lord, you know my weaknesses and how helpless I am against the spiritual forces of darkness. Please humble my heart so that I will be utterly dependent on the strength and wisdom you provide, that I may stand against the enemy. Please watch over me and protect me with the whole armor of God. May I always set my mind on things above, on who you are, and what you have already done for me so that I may allow your Spirit to lead me and give me the courage and zeal to do your kingdom work and stand against the spiritual forces of evil.

–

Submitted by Claire K from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:10-14

• Notice the balance between human action and God’s provision – i.e., what we are called to do, and what God will do for us.  In what ways have I had to be “strong in the Lord”?

The ways I had to be “strong in the Lord” was not as dramatic as someone who is persecuted for following Christ but it had a lot to do with battling my own thoughts and emotions.

I had to be “strong in the Lord” many times when I sinned or made unwise choices as I would hear condemning voices in my head that would tell me that I am no good, I better just stop trying to do anything, I am barely tolerated and it’d be better if I just went away.

Then I would go to that day’s DT or a passage in the bible that would remind me the truth that if I confess then I am forgiven (1 John 1:9), that my righteousness comes from God through Jesus Christ (Rom 3:22), that I am a beloved child of God (Romans 8:16) and other truths and promises. God gives me his word, but I need to do my part in believing in his word and see that the voices in my heads are lies and are not true about the way God views me. I had to be “strong in the Lord” by believing that what God said was true over what I thought or felt.

Another way I had to be “strong in the Lord” was in speaking truth to people in my life. How I much rather just get along with everyone and not have to talk about truth, whether it’s something true about me or whether it something true about the other person. But there are many passages that talk about speaking truth to another (e.g. Eph 4:15, 25), and for me, as a life group leader, I need to warn and bring people back when they wander from the truth. (James 5:20) So I had to embrace my role as a leader, as well as the fact that to come into the light and speak truth about myself sets me free and to speak truth to others is also good for them.  It was and is hard to do, but as I obeyed, I was able to be “strong in the Lord” and experience how speaking truth brought about repentance and freedom for me and others.

• What words describe the context for our need to “put on the whole armor of God”?  What can I learn about the nature of the spiritual battle raging around me from these verses?

The words that describe context for our need to “put on the whole armor of God” is our need to be able to  “stand against the schemes of the devil” and to wrestle against the rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”.

I can learn that the nature of the spiritual battle raging around me is one of cosmic in nature, where powerful and evil spiritual being who are rulers and authorities are going on an all our war against God and his people. I am going against powers and forces that are evil, that are against God and his ways. I can see these evil forces in our media, culture and society, but there are also evil forces directed against God’s people and what they are trying to do for the Lord.  I need to be attentive and vigilant in response.

• To what extent do I see myself as involved in a spiritual battle?

I see myself involved in a spiritual battle first of all for my own soul. There are voices that I know are from the evil one, voices that say, I don’t have to take God that seriously, that he will understand if I don’t obey this one time, that God is too much in expecting me to be holy, that I don’t have to work that hard. Voices that tell me that I don’t really belong to God’s church, that I am too wicked to do ministry, that God and people don’t really like me. To these voices, whether they are from me or from the Devil, I need to fight against them and embrace the truth that is found in God’s word that says I am his beloved child and I am forgiven and that I belong.

I see myself involved also in spiritual battle for those God has entrusted to me. There are temptations and lies that try to lure people away from God.  Fears and desires cause people to chase after other things besides God, often leaving them tired, empty and cynical. There are the lies that God’s impossible to please, that God is sick and tired of them because of their sin, and more. Against these lies, I need to pray for protection over those entrusted to me, I need to speak truth and bring God’s words to them and I need to help them see reality and truth as God sees it.

In other words, I need to be vigilant for myself and for others–prayerful and speaking truth as well as going through my own struggles and their struggles with them.

• What is the significance of Apostle Paul’s repeated call to “stand” (vv. 11, 13, 14)?

The significance of Apostle Paul’s repeated call to “stand” is that God calls to take our stand and not move from it. We are to hold our ground as followers of Christ, to keep to God’s ways and values and to hold to each other. It’s encouraging to know that Paul is addressing a group of Christians, a church, to take a stand together.

There is another verse that is along the similar thought 1 Cor 5:58 says “Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.” With the armor of God, we can take our stand as soldiers of Christ, and Satan and all the evil forces will not be able to move us from where we have taken a stand as a church if we put on the armor of God.

–

Submitted by Helen P. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:10-14 

• Notice the balance between human action and God’s provision – i.e., what we are called to do, and what God will do for us.  In what ways have I had to be “strong in the Lord”?

One way that I have had to be strong in the Lord is as I fight against the voices of disbelief and accusation that come up in my head.  They are voices that go against God’s truths. V12 reads, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places…”  Spiritual warfare is the battle that goes on between believers and Satan and his army of evil forces and demons.  It’s a spiritual struggle against the dark forces of evil in the world that goes on in the heart and minds of people.  Apostle Paul urges us not to get lured and sucked in by Satan’s tactics.  There have been many times this past year that I was convicted by the Holy Spirit to confess about a sin that I committed.  It was clear that the holy spirit was prompting me to confess, to God and to the person that I hurt but I remember each time I was convicted by the Holy Spirit, Satan was right there with me putting thoughts in my mind like “It’s okay, people are never going to know what you did.  Just keep it to yourself. Just confess to God, that’s all you have to do.” “You don’t have to go through the awkwardness, shame, and discomfort of telling someone what you did.  Just think about other things so that you can forget about it.”  Or voices that tell me that I’m never going to change, I’m condemned, I’m not forgiven, I’m worthless… Satan doesn’t want me to confess and repent. He doesn’t want me to be relieved from my guilt and shame.  He doesn’t want me to believe what it says in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Satan says that it’s too good to be true.  Satan constantly wants to drag me down so that I don’t experience victory. He wants me to feel defeated by my sins, to remain in darkness and hopelessness.  It’s through these times that I needed “to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”.  It’s kind of scary how real these evil forces and voices are. Each time I had to remember that Satan and his forces have already been defeated and overcome by Jesus Christ. I claimed the truth of God’s word in scripture in my prayers and through belief, I was able to fight against the power of the dark forces.  I remember praying “Lord, help my unbelief!” and speaking the very words that were in the Bible and through those times of earnest prayer and proclaiming God’s truth, I experienced overcoming the voices of Satan and standing firm in the Truth.  The truth really did set me free.

• What words describe the context for our need to “put on the whole armor of God”?  What can I learn about the nature of the spiritual battle raging around me from these verses?

Schemes of the devil, against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers, present darkness, spiritual forces of evil, evil day.  From these verses, it’s implied that in spiritual battle I’m going to experience weakness and therefore I must be strong in the Lord and in God’s strength.  I also need to be protected from the schemes of the devil and therefore I need to put on the whole armor of God.  What these verses also teach me is that spiritual battle needs to be fought deliberately.  Daily I need to have wartime mentality, just like a soldier who is in battle.  There is no time to rest when the enemy is constantly firing ammunition, voices, desires, temptations that will slow me down and debilitate me from following God. Unless I am obeying God and walking by the Spirit, I will end up gratifying the desires of my flesh and giving into the devil’s schemes. The sinful nature is the default state of man in this world. This means that I cannot remain passive as I live out my life as a Christian. I must be intentional and active about seeing and following what the Spirit desires so that Satan does not gain a foothold into my heart.  Through the Word of God we know what Satan is up to, ¹¹ so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. (2 Corinthians 2:11).  We, as believers, don’t have to fight blindly because like it says in 2 Cor 2:11, we are not ignorant of Satan’s designs and schemes, and with this knowledge we can fight the spiritual battle with focus and being proactive and prepared.

• To what extent do I see myself as involved in a spiritual battle?

With all that life throws at me day in and day out, with distractions, things that I need to take care of, people to meet, in the midst of just living life, this spiritual battle may not be so evident.  It’s through times of reading the word of God, being reminded of the schemes of Satan, the temptations that are all around me that I am reminded again of the spiritual warfare that is raging, that indeed Satan is like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be soberminded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith…”

For me personally, doing ministry has kept me aware of the spiritual warfare that is going on in the world.  The dark authorities, the spiritual forces of evil in this world are present all around us. I feel like the forces are especially strong in the media and on the internet.  So many messages that get pumped into our minds as people ingest inappropriate and unedifying things from the internet and in media. Unbeknownst to them, those who are unthinkingly taking in material from media/internet, Satan is slowly diverting them from following God and being faithful to Him.  As I engage in ministry and get to know people, more and more I’m seeing the spiritual battle that is at hand.  People don’t know that Satan has them captive. I witness people addicted to the internet, girls, and even guys, who have bought into the world system that says that they need to look a certain way in order to be valued, loved, and cherished resulting in eating disorders, some even contemplating suicide because they are feeling hopeless about life.  Satan is actively at work! As I witness this from the very people who are in my life, I see that I am very much involved in a spiritual battle, and as a minister, though these people may be helpless to fight this battle for themselves, I am not helpless.  God calls me to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might as I minister to these people.  I need to fight this battle with those who may be hurting, reminding them of the truth and the hope that we have in Christ Jesus.

• What is the significance of Apostle Paul’s repeated call to “stand” (vv. 11, 13, 14)?

I am called to stand firm as I fight this spiritual battle.  Apostle Paul’s repeated call for us to stand firm is a reminder that we ought not to get discouraged or so easily defeated by Satan’s evil forces. In the midst of all that Satan tries to blind us with, to drag us down, God calls us to stand. We are not hopeless or helpless.  Don’t let Satan get the best of us.  God gives me the whole armor of God to help me stand against the schemes of the devil, to withstand in the evil day, to stand firm with the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness.  God gives me the armor to protect me from Satan and his powers.  It’s an amazing thing that I can put on the full armor of God and actually stand my ground against the evil forces of the air, that when I do what God tells me to do, when I obey God’s commands, I can indeed stand.  God gives me the Word of Truth, ministry, people to love and care for, the church, co-laborers and soldiers in Christ, my leaders and friends so that I can fight this spiritual battle.  One thing that I was very clearly reminded of through today’s Word is that when I give into temptation, Satan’s voices that tell me to rest and let up a little bit, or causing me to doubt what God says, I am allowing Satan to enter into my heart. The fact that when I am earnest and sincere in following God, when I take small steps of obedience to do what God wants me to do, then as keep doing that, I’m anchoring myself and standing my ground against Satan’s ways.

Personal Prayer

Write out a brief prayer based on today’s DT.

Dear Lord, thank you for your call to be strong in the Lord and to stand firm in the midst of the spiritual battle that is raging all our me.  Thank you for not leaving me alone to fight against Satan’s schemes.  Thank you for the belt of Truth (the Word of God) and the breastplate of righteousness that I can put on to protect myself from Satan, and to be active in fighting against Him. Lord, please help me to be always aware of this spiritual battle, that I would have wartime mentality rather than peacetime mentality.  Souls are being taken over by Satan every minute.  Oh God, I want to commit to daily claiming your words of Truth so that I can stand firm against Satan and his ways! I pray that I would be faithful to you and as I actively follow you, I want to defeat the evil one…

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Submitted by Evelyn L. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:10-14 

•     Notice the balance between human action and God’s provision – i.e., what we are called to do, and what God will do for us.  In what ways have I had to be “strong in the Lord”?

One way in which I have experienced this is in my struggles against thoughts and voices of condemnation that condemns me for sins or the guilt from the things I’ve done in the past that creeps up here and there to haunt me. Voices that tells me that I cannot possibly be forgiven after all I’ve done, voices that say that who I am is not good enough, voices that strives to take me out of the battlefield and cause me to doubt God’s goodness, voices that causes me to doubt His promises, voices that takes me into a place of isolation where I am in hiding from God’s presence or His people. These are the times that I have to be “strong in the Lord”, these are the times when I have to actively put on His armor for me to experience that armor is working to help me take my stand against the devil’s schemes. These are the times when I feel the weakest, when the lies of the devil cripples me but when I go to the word of God – whether it’s through going to the bible, or doing that day’s DT or through speaking with my leaders or peers who would bring me God’s word, as I start to claim His promises and believing in them, I experience His words being a shield from Satan’s fiery darts of accusation and condemnation. These are the times when I am able to experience what it means to be strong in the Lord, that though I feel weak, I find strength that comes from God through trusting and believing in who God is.

•     What words describe the context for our need to “put on the whole armor of God”?  What can I learn about the nature of the spiritual battle raging around me from these verses?

The context for our need to put on the whole armor of God is that we are not merely just wrestling against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. These verses tells us that the battle that we are in is not merely a physical one, but it’s against spiritual forces of evil and darkness. This tells me that the nature of the spiritual battle that is raging around me is a very fierce one. This tells me that what I am battling against is not only against what I can see but there is a battle that is going on in the spiritual realms and as God’s people I am called to actively participate and be engaged in this battle. This warns me, that I cannot be someone who is just passively sits around as if there was peace because the devil is actively engaged in this battle on the other side. Whether it’s for my own life or the lives of those who have been entrusted to my care or just the lives of those around me, I am called to be fully engaged in this battle. One way in which this applies to my life is for me to first be someone who is proactively looking at my life, to be someone who is engaged and in tune with what is going on in my heart, to be someone who is reflective, so that I am able to bring myself honestly before God, in order for His words to be able to search my heart and cleanse it I first need to be able to know who I am and what’s going on. For me to go about mindlessly each day and be disengaged is one sure way through which the lies of the devil can quickly seep into my heart and into my thoughts.

•     To what extent do I see myself as involved in a spiritual battle?

Being engaged in ministry, I see how this picture of being in a spiritual battle aptly describes what it looks like from where I stand. In my life and in the life of those that I am ministering to, I see how the devil is actively lying to us and trying to get us to be on his side instead. Whether it’s through lies, that there are other things in the world that would satisfy, that success, wealth, ambition, romance, that these things are better to seek after than God. Every day I see how the devil dangles before us the temptation to leave God and to follow other gods of this world that is seemingly much more promising on the outside.

As I think about the students that we minister to, I see how ministry is really a spiritual battle that I have to fight on my knees for there is really nothing I can do that can change their hearts, in that split second whether they choose to follow God or the other empty promises of this world, whether they choose to either sin or honor God with their lives. Sure there are things we can do to encourage them and help others grow closer to God but ultimately the nature of battle is more spiritual than it is physical. As finals and winter break is around the corner, I am reminded once again that I cannot just have this attitude that I can take it easy now that all of the students are headed for home but instead this is the time where the battle is most crucial, this is the time when the battle is the hardest to fight, because they are far away and this is when I really need to double up in my efforts to pray for them daily so that I can be fully engage in this spiritual battle alongside with them as they are away.

•     What is the significance of Apostle Paul’s repeated call to “stand” (vv. 11, 13, 14)?

Apostle Paul repeatedly calls us to stand in the midst of this spiritual battle. One thought that came to mind is that he didn’t say, go fight, but he called us to stand. One verse that comes to mind is Psalm 1:3 where it describes a tree planted by streams of water. Here is a picture of something that is standing and firmly planted. In the same way that we are called to not be chaff like but firmly planted, we are called to stand in the Lord in the midst of this spiritual battle that is raging all around us. We are called to not abandon our post but instead, when the going gets tough to continue to stand for what we once believe is true.

Submitted by James K. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:5-8

• Reflect on the charge to servants.  Note the perspective and heart shift that the gospel makes possible in this context.  What would have been the impact of such a shift in how servants viewed themselves and their work? 

The perspective change for a servant would be significant, as to serve their earthly masters as they would Christ elevated their service.  They would no longer just be doing the bare minimum of what was expected of them, but rather serve out of love and devotion to Christ.  The day-to-day acts of service they would perform would not simply be to appease their earthly masters while they were in sight, but they would work hard and diligently, having integrity in what they did regardless of the physical presence of their earthly masters, for God is ever present.  This charge elevated their service to their earthly masters to “doing the will of God from the heart”.  That’s a huge difference.

The impact that this shift of how the servants viewed themselves would have affected everybody around them.  Fellow servants, their masters, as well as other people they interacted with as they went about their duties.  This switch from serving out of being enslaved to serving out of doing the will of God changes one’s attitude toward whatever task.  The quality of the work would be raised.  Their attitudes would be of joy rather than of reluctance over the same tasks they were responsible for.  And their relationships with those they were called to serve would change as well, as all of these things would then be rendered unto the Almighty Most High God of the universe, rather than just tending to the requirements of their position.

• What are some principles from these verses that can apply to me at school, home and work?

The application of the principles from these verses is that I, too, ought to see what I’m doing on a day-to-day basis as things rendered unto the Almighty Most High God of the universe, because it’s no longer the work in-and-of-itself that is the point.  It’s the attitude I take on and the relationships that I have with those whom I interact with as I carry out my responsibilities.  Being a software engineer, there are things that aren’t as enjoyable to do.  For the most part, these tasks get evenly distributed at my workplace.  But I should be willing to take on those less enjoyable tasks and be faithful to them, and strive for excellence as I do them.  That affects the kind of reputation that I have among my coworkers, since most of my coworkers know that I’m Christian, and those of us who attend the same church.  And so all the more, the work that I do, how I deal with issues and problems, how I interact with others, etc.–all represent Christian work ethic, whether I like it or not.  And so when I go about my duties, I have this opportunity to demonstrate how my commitment to Christ impacts the kind of work that I do at the workplace.  I can’t take on a bad attitude as I fix issues or point fingers at other people when problems come up.  The rest of the world will do that.  That is not how I would serve God, and so that is not how I can behave at my workplace.

“Non-Christians don’t read the bible, they read Christians.” The way that I live should bring them to take notice.  My faith needs to be “spoken” through my life without ever having to necessarily speak a word: my character, my decisions, behavior and attitude.  If the only indication of my followership of Christ is my verbal profession, and I don’t have a life that shines among those who do not know Jesus, then there is something wrong.

Ephesians 6:5-7

• Reflect on the words “as you would Christ” (v. 5) and “as to the Lord” (v. 7), and the contrasting descriptions—“way of eye-service,” “people-pleasers.” (v. 6)

When I am living in a way to serve Christ, my Lord, then there would be integrity, wholeness and consistency in what I do.  God is ever-present and he calls me to a life of not just doing things, but a life of “being”.  The values that I hold need to be consistent through whatever situation or circumstance I am in.  But living in such a way as of “eye-service” or being a “people-pleaser”, I’d only do what is beneficial to me given the context of those around me.  It would be a way to illegitimately gain popularity or acceptance and approval from others by doing things in their presence that would earn me such.  When they aren’t present, or if I’m among a different group of people, then what I do and how I live would adjust accordingly.  It would be living entirely selfishly, seeing others as some audience that would give me something as long as I’m jumping through the right hoops.  It’s political and lacks integrity and consistency.

Living for the approval of people can be tempting, even when it comes to service within the church.  But at the end of the day, the kind of life that I’m called to live, if the approval of man is what I’m living for, that just won’t be enough.  And the more somebody does that, the further he is from the heart of God.  The heart of God is for others, to love and care for others, to tend to their needs.  But the heart of somebody living for the approval of people is for the self, and what service is done for others would extend only as far as it benefits the self, especially in terms of reputation.

• How do these verses challenge how I approach work and service in my ministry context? 

What I do, I do before the eyes of God.  If I am going to be a people-pleaser, then I am not going to take the opportunities to shape and to mold the people that God has entrusted into my care, for doing so is difficult and could very easily make me very unpopular.  I ought to strive for excellence in the work that I do for the company I work for so that I might properly represent Christian work ethics.  I don’t want them to regard Christians as people who half-hearted or half finished work, but rather upstanding citizens who do things well out of personal integrity.

These verses challenge having an attitude of being satisfied with subpar standards.  What standards I am satisfied with will be used to represent God and my faith.  I need to be helpful in all areas of my life, which include my workplace, a context in which others still need to be ministered to.

In my ministry context, I need to carry out the duties of the entrustment that has been given me, again, striving for excellence.  I need to be consistent in what I preach to the people I’m ministering to and the life that I myself live.  I take that duty and responsibility very personally and seriously.

Ephesians 6:9

• Reflect on the words “knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven” (v. 9) and the radical implications on human relationships this implies.  How does this challenge me in my approach to people? Are there some people who I need to see differently based on this reminder of who their master is?

We are all sinners at the mercy of the same Master, and so I can relate to others as such.  I am a sinner alongside every other person that I might be tempted to think I am better than in my life as well.  In all things, everybody is equal before God… sinners in need of mercy.  My approach to people should, then, always be with a humble acknowledgement of that fact.

As I’m in a position of leadership, I need to remember that the people I lead belong to God, and are not there simply for me to get things done.  They have entrusted their service into my care, and I take that burden of responsibility very seriously.  I received many Thanksgiving cards from the Kairos staff recently for Thanksgiving.  Reading every one of their cards humbles me at the privilege that I’ve been given of people who trust me so much.  And I carry that as a steward, knowing that they do so out of their trust in God.  I want to carry that entrustment and guard it and steward it well for their molding and shaping, never putting myself in a position where I can take from them, but rather to lead them and raise them up to be leaders for the sake of the gospel.

–

Submitted by David W. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:5-8

• Reflect on the charge to servants.  Note the perspective and heart shift that the gospel makes possible in this context.  What would have been the impact of such a shift in how servants viewed themselves and their work? 

The charge to the servants is to obey their earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as they would Christ.  They are to do so not just to gain the favor of the masters but as a service to God doing the will of God.  This is the perspective and heart shift that the gospel makes possible in this context.  Whatever good anyone does, he will receive it back from the Lord, whether he is a servant or not.   They are not relating to man primarily anymore, but they are relating to God.  It is all in relationship and in context of a relationship with God.  The impact of such a shift in how servants viewed themselves and their work would be a change in attitude, perhaps from an unwillingness to a willingness, from a begrudging attitude to a willing attitude, from a bitterness to a joy even.  It might even be possible to win over the master through the life and actions and attitude change of the servant as a witness for God.  It would also transform the servant’s identity from a servant of man to a servant of God, and give them a sense of dignity, a sense of identity.

• What are some principles from these verses that can apply to me at school, home and work?

Some principles from these verses that can apply to someone as school might be to obey the rules and regulations of the school, of the teachers and authority figures, in the classroom and on the campus not to gain their favor or to just fool them in some way or even for one’s own personal benefit or to be some kind of teacher’s pet, but because it is right before God, because it is one way we can honor God.  At home, I can obey my parents in the Lord, like verse 1 says.  Of course, if they tell me to do something that is conflicting with God’s will, God’s will takes precedence, but as much as possible, I can obey my parents, with a sincere heart, to honor them and to show respect and love to them.  At work, I can obey my manager and my bosses, to do what they ask me to do, to work with integrity and honor and not try to take advantage of work, not cut corners or do a poor quality job, not be a sour, negative, difficult person who argues and gives pushback, not just because their could be consequences to keeping my job or not and that I should be doing what I am told at work, but because my excellence and integrity can be a witness to my manager and bosses, that they would see the effect that being a Christian has on a person.

Ephesians 6:5-7

• Reflect on the words “as you would Christ” (v. 5) and “as to the Lord” (v. 7), and the contrasting descriptions—“way of eye-service,” “people-pleasers.” (v. 6)

The words “as you would Christ” and “as to the Lord” instruct how we are to carry out our tasks, our actions, and how we are to treat others, our relationships.  We are to carry out our actions as we would if we were doing it to God, and treat others as we would treat God.  It is before God, before the audience of one.  It is to please God.  This is contrasted with the words “way of eye-service” and “people-pleasers”.  To act or treat people in such a way would be to just do things when in the sight of others, so as to make oneself look better, to gain favor or attention, instead of being genuine and honest and how you would really be if no one were looking.  It is to be enslaved to the opinion and approval of others, and to just be motivated to do things so that others can compliment me and praise me, to the boost of my own ego.

• How do these verses challenge how I approach work and service in my ministry context?

These verses challenge how I approach work and service in my ministry context to work and serve others, the college students and my interns and the church, as I would work and serve God.  It is to be motivated by proper reason, so serve and please God, and not to serve or please man.  What I do wouldn’t be to please my leaders, to gain their favor so that I might be praised and complimented by them for being such a good leader.  I wouldn’t be loving the college students, praying with them, leading them in LIFE group, Course 101, talks, answering their questions, bringing them soup and orange juice when they are sick, remembering and celebrating their birthdays, taking them out to dinner, having difficult conversations, and so on just for human approval or just because my leader told me to.  I would be doing all of that because that is how I can honor and serve God and it would be how I can treat others as I would treat Christ, and it is what I would do as to the Lord.  And it would challenge me to serve faithfully, cheerfully, persistently despite circumstances, how tired I am, and other challenges and difficulties in life that come up.  And it would be so that one day I can hopefully hear from Him, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Ephesians 6:9

• Reflect on the words “knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven” (v. 9) and the radical implications on human relationships this implies.  How does this challenge me in my approach to people? Are there some people who I need to see differently based on this reminder of who their master is?

Apostle Paul points out how that we should all know that He who is both their master and mine is in heaven.  Basically, God is not just my God, but He is the God of us all.  Before God, before the cross, we are all equal.  Before God, there is not one better than another, one above another.  We are all sinners.  This is pretty radical, especially in that time, to the audience of masters and slaves, when that is so prevalent and considered so normal and natural.  It has pretty radical implications on human relationships even now, in the present day, where we relate to each other based on what we can get out of one another, how we can benefit from the other person, how useful that other person is, where people compare with one another their appearance, their intelligence, their status in society, their jobs, how much money they make, how much power they have, and so on, to compare who is better and who is worse.  But instead, these comparisons and categories of classification and motivations are nothing before God.  This challenges me in my approach to people, to not be biased against them or judgmental against them in any way.  Personally, I strive to be competent and useful, and this is an area in which I can approach others, judge others, compare with others and demand from others.  This is very dangerous and very ugly, devaluing people and not seeing people as God sees them, each as precious sons and daughters no matter what they can do, how competent and useful they are.  It can very easily turn into a utilitarianism, which taken to an extreme becomes horrifying.  And as I see myself more clearly and my sinfulness, I see how I am not always so competent and not always so useful.  As God is their master and mine, I need to see everyone and treat everyone not based on their competency and usefulness.

In another sense, as I have grown older and served longer in ministry, I have been able to not give in to that view of people, and to instead grow and try to see people as God would see them, to see them as helpless sinners who are in need of the gospel, in need of forgiveness and salvation, in need of be being restored to God, and I have been able to see myself more clearly, as how God sees me, as one just the same, a helpless sinner who through God’s grace and mercy was found by Him and brought back into relationship with Him even though I don’t deserve it and didn’t earn it.  This is how I need to see people, college students that I am ministering to, coworkers, friends, family members and relatives, as God is my master and theirs.

Personal Prayer

Dear God,

You show me and instruct me that the proper way to live, the proper way to relate to others is to view them, treat them, act as I would treat Christ, as I would do to You.  In situations where I have to answer to other authorities, You call me to obey in fear and trembling, with a sincere heart.  I know that I can often fall short of this in so many ways, in so many different areas.  I pray that in all the areas of my life that I would be consistent, a man of integrity and a witness to You through my life and actions, especially in ministry.  As also, I can tend to treat and view and compare with others, particularly in the area of competency and usefulness, help me to fight against that, to see myself clearly and know that we are all the same, equal, sinful people in need of salvation.

In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

–

Submitted by Will W. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Ephesians 6:5-8

• Reflect on the charge to servants.  Note the perspective and heart shift that the gospel makes possible in this context.  What would have been the impact of such a shift in how servants viewed themselves and their work? 

Paul’s teaching to servants is not an easy one.  His charge is to obey their earthly masters with fear and trembling, with sincerity, just as they would Christ.  He’s telling servants that these people who very well could be mistreating them are to be treated like Christ.  Paul’s saying, don’t just treat them well on a superficial level, but really as one would towards Christ, doing what they’re doing with good will.  I can only imagine how hard this call must have been for some servants, who probably really hated their masters.  Some of those servants may have been getting persecuted for years, beaten, spit on, tortured, mocked, and generally treated very poorly.  So for a servant to obey this urging by Paul, it’s not easy.  For people to be able to have this heart shift towards their cruel masters would have taken a lot.  Yet that’s the impact and power of the Gospel in people’s hearts.  The power of the Gospel allowed servants to really try to serve their masters and to see that as if they were serving the Lord.  I think the impact of such a shift would be on multiple levels.  On the first level, the servants, though maybe still mistreated would still see themselves as people of dignity.  Their value no longer came from what they did or what society said they were worth, their value came from what Jesus said about them.  The power of the Gospel told the slaves that they were equally valuable before God’s eyes so even if they were doing some pretty painful, menial, and “lowly” tasks that others might not want to, they could still obey their masters, knowing that their obedience would allow them to receive back from the Lord.  Another impact of such a shift in how servants viewed themselves and their work, I’m thinking, might also even affect their masters.  Their masters might then ask, “Why is this person working so hard and not hating me?”  I wonder how many of the people in the early church were slave owners transformed by the Gospel through seeing the witness of their slaves and servants.  One thing we know is that the early church community had people of both high status and low status.  That such relationships could exist in the context of the church was something that would change the Roman world.

• What are some principles from these verses that can apply to me at school, home and work?

I think in a lot of ways these verses can apply to me directly with regards to my context at work.  The whole slave/master dichotomy is not so apparent in the world today, but I guess the closest thing might be between someone and their boss.  The passage says to obey them and to render service with good will.  The passage doesn’t say only render service with good will if you enjoy your job or that it’s okay to not render service with good will if the job doesn’t seem all that exciting.  The exhortation is the same to all, to do good as if that work is being done towards God.  It’s not to promote the self and be a people-pleaser to the boss, but simply doing good work because doing good work pleases God.  Because the fact is, even though there might be a hierarchy at work, there is none in God’s eyes when looking at us.  And for me as a Christian at my workplace, the way I approach work, the way I interact with my co-workers, that could potentially impact them.  The way I handle myself in tough situations, not getting angry, not cussing, not blowing a fuse, not blaming, not brown-nosing the boss, that is something so different than what others might do.  And maybe just like the early Christians who were slaves that might have saved their masters in sharing the Gospel with them, maybe my Christian witness and work can affect even one person.  No matter what context I’m in, I must serve with a sincere heart.

Ephesians 6:5-7

• Reflect on the words “as you would Christ” (v. 5) and “as to the Lord” (v. 7), and the contrasting descriptions—“way of eye-service,” “people-pleasers.” (v. 6)

These words “as you would Christ” and “as to the Lord” stand in such sharp contrast to the words “way of eye-service” and “people-pleasers.”  One thing I noticed about these things is where the focus is.  When one does things “as you would Christ” and “as to the Lord,” the focus is on Christ and pleasing him.  And while offering “eye-service” and “people pleasing” can on the outside seem like serving others, such names imply that someone is doing those things to gain something out of it.  When people do things towards Christ and to the Lord, the proper attitude is to do things out of love for Christ.  Looking at what Christ did for us, for me, the only appropriate response would be to do things as to the Lord in a very genuine and sincere way.  People-pleasing, offering eye-service, is simply to draw attention to oneself.  It’s to garner other people’s attention and favor.  So two people could be doing the exact same thing, one person could even objectively be doing a better job.  But the motivation behind actions, the heart makes all the difference.  Because God knows the heart with which we do things, our actions can either fulfill his will or not fulfill his will.

• How do these verses challenge how I approach work and service in my ministry context?

These verses, especially those phrases above are very applicable then to how I approach both my work and service in my ministry context.  Specifically with how I approach ministry, I think the words “as you would Christ” and “as to the Lord” are an apt reminder to the heart with which I approach ministry work.  There have been times, I admit, where my heart in ministry was more of “eye-service” and “people pleasing” than doing the work unto the Lord.  When I don’t think about why I’m doing ministry, it can get so easy to just think in terms of tasks.  It can get so easy to just do things because my leaders recommend it or because others are doing it.  And I think this can be especially true of service in “ministry” for the kinds of tasks that might go unnoticed or just the more background kind of things.  Whether it’s something like cleaning the bathrooms when we do church cleaning, there’s two ways to do it.  There’s one way, just getting the task done to please the person who is supervising the cleaning, or there’s the other way of seeing doing a good job as being done unto the Lord.  Two people doing the exact same thing might have very different hearts behind what they’re doing and only God will know.  But that’s the whole thing Paul is trying to tell the Ephesians, God knows.  Whatever good work that one does, the passage says, “this he will receive back from the Lord.”  Not all ministry work is fun, get a lot of attention, or even feel like you’re doing all that much, but it can be done unto the God. That’s the lesson for me because I know that it’s in the little tasks or the lesser seen tasks that I’m most prone to take shortcuts.  So whether I’m doing something like HB cleaning, helping with setup or takedown of something for Kairos or for church, or even cleaning up at someone’s house after using it, I can approach these things as things I work hard at, rendering service to the Lord. And like Pastor Andy taught us when we were in Taiwan, it’s in doing those secret acts of service where I know I can avoid doing things out of a heart to people-please or offer eye-service.  In looking for such opportunities that’s when I know the service will be rendered to the Lord and not to man.

Ephesians 6:9

• Reflect on the words “knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven” (v. 9) and the radical implications on human relationships this implies.  How does this challenge me in my approach to people? Are there some people who I need to see differently based on this reminder of who their master is?

The radical implication on human relationship the verse 9 implies is that we’re all on equal playing field.  Whatever our earthly status or position, what really matters is our master in heaven.  So whether I’m some entry level worker at a company or a CEO, before God we’re all the same in terms of our position in relation to him.  And as I approach others in my life, it means I’m to also think about others in such a light.  The person that might clean the building at my workplace is just as important before God as the CEO of my company.  As I approach people, be it peers, leaders, younger people, or co-workers, all are equally important in terms of me offering my respect and being a good person towards them.  I’m to relate to them with the same kind of love, concern, and care to all people in my life.  As I think about the various people in my life, I think the people I am most challenged to see differently based on the passage right now would be my peers.  I think it’s easy for me to treat my peers a little more roughly or even not try as hard to love them because they’re my peers.  These are the guys I should be closest with and we live together, yet there are times this past semester since living with them where I haven’t been relating to them on a very spiritual level.  And while that’s been something that has been changing, we share the same master and I’ve seen recently how I really need to grow with them on a more spiritual level. On my part I know I’ve been challenged much more this past semester to really cherish these relationships and see how we can really build one another up spiritually.

Personal Prayer

Dear heavenly father, I just want to thank you for the ways that you spoke to me in today’s DT.  I thank you especially for once again challenging the way I approach work that I do, whether it’s at my day job or the ever important work of ministry that you have given me to do.  Father, I pray that in my head, the way with which I approach doing such work I can remember the words of this text, to really strive to “do the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not as to man.”  It’s so easy for me to want to please man, but to please you is so much more valuable.  Father also help me to think of the people you’ve placed in my life on a more spiritual level, seeing that we indeed share you as our master in heaven.  You call me to have godly relationships with the people around me and to elevate those relationships because you are our master.  Thank you Lord for your precious words.