Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:22, 23

ALL THINGS UNDER JESUS’ FEET!  God has done it!  It is not for us to do.  This was made possible because Jesus died for us and rose again and is now in us and in glory!

Only the eyes of the soul can believe and see this.  It seems like the followers of Jesus in our world are pushed into the background by the cultures in which we live. Even us believers wonder now and again if anyone notices the most important factor in all History – that Jesus is alive and active in the Church, his Body on the earth.

I pinch myself and ask, did Paul really believe this, that all things are under Jesus’ feet, or is it just a fancy hope to keep people believing? Is Paul just tantalizing us?  I believe the Spirit of the Lord would feel insulted by such a question.  Paul is not writing about some appealing hope, but he is recording the truth, a truth that is not to be debated but believed!

Believer, God placed all things under Jesus’ feet and made him to be the head over everything for the church.  This knowledge sets us apart from every philosophy, and religion in the world, today and always.  May the Lord give us the humility and acumen to make this the most important thing in our lives!

The day is coming when every eye shall see this!  We are blessed to see it now, today.

Saturday morning and Anna Ruth is baking her usual four loaves – of whole wheat, plus, flour.  Every breakfast she toasts some to go with our morning coffee.  A most delightful work of love.  Come on over have some!

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know…his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead. 

Ephesians I:18 –  10

I am not much of a power person!  I fidget a bit when I think of exerting power here among this generation.  I think, at least for me, a humble attitude is best!  I am convinced of that.

But that makes what I read here more powerful!  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know…his incomparably great power for us who believe.  Here it is, at the heart of God’s encouragement to believe in Jesus – know the great power for us who believe. I read again, power for us!  It is not our power, but the power of Jesus Christ in whom we live.

I am weak.  He is powerful beyond imagination.  I need his power in my life every moment of the day. That power is the exact same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead!  Is there a power beyond that?  No!  The power that is at work in you and me is the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead!  That power never changes, it is as constant as the love of God because it is God’s love for me, not my love for him.

So, as Paul opens the precious letter he reminds us of our position in the Lord.  As we embrace that gift we find grace and truth that calms our spirits and sets us singing.

The church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:22

First surprise – the church is the body of Christ on the earth today. It will fill the earth with God’s good news – nothing can stop it, except human negligence or unbelief.  We are part of that church, therefore a member of his body, just like we are reading and learning in Paul’s witness.  What a huge privilege and responsibility! Christ’s body on the earth!  Then I should do my best to act like that.

We do not energize and build the church, that is what God does. Our body is the “fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Am I empty? Jesus wants to fill me.  Am I weary? Jesus wants to strengthen me. Is my faith weak?  Jesus wants to increase my faith.

With God almighty doing all this, with overflowing grace and mercy, we find ourselves strangely blessed and full of joy.  This is not an empty promise, but a perfect description of those who follow the Lamb of God in truth and reality.  Sounds like fiction. It is the true story that will never end.

What a joy?  What a heritage?  Praise our Lord with cheerful praise and love him dearly, always walking in his steps.

Now and again, Abner Beiler asks to go somewhere and lets his scooter here.  We think it just fits along our brick wall, at the garage door.  I ran around with him to try to get white paper in which to wrap tobacco.  He has lots of brown. We found that everyone is waiting – three more weeks!  Glad I am not in that business.

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:22

This sentence of Paul, written in the Spirit, was at the end of our most recent meditation.  I could not leave it without my few words of praise and worship.

Could this be true?  That God has placed all things under the feet of Jesus?  Really.  Or is it, “most things?”  It takes a leap of faith to believe that, does it not?  One way to look at it is that someday, in the future, things will be under Jesus’ feet.  That is true and fairly easy to believe.

To receive the truth of “all things” is a faith statement.  Is this world with all its evil under the feet of Jesus?  Yes.  Even rebels!  Try as hard as they can, they can never displace Jesus.  It is a little like a ruler of a city, all are under his control, so to speak, but not all love him and adore Him above all names.  In this way, all things are under his feet.

That leads us to the next witness of Paul, Jesus is head of everything for the church which is his body.  Hallelujah!  I note the proposition, “for”, not “in”.  This special relationship that Jesus has with his church is so precious that it is hard to describe but thrilling nevertheless.

See, sinners, in the Gospel glass,
The friend and Savior of mankind!
Not one of all the apostate race
But may in Him salvation find!
His thoughts, and words, and actions prove,
His life and death, that God is love!

Charles Wesley was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, and was born at Epworth Rectory, Dec. 18, 1707 in UK.

This Wesley hymn is for us – sinners.  We do not bring our righteousness before our holy God, but our need, our helplessness.  Selfish pride asks only to be understood.  Humility, on the other hand, opens our hearts to what really matters, God is love. That love inspires us constantly.  It is love that never fails.

I need to remind myself of this often.  I am almost 90 years old and am comparatively happy with myself.  My song of praise reverberates through my soul, God is love.  This is the bed-rock reason I can sing and praise.  It sets the soul and reminds us that what really matters is that God loves us. If I try to please God with my accomplishments, by my goodness, I miss the mark entirely. That is not what God wants to hear, he knows that already.  What blesses him is our joy knowing that He loves us!  That we love him is simply a response to his love.  We can not conjure up that love.

So, my song as I move into February is, God is love.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:18 – 22

Really?  It is almost too much!  Paul prays for the Ephesian believers.  What does he pray for?

That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.  Sounds strange at first – the heart has eyes!  The heart is the center of emotion. It determines how we feel. If those eyes see clearly, blessed is every person who has such eyes!

What is important for those “heart eyes” to see?

First, to know the hope to which he has called you.  We are called to hope. That kind of hope can not be contrived, it is one of the blessed gifts of the Holy Spirit. We have this hope because we are “called.”  This opens the window into the blessed truth of God’s calling, a mystery but also a profound reality.

Second, to receive the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.  Is that possible for us quite ordinary human beings?  Glorious inheritance like all born again people get!

Third, that we might know God’s incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

This is too good to believe, we might say, as our eyes begin to see things of the Spirit.  I stand in awe of how we, the saved ones, are blessed beyond measure.  Sight.  Hope.  Riches. Power.  Oh, my soul, stay on this passage until it shapes my entire thinking.