Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

If I am not mistaken these are monarch worms, so to speak. We do enjoy the monarch butterflies that lay eggs on our milk weed, then fly off somewhere, leaving their progeny to fend for themselves.  This fellow and a few of his friends eat the milkweed voraciously, adding length and weight quickly.  I am intrigued by the eye of the fellow in lower left.  Mmm!  All this was yesterday’s delight.

 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:29 – 32

Again, consider our mouths, how we use ours.  We should be careful not to use our mouths for unwholesome talk. 

But build others up by considering their needs, not ours!  Listen, then respond.  Be ever so careful with what you speak because before you know it you may grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  We would not dream of breaking that seal so we must always speak the truth, and live the truth.

Then Paul moves to a deeper level, where all thoughts come from. He is writing to believers, like us!  He begs us to get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  That well covers it quite well!  It is not only possible for a believer to speak and behave like this, but it is forbidden for a child of God to do so.

Instead, Paul teaches, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Be kind always.  Be compassionate to each other.  Forgive each other, just like Christ forgave you!

It is as simple yet as profound as that.  I try to imagine what it would be like if all of us believers actually did this. I think specifically of forgiving others as we are forgiven.  If all of us believers would, say, tomorrow, obey this word of truth, a light would shine in this world as never before!  Lord, forgive us for not obeying your sure word.

What is more refreshing than chilled watermelon in the summer?  We have some almost every day.  We use the seedless kind.  And the corn behind, and the tomatoes bring us much pleasure.  Thank God for all these nice things.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Ephesians 4:25 – 28

The new life the believers are given is meant to be lived!  It is not an easy way, however, as all believers have discovered.  But in Christ, there is no other way!  Final.

To begin with you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor.  And to anyone else for that matter.  The point is, the believer will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, live without hypocrisy.  We are tempted to tweak the truth at times because we are tempted into thinking that will help.  The end of that road is disaster.  I find it interesting that Paul focuses on what we say, rather than on what we do.  Of course, both are essential and non-negotiable. Lying may be the most hurtful because only living the truth protects us from the evil one.

He again uses the example of a single body of which we are a part that suffers when some of its members lie.  That weakens that body horribly.

He assumes that we are tempted to be angry, a common feeling we must deal with.  But that very anger can be a way that Satan gets a foothold in our lives.  Never go to bed angry – forgive, forego and get a good night’s sleep!

A prominent sin is stealing, meaning taking anything that has not been freely given you.  If you earn something by working you are fine, but do not take away the fruits of another’s labor.   Do your bit.  Work.  That pleases God and all believers of all times and places agree to that.

Obedience does not earn salvation which is a gift of grace, but a changed heart will and should desire to obey.

We love to look across the field to the substantial Beiler barn.  The house is hidden by trees.  From this vantage point we follow the change of seasons, daily.

That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:20 – 24

The truth that is in Jesus is that the difference between a child of this world and a new-born child of God is night and day.  A believer discovers that his or her decision to follow Christ with all one’s heart, mind and soul means everything.  Paul describes it as putting off your old self…to be made new.  I am trying to grasp what it means to put off one’s old self.  It goes further than just taking off one garment and putting on another.  It goes to the very heart of a person, to his or her deepest desires and attitudes of the mind.  We call it a change of heart.

We noted that it is far more than changing a garment, it is changing the fundamental way of life.   When we first read Paul’s description of what happens, we are astounded!  It is being made new in the attitude of your minds, he insists.  Not just a repaired old thing, but an entirely new one!  He insists that God gives us new selves!

And, friend, what does this new “self” look like?  Listen carefully, it is created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  To be like God!!  That is what it is all about, not a patched up old one but an entirely new one.  And how is God?  He is true righteousness and holiness.  As we put on Jesus we embrace true righteousness and holiness, like God!

I will leave it at that.  I need to let this truth invade my entire life and thinking.

Dear Anna Ruth saves egg cups – from where we have traveled and over time.  Nice collection.  Granddaughter Elizabeth removed them from the cabinet, washed them and rearranged them for display.  I like the way she savors each one and handles them with great care.  That was yesterday.  We have Evan and Elizabeth almost every Tuesday over the Summer.  Good fun.

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

Ephesians 4:17 – 19

We are a new community of faith in Jesus Christ, from a variety of cultures.  We need to live like that because that is our new identity, an eternal one.  The enemy of our souls tries to pull us back into the world that we were delivered from by the new birth and sanctification.

Paul gets a bit stern here, you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  As we noted earlier, in Ephesus believers were from both Greek cultures and Jewish cultures who lived together as the redeemed Body of Christ.  Paul was well aware of the fact that the Gentile believers were tempted to return to their old way of thinking.  Paul described this as being darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.  That is, before the came to know and accept Jesus Christ.

Paul is speaking as a Jewish follower of Christ, steeped in ancient Jewish insistence on separation from the world.   He describes the “unsaved” Greeks as having lost all sensitivity.  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.  Ignorant, insensitive, impure, full of greed – a fit description of a culture without the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I personally see no difference between the situation in Ephesus and our own times.  Hard, unbelieving hearts lose all sensitivity and then the doors are open to all evil.  We need to be aware of this at all times.

Yesterday our first passion blossom burst open, revealing exquisite beauty and symmetry.   This is one of our precious fall flowers.  Many followers of Jesus see in it salvation symbolism – trinity, crown of thorns and much more.  I am blessed as I ponder the mystery and power of this flower.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 3:14 – 16

Paul spent many days on the seas as he took the Gospel of Jesus around the Mediterranean Sea.  He must have noticed that small children are upset by waves that do not seem to affect the heavier adults.  Paul notes that infants in the faith are especially susceptible to being swept away by the many waves of false teaching that threaten us.  Satan seeks to disturb simple faith.  He uses cunning and craftiness of evil people to confuse babes in the faith.

Seeing this happen, Paul encourages all of us to grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  I like the truth that the head of every believer is Jesus Christ!  If we all have the same head, so to speak, we should all be under the supervision of the Holy Spirit.  And, as I read this, I see that as we allow the common head, Jesus Christ, to set our affections and thinking right we grow up and mature in our faith, becoming settled, not allured by teaching that weakens faith.

The day of false teaching of every kind is now.  We need to help the whole body that is joined together by bones and ligaments, one living, functioning body, to ward off the evils of teachings that push Jesus Christ to the side.  Paul reminds us that we all have the same head, Jesus Christ, from him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  Love makes it all work.  If there is suspicion and selfishness all gets confused.

Lord Jesus, you and you alone are our head, there is no other.  Keep us living in love under our common head, Jesus Christ.