Living in the Spirit

November 21, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Ephesians 1:15-23
I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

We are called to understand the priority we chose for our lives when we elected to follow God.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. –Ephesians 4:4-6

When I was in college, I heard to story of the prayer the president of one of the men’s social clubs gave as grace over a banquet. His prayer was Yea! [his club’s name], Yea! [The school’s name], Yea! God let’s eat. I wonder at the time if God being mentioned last meant God was more important or the least important. I never got the chance to ask him. He went on to become a wonderful pastor and leader in faith.

Recently, I learned that most of us have the meaning of totem poles all wrong when we say someone is low man on the totem pole*. The base of the pole is the most important figure. These poles are not religious in nature often they record family history.

Combining these two stories to illustrate what Ephesians is trying to tell us, we see God is our strength which behooves us to accept God as foundational. The Lord is the alpha and omega, the beginning, and the end, yet God grants us the freedom to align with God or not. Choosing wisely results in a lifetime commitment to recognizing God who is love as our highest priority, which shapes everything else.

Prayer: Lord, in this time of pandemic help us reconsider our priorities and make the adjustments needed to follow your priorities more closely. Amen.

*https://www.aaanativearts.com/general-facts-about-totem-poles

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.