The Talk of Men: 25 Jan 2011

25 Jan 2011

Reading: Ephesians 4:1 - 4

Sorry. I have really been wrestling with some topics; I couldn't decide what to do. I have had a hard time working on this one. Even now, it seems jumbled, disorganized, and I struggle with the focus. I think it is best to focus on my own struggle. If you struggle as I do, maybe my questions of my own will resonate with you and maybe the search for answers to such will draw you closer to His vision for you. This is my own hope for myself.


This section, if your bible version has the same section headings as mine, has some pretty fitting titles: "Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ" and then "Instructions for Christian Living".

If you are like me, then you have had several crossroads, maybe more like a crossroads on a fairly regular basis, where you are searching for instructions on how to live, what standards to live by. As I seem to be drawn to this section, it seems fitting to continue the discussion on how to be a spiritual leader by expanding the scope to our interactions outside of the home as well as the inside. What kind of person should I be? How should my interactions be with other people? I feel the tug and pull of the concept of grace. If I give myself too little grace, then I am torturing myself and beating myself silly over the mistakes I have made (which is where I have been for several weeks or months now). If, however, I give myself too much grace (though Christ would probably challenge me as to what I mean by this), then I almost give myself too much freedom to act like a jerk or a buffoon. So I think this passage is a great section at a great time.

As I read and reflect, these are the statements or ideas that seem to pop out at me. I urge you to reply to all and comment on what ideas pop out to you.

"1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;"
Suppose God walked up to me today, and He and I had coffee and conversation. Suppose He called me to account for my actions, my reputation, my deeds, and then asked me how these compared to the man He wanted me to be as outlined in the scriptures, I don't think I would be able to be confident before my Lord. Sure, I believe in Christ; it wouldn't be a conversation about salvation. God would be talking about how I helped bring God's life and love to others.
Am I gentle with other people?
Am I humble?
Was I patient with other people?
Was I quick to forgive others?
Or was I am pompous prick who acted like I am humble, but really wanted something in return?

Am I quick to grind my axe, or can I learn to truly forgive?

What about this idea of unity? There seems to be something about the way that men like to talk to each other that brings us down far more than we recognize. Now, I will be the very first to admit that I have used sarcasm and ridicule not only for a joke, but to my advantage, and even as a tool. How awful. I would editorialize and say that there probably isn't any harm to a little light sarcasm between friends, as long as all laugh and I keep it in check. It too easily, though, permeates more than just the humor of my close friends and invades my conversation with my coworkers, other brothers and sisters in Christ, my wife, my kids. Pretty soon, I am deep in the territory of inappropriate and downright divisory, tearing down the very same peace and unity that I should building in and with those people. Sin city.

If God looked me right in the eye and asked me: "Did you make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace?", what the heck would I say?

Was I gentle with my wife and with my fellow sisters in Christ? Did I build up my family, my brothers, my friends, giving encouragement and treating others with gentleness? Did I even try to make it a habit to compliment those around me to build each other up? Did I bother to hear a response from others after I asked the obligatory "How are you?" when passing by?

Or did I toss that away and instead go for the cheap laugh? How poor in Spirit am I that I sell my obedience to Christ for a cheap laugh?!?
HOW WICKED IS MY HEART?!?

How easy of an exercise is it to at least devote myself to an attempt (giving myself grace as I am going against my evil nature) to be everything Paul is talking about in verses 1-4?

Why won't we?




Prayer Requests:

> That we would all strive to live a life worthy of the calling we have recieved, and dare not be content with our current level of being "good".
> That we would emulate verses 2 and 3.

Todd's Condition
> Praise that Todd is feeling well and that he is able to be relatively independent in the hospital right now.
> Praise that there isn't much to report.
> Continued prayer that the donor cells are strengthened and take over the body. When the hospital does a Chimerism test, we want it to see 100% donor cells.
> Continued prayer that God would strengthen Jen, as she is taking care of most of the things at home, while visiting Todd in the hospital.
> Continued prayer for Todd's health, that when his immune system is so low, that he would not get sick at all. Todd's White Blood Cells (WBC) are down to 0.0.