Living the Rest of Our Days Out of Reverence for Christ
“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” At the time I first heard this slogan, I of course had no earthly idea how long my life would last; gave it no thought as a teenager; been giving it quite a bit of thought in recent years!
As I pondered interpretation and application of this week’s Bible study, it occurred to me that a two-word answer I gave recently to a troubled friend of mine pretty much sums up the point Paul was making to Christians at Ephesus.
My friend asked my opinion on how to deal with the Internal Revenue Service with regard to a letter he had received - in which they claimed he owes the government two thousand dollars in penalties.
My answer to my friend was: “very carefully”! I got to thinking about how often I have said to my loved ones, and they have said to me: “Be careful”! Especially do we say it when someone we love is about to embark on a trip. Our concern of course is for their well-being.
Nothing was dearer to the heart of Paul than the well-being of: new converts to the Christian Faith . . . the Church as a whole . . . each and every one of us who make up the Fellowship of Believers – his fervent desire being that we keep on growing spiritually until we reach a level of maturity that fosters a sense of security and builds each other up within the community . . .
Paul admonishes us to live the rest of our days in mature ways so as to reverence Christ in all that we say and do - Ephesians 5:15-20 . . . How are we to approach life’s challenges for the rest of our days?
Carefully . . . make wise (common sense) choices for making the most of your Christian witness in a day when conditions are unfavorable for Christians.
This is not a time for becoming lax in moral standards and thereby relax our spiritual defenses which are being put to the test everywhere we turn by the nudging to “go along for the sake of getting along” with a the secular crowd whose mindset is “anything goes”.
Neither is this a time for mature Christians to use this conflict between non-Christian and Christian forces as an excuse for no longer paying attention nor getting involved. We’ve got to stay connected - “in the world though not of the world”!
Consistently . . . “redeem the time”, not escape from it. Christians have a duty to look to the will of the Lord for how best to participate in world affairs, while keeping in mind that seeking God’s will applies where we are.
Each new day presents the opportunity to ask God for divine help so that we might discern His will for making wise choices that day – one day at a time doing what we determine the Lord would have us to be and do.
Cognizantly . . . be aware of the continuing presence of the third person of the Trinity - the Holy Spirit . . . our Paraclete . . . our constant companion and comforter . . . our spiritual guard and guide - and focus on that which you feel led by the Spirit of God to be and do each day.
Rather than seek to escape the reality of whatever it is in your life that is weighting you down and you need to “come to grips with” . . . ask the Lord to grant you relief from painful thoughts associated with it, seek His reassurance of a better day someday.
What God will do is: “assign your case” to your constant companion and comforter The Spirit of God - whose role in the life of God’s children is a distinct privilege which we would do well to remind ourselves of daily.
If simply reminding yourself of the Spirit’s readiness to help leaves you floundering in a sea of doubt and fear, I pray that you become aware thru prayer . . . share your feelings with someone who really does care . . . recall experiences from your past as well as biblical history when an amazing turn of events resulted in a positive outcome, whereupon witnesses, without hesitation, dared to exclaim: “The Spirit of God had to be at work in that situation!”
In response to such occurrences – whether biblical, historical or personal, Dorothea Holland, my sister-in-law would exclaim, “Filled, thrilled, spilled”!
Perhaps you were thrilled by a positive outcome of an event that you had worried and prayed about. On the other hand, perhaps you wound up grieving over a negative outcome – one which left you doubting that you would ever be able to cope, but after a lengthy wrestling match with God, you found yourself at peace.
In either case . . . the Holy Spirit was there for you; and as your companion, He worked in and through those situations to bring inner peace to the hearts and minds of those who love God.
Folks, personal cognizance plus personal experience of the Spirit at work in our lives puts a song in our hearts and motivates us to give expression to it!
Don’t you just love the idea of “making melody to the Lord with all your heart”?
A melody of love! That’s my desire for each and every one of you! Seeing the Spirit at work in every aspect of your life! Singing! Serving!
Sounds to me like worship! Worship is not confined to a place, nor a day, nor a time of day, nor a format, nor an order of service! All of life ought to be a daily worship experience! Not surprisingly, therefore, we are to approach life’s daily challenges for the rest of our days:
Constantly giving thanks! Not just “go with the flow” of everyday tasks as if there is no meaning whatsoever – but consider routines and activities as “acceptable and pleasing unto God - your reasonable worship” inasmuch as these are part of a regimen that keeps you alive for being blessed and for being a blessing. Which brings us to the final way we are to approach the rest of our days:
Caringly . . . accept and avail yourselves of opportunities to help or at least encourage ALL members of the Christian Fellowship - as requested . . . as needed . . . as able. One for all and all for one! After all . . .
“God is no respecter of persons”; neither should we be. “In Christ there is no difference” between this person and that person; why should there be with any of us who name the name of Christ?
“I have become all things to all men so that by all means I might win some”; no Christian is exempt from these standards of righteousness that were set forth by Jesus and all of those who have taken Him seriously and followed in His steps. What they taught us in word and in deed is plain and simple:
Under the gospel of Christ, mutual submission is inseparable from true love! If there is to be unity within the Christian Fellowship, we must respect each and every believer out of reverence for Christ WHO . . . (Philippians 2:6-11).
Living the rest of our days out of reverence for Christ is symbolized by the Church ordinance of Communion which is an observance of the Last Supper which Jesus Himself arranged for His Disciples to share with Him – to teach them a lesson about true love.
On that occasion, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to His Disciples, saying, “This is (symbolizes, represents) my body which is broken for you.”
Then He took the cup, saying, “This is the New Covenant in my blood.” As oft as you partake of this bread and cup, you bear witness to the Lord’s sacrificial death until He comes.”
On this occasion this morning, we observe Communion in remembrance of our Lord’s atoning sacrifice of Himself on the Cross - cognizant of God’s love that sent His Son . . . Jesus’ love that freely offered His body to be crucified in our stead and His blood to be spilt for the remission of our sins . . . our love for “God in Three Persons” plus our love for others whoever they are and wherever they might be.
To all we proclaim: “God loves you, and so do we”! Amen!
