Finally!

Finally!

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Ephesians 6:10 KJV

Paul took time to teach brethren of all age groups and status what God's will for daily living was. He spoke to children, fathers, servants and masters, and the central theme was: a relationship with God cannot be hidden or ignored. It must permeate all that I do, and people who come in contact with me must clearly see my allegiance. The key words that run through the instructions to these groups are 'as unto the Lord'. When I know whose I am and who I work for, pretence, eye service or hypocrisy are not options. My earthly status: old, young, free, servant, master, boss, employee - is just a temporary arrangement; my eternal status must be of utmost concern to me, so that I do not focus solely on the earthly, and have no eternal home to look forward to. 

And as Paul concludes his words to these groups, he makes this charge to everyone, starting with the word: finally. I believe it is not a mistake that what follows is truly the crowning part of my earthly impact and my eternal reality. Of what use is my claim of serving God, if I am not standing where I am expected to? Of what use is keeping to a regimen of activity, yet not able to stand in the day of trouble when it comes? I do not recall anywhere God promises that if I truly serve Him, he will keep me from trials and tough times. What He promises is His Presence, Provision, Provision and Power as I live to please Him.

It is not enough to claim faith in God; it must be accompanied by a stand IN God. It is not standing in church, or being called by a Christian name, or being active as a preacher, pastor or teacher of the Word of God or as an usher, song or drama minister or any other 'visible or audible' ministry; my stand must be IN God, not around the things that look like God. We seem to want to replace God with activities and membership. We jump from one fellowship to another, seeking gifts and talents to use to serve God, but until the foundation of the activity rests on a personal experience of God, it will amount to nothing. Unfortunately, so many are caught in this contradiction, and the 'outward' signs of impact keeps men from seeing the absence of God in all that they do. 

God must initiate all that I claim to do for Him, if He is to bless all that I do. Whatever God ordains, He sustains. You can have the right words, the right armour and the right size and height like Goliath, but there was one thing that David had which made all the difference: he was in God and knew God. A small boy, with the 'wrong armour, size and age' defeated a giant well dressed for battle. It is not about ability or size, but about the One IN whom I live, move and exist. Lions tear to pieces, fire burns and leaves nothing untouched, yet when both came in contact with lives that were IN God, we know how the stories ended for Daniel and the three Hebrew boys. 

I rely on God's might, not my puny and tiny frame. I can't bear anything up by myself;  I need the everlasting arms of God to make all the difference in my life. And this piece will not be complete without a reference to today's Ephesus. Recall that Paul warned the elders that they should stand their guard, because days of trouble were coming. Even the letter to the seven churches had one to Ephesus, where God warned that the church had forsaken its first love, even though it was very active and hated all that evil. Let that sink for a moment: a church God said he knew their works, labour, and patience, and how they couldn't stand those who were evil. The church had also been patient in the face of tribulation and had not given up, YET there was just this one thing: the church had left its first love. It w was active, busy and upright, yet God didn't reckon with its stand. And this first love was so important to God that he was going to remove the church from its place if it didn't repent and go back to its first love. If records are anything to go by, Ephesus is in present day Turkey, and it is difficult to determine if this first love was ever restored. With God, there can never be assumptions. I have to get my walk with Him right, if my work for Him will be right. May the Lord help me. His time of favour is here.