⁹ God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. ¹⁰ And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. ¹¹ Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

God Makes Everything Work …

It’s an incredible thought, isn’t it? One day. Some day. Everything will be brought together under the authority of Christ. How it will happen is up to theological debate. When it will happen is something only God knows. But, it will happen. All the pain, suffering, war, tragedies, etc. will come to an end. One day.

Until then, God is working through every situation. The terrible earthquake in Haiti? God is working through it. The neighbour who just learned they have cancer? God will work through it.

The question is: can you trust God to work through you? You see, the way he works is through you. And me. Us. In Haiti, God works through the thousands of people who mobilize to help those in need. Your neighbour battling cancer, God can work through you to bring hope and comfort. Or, if the neighbour is a Christ follower, God may work through them to demonstrate trust in the midst of cancer.

All I know is God works through us to achieve his purpose in the world. That is, if we are willing to let him work through us.

Yesterday was the thirteenth anniversary of my daughter’s death (you can read my thoughts about that here.) I still don’t have the answer to my why question, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God has worked through me to achieve his purpose because of how Heather and I trusted him. And, he will continue to work through that experience as long as we let him work through us.

Whatever your facing today, trust God with it. Let him work through you.

My prayer: Lord, there are many times I don’t know why something happens. I can’t explain it. But the true question isn’t “Why, Lord?” The question we should ask is, “How can this be used to further your purpose and plan? How can you use this experience through me?” And so, take those things that I don’t understand and use them through me. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. ⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵ God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. ⁶ So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. ⁷ He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. ⁸ He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Count Your Blessings

If you’ve been around The Oil Change for any length of time, you already know this, but for the sake of those who are new to our little group, let me fill you in on how I decide what to write about each day’s passage. Sometimes, the point of the passage is obvious, and I simply dive in. Sometimes, I spend a little time reading through a passage asking God to allow one point to jump out. I often have two or three study Bibles open on my desk to use as reference points. I almost always have multiple translations nearby as I write these.

At first glance, today’s passage seems pretty obvious. Paul is focusing on what Christ did for us and how we have been brought into a family – God’s family.

However, for me, it’s the first line of this passage that really jumps off the page. God has blessed us with all kinds of spiritual blessings. In other words, there are so many different things that we could be thankful to God for. If we just stopped and considered it, we should be amazed at the many ways God has blessed us.

Let me ask you this: are you more focused on what bothers you about something than the many ways you are blessed? In the church you attend, does your energy go into criticizing the things you don’t like rather than celebrate the things that you love about your church? What about with your job? Your city or country?

I think spiritual maturity comes when we are able to walk through the things we don’t like and seek out the stuff we are grateful about. Perhaps it’s because of my role as a pastor that I notice this more than others do. There are times when I shake my head at the criticisms I hear. The stuff that people expend energy complaining about never ceases to amaze me.

Folks: we are blessed! God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. What a shame if we miss the blessings because we’re focused on the complaints.

My prayer: Lord, forgive me for the critical attitude I can often carry. Sometimes I miss out on the glorious truth right before me: you have adopted me into your family! I am free and forgiven because of what you have done for me. Help me to remain grateful when I want to fall back into criticism. Help me to pray for those who frustrate me. Help me to see my blessings every day. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

¹ This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.

² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Go Saints!

Now, you might think that my title for today’s Oil Change is a subliminal cheer for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League who just happen to be playing the Minnesota Vikings (and Brett Favre) this weekend in the Conference Championship. You might be right. Maybe.

However, in reality, it’s just the first words that come to mind when I read this passage. You see, in most translations, Paul addresses his letter to “the saints in Ephesus …” In fact, he begins most of his letters that way. The New Living Translation prefers using “God’s holy people in Ephesus …”

But I like the term saints. Perhaps it’s because in the past few hundred years, we’ve taken that term and applied it to very specific people. In order to be classified as a “saint,” you had to meet certain criteria. The average Christian could never be seen as a “saint.”

And yet, it’s exactly what Paul calls every follower of Christ. The moment you turn your life over to God, you are a saint. You are “God’s holy person.” Even as you continue to struggle with sin and battle through temptation, you are still holy … still a saint.

How can that be?

In his simple greeting, Paul is putting meat on a very deep theological truth: you are holy not because of what you do, but because of what Christ did for you. Grace covers our sin and God sees us washed and clean. Free because of the Cross.

Perhaps it’s time we start seeing ourselves the way God does. Just a thought.

My prayer: Lord, thank you for what you did on the cross. It can be so hard for me to see myself the way Paul greets the people of Ephesus, the way you see us even today. A saint? Really? You see me as holy? Help me understand that. Help me believe that. Help me live that out. Amen.

Until tomorrow.

(and Go Saints!)