Word@Work Eph15 - Ephesians 2:1-3
Published: Thu, 10/16/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
THINK BACK TO GO FORWARD
Read Ephesians 2:1-3 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. (NIV)
"Yesterday's news is dead", said an editor. He was right. The normal dynamic of business life works in the same way - 'never mind yesterday, get on with tomorrow'. There is wisdom in that, even the Apostle Paul said, "Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead ... (Phil 3:13)". Being bound to the past is the route to failure. Yet ignoring where you have come from is the route to ingratitude and making the same mistakes again. It is only as Christians recall what Christ has saved us from, that we develop thanksgiving for where we have been brought to, and stop slipping back.
Before Jesus came into our lives, we were spiritually dead, and unresponsive to God. We followed the crowd like sheep because we did not know any better. At the same time we were being manipulated into serial disobedience by Satan (the ruler of the kingdom of the air), and our lustful cravings were never satisfied. Our thoughts and actions were always pulling us down. From God's point of view, we were fit only for condemnation. Our 'yesterdays' were indeed deadly news.
In the next few verses, this sober assessment of our past will be contrasted by what God has done for us in Christ, and how much we have changed. But what is the point of remembering those dark days? Firstly to stimulate our gratitude: and secondly to help us to understand that many others around us at work and in the community are still in the dark. They often do not know what to think or how best to act. They are consumed by their own thoughts and cannot get out of the holes they dig. They rightly feel that all may not be well between them and God. So as well as giving thanks for our salvation, we should pray for our friends; and help them to understand that they will only be able to find the life that they need, with Jesus' help.
Prayer: Dear Lord, when I think of what my life was like before I knew You, I am amazed at what You have done for me. Thank you so much for your grace and mercy! But it makes me realise how much you want to do for my colleagues and friends. Help me to live gratefully and joyfully, and please speak to my friends too. I am willing for You to use my mouth so that they can hear. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and Spanish
"Yesterday's news is dead", said an editor. He was right. The normal dynamic of business life works in the same way - 'never mind yesterday, get on with tomorrow'. There is wisdom in that, even the Apostle Paul said, "Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead ... (Phil 3:13)". Being bound to the past is the route to failure. Yet ignoring where you have come from is the route to ingratitude and making the same mistakes again. It is only as Christians recall what Christ has saved us from, that we develop thanksgiving for where we have been brought to, and stop slipping back.
Before Jesus came into our lives, we were spiritually dead, and unresponsive to God. We followed the crowd like sheep because we did not know any better. At the same time we were being manipulated into serial disobedience by Satan (the ruler of the kingdom of the air), and our lustful cravings were never satisfied. Our thoughts and actions were always pulling us down. From God's point of view, we were fit only for condemnation. Our 'yesterdays' were indeed deadly news.
In the next few verses, this sober assessment of our past will be contrasted by what God has done for us in Christ, and how much we have changed. But what is the point of remembering those dark days? Firstly to stimulate our gratitude: and secondly to help us to understand that many others around us at work and in the community are still in the dark. They often do not know what to think or how best to act. They are consumed by their own thoughts and cannot get out of the holes they dig. They rightly feel that all may not be well between them and God. So as well as giving thanks for our salvation, we should pray for our friends; and help them to understand that they will only be able to find the life that they need, with Jesus' help.
Prayer: Dear Lord, when I think of what my life was like before I knew You, I am amazed at what You have done for me. Thank you so much for your grace and mercy! But it makes me realise how much you want to do for my colleagues and friends. Help me to live gratefully and joyfully, and please speak to my friends too. I am willing for You to use my mouth so that they can hear. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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