Today I read from Galatians 6 to Ephesians 4. In Galatians 6, I find a caution, and an encouragement. The caution is against pride and self-importance. If I think too highly of myself, I'm deceiving myself. Comparing myself against others can always make me seem better, in whatever area I want to avoid dealing with, but it doesn't bring me any closer to God's standard. What I seem like to myself or others on the outside is irrelevant, as verse 15 says, "...what counts is a new creation." The encouragement is to live for the Spirit, and so reap eternal life. I don't think verses 7-8 are saying that God arbitrarily gives eternal life to those who try to please the Spirit, and destruction to those who try to please their flesh, as a separate thing. I think it's saying that we're the only ones that see the consequences as separate from the actions. Living to please the Spirit naturally results in eternal life, and living to please the flesh naturally results in destruction. Looking back, I can see the short-term effects of both, and it makes sense that each road leads to its particular destination, based on the immediate results I've seen. Verses 9-10 continue the encouragement to persist, and not give up. It's saying that even if I don't see the results of the good I do to please the Spirit, God assures me that they will come at the proper time. Trusting God means that I believe that promise, and will continue on into the life that He gives.
As I read through Ephesians, I see Paul bringing attention back consistently to the unity in Christ of all believers, whether Jew or Gentile. It's clear that God's heart is for peace and unity, that is what He has been working on, and that's what I should work toward as well. One thing I noticed in Ephesians 4:4 was the phrase "There is one body and one Spirit..." and it made even more sense to me this time than it has before. If I think about the fact that each person here on earth has one body and one spirit, it's not surprising that the church should be united as Christ's body, and that the same Spirit is in each of us. I've thought about the idea of having the Spirit in me before, but considering it this way, if I'm to be a part of the body, I must have the Spirit within me. The two are inseparable, they are part of the same person, the person of Jesus Christ. That means the Spirit inside my brother or sister in Christ, inside my pastor, inside every Christian, is the exact same Spirit that is in me. It's not multiple spirits that have to try to come into alignment with one another, like our own spirits, but one Holy Spirit who brings all of us into alignment with Himself, knows the will of God and how we should implement that, and doesn't cause havoc between one part of the body and the next. My take on this is that if two Christians (or churches, denominations, or any level of authority in the body of Christ) are not at peace, then one or both parties are out of sync with the Spirit in some way. I believe Ephesians 4:2-3 backs up this idea when it says, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. / Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." How can I best begin to work on this in the body of Christ? The only way I know to be effective is to work on myself first, to model the peace and unity that is essential to a healthy body. That is my challenge to myself, and I would ask anyone reading this to consider setting themselves the same challenge.
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