I shared some reflections a few weeks ago. Although I've been a Bible learner and disciple of Christ for many years, I do not yet have this walk figured out. It's filled with missteps and mistakes, and even when I re-read some of my prior posts, I can see how I could have represented the truth more fully and adequately. It is humbling to know that God still brings truth even in our tiny bit of understanding.
Today, we start a Bible study I've refused to write for months. It is a chapter out of my dark soul and a testament to the bright communion God showed me over a long, swarthy night. I know I need to sit still and get some of the messy, messy work God has graciously done down on paper. I dread it and welcome it all in one.
One of the [most detrimental] misunderstandings of the Church today is the nature of God. Every individual, because of past experiences, personality, spiritual upbringing, and so forth develop their own “idea” or "belief" of who God is. We piecemeal ideas about what God is like and how He operates based on our encounters…
This week we conclude the book of Ephesians. We’ve studied it for six weeks – verse-by-verse and chapter by chapter. Next week, we’ll continue our journey studying the Prison Epistles, which Paul wrote, and turn our attention to Colossians. But until then, chapter 6 of Ephesians is hard not to love because it contains practical instructions on how to act (and the world could use more of that these days!).
Maybe the Beatles were onto something (or on something?) when they wrote All You Need Is Love. But, the love they were referring to wasn't the agape--or unconditional love--our Savior drenches us in. As we conclude the final chapter in Exodus (hooray!) and forge our way towards the Christmas season, there's no more ideal time than this to pause and be steeped in His love.
