In Ephesians 3, Paul is writing about the mystery, the secret, the plan of God that was just now being revealed after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Essentially, the Gospel. He says:
This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details.
And friends, I feel much the same. Even though my day job isn’t officially a pastor, in the traditional sense of the word, I still feel a sort of calling deep in my bones that is similar to what Paul mentioned here. Writing, teaching, and leading are the core of what I do. I’m just not in church walls, not wearing certain vestments, not administering the sacraments, not preaching every Sunday. But the calling is so sharp, the tug on my heart and soul so strong, I must write. I must teach. I must lead. No matter how much I may fight it on a given day, I’ll feel like garbage if I don’t do it.
Hence, I write on this blog regularly, sharing my thoughts and insights, hoping some nugget somehow someway makes it to the right person and helps their life in a positive way. Maybe it’s a thought on the Bible, on Jesus, on philosophy, on parenting, on marriage, on books I’ve read, on a life situation I’m working through, who knows? But I do know this, if I don’t write, it won’t help anyone. Now back to Paul…
Paul says a little later that he’s here preaching and writing about things that are way over his head. And I feel the same. Especially here at the end of chapter 3. He ends with this beautiful prayer, and it feels like a disservice to even put comments to it. So I’ll just encourage you to read it.
Read it, then pray it. It starts at 3:14 and goes until 3:21. Seven short verses, full of power, truth, praise, and all the rest of it. Go enjoy!
See you in chapter 4 tomorrow!
Omer Redden 