Friday, May 8, 2026

Opening Scripture

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. 2 Timothy 1:9-12

Opening Prayer

Gracious Father, thank you for Your amazing love that has brought me out of darkness into Your marvelous light. I’m grateful for Your protection and provision. I’m joyful for Your forgiveness and cleansing. I’m hopeful for Your Spirit’s power at work in and through me. Help me to be mindful of You throughout the day – enjoying Your presence and experiencing Your goodness – so that others might know You as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Ephesians 3:1-13

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

Reflection  

After explaining the miracle of Jews and Gentiles becoming united as the Church, Paul was about to offer a prayer on their behalf when – typically impulsive (ADHD?) – he stops in the middle of the sentence and heads in another direction. He will pick back up on that initial train of thought in tomorrow’s reading.

It’s worth noting, based on the first part of his opening sentence, that Paul – the hyper-Jewish Pharisee – had rather quickly become an evangelist to the Gentiles after his dramatic conversion. On his second missionary journey, right before traveling to Ephesus the first time, Paul was in Corinth. During his time there, he had an interesting encounter in the synagogue.

“Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. When they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles’” (Acts 18:5-6).

After that, much of the persecution Paul suffered came from his fellow Jews, as much for his association with Gentiles as his declaration that Jesus was the Messiah. In Romans 11:13, Paul refers to himself as “the apostle to the Gentiles.” Five times he received thirty-nine lashes as punishment from the Jewish authorities for his efforts (2 Corinthians 11:24).

For now, Paul is captivated by the mystery of Christ that was revealed to him, and his responsibility to declare it. He launches into another long sentence in Greek that covers the rest of today’s passage. He begins, “surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation.”

The word “administration” (oikonomian) includes a sense of responsibility, trust, and stewardship. Paul was responsible for stewarding “God’s grace” on behalf of the Gentiles. This “mystery” that “the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” is what Paul explained in yesterday’s reading.

Paul became “a servant of this gospel.” The word “servant” here (diakonos) is translated elsewhere as minister, attendant, or deacon. The gift of God’s grace was entrusted to Paul, and his ministry of “serving” continues through the working (energeian) of God’s power (dynameōs) in and through him. Again, divine “energy” and “dynamite” are involved in this mission.

Paul refers to himself as “less than the least of all the Lord’s people.” Perhaps this is an acknowledgement of humility similar to 1 Corinthians 15:9, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” In light of God’s amazing grace, there is always a sense of unworthiness on our part.

The manifold wisdom of God, according to His eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, has now been made known to the spiritual beings in the heavenly realms, that both Jew and Gentile believers should come together as the New Covenant people of God known as the Church. That’s us!

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

This “Big Story” – God’s metanarrative – is something we often take for granted. And yet, we realize that most of the world’s population either hasn’t heard it, understood it, or embraced it.

In Telling a Better Story, Joshua Chatraw offers insights on “how to talk about God in a skeptical age.”

“Our world is now one where ‘what you see is what you get,’ and thus personal freedom and self-expression have become salvific ends. People dissatisfied with the loss of transcendence reach for a vague ‘invent it yourself’ spirituality that calls for little to no sacrifice, no final judgment, and no real inconvenience to modern sensibilities, all the while promising your best life now.

“A shift has occurred in Western culture. Not only is God absent from the fabric of our most important institutions and cultural centers, but an array of competing views about life’s most important questions are available to the public. Religious belief is simply one option among many – and an increasing number see it as a strange one at that.

“We may use similar vocabulary, but buried beneath our disagreements are different assumptions about life and its meaning and purpose, about reason and morality. In addition to the challenge of effective communication within this context, the attempt itself to convert is often seen as morally questionable because it requires telling people that their very identities must change.

“Claiming that Christianity is the only way is exclusive and intolerant. A private faith may be a good thing for you personally (as long as you’re not too extreme about it), but calling for someone else to change their religious views is intolerant, if not dehumanizing (‘This is who I am!’). Central to our task, then, is learning how to help others see the splendor of God and his purposes by reimagining the world through the Christian story.”

Chatraw goes on to tell about a concussion he sustained while wakeboarding as a teenager. When he got back in the boat, he was in a mental fog and kept asking his brother, “What time is it?” In his disorientation, he struggled to get his bearings. He was desperately searching for something that would help him gain clarity.

Fortunately, after a day or so, Chatraw was back to normal, but he makes this observation about our present situation. “Unfortunately, for most Christians, our ‘cultural concussion’ only seems to becomemore disorienting as time passes. It’s as if we’ve lost our bearings, and with it our ability to navigate the culture around us.”

“Considering context is essential because we are attempting to reach people who are born into a story at a particular time, in a particular place, into a particular family – all which define much of who we are and how we think.”

Chatraw notes a strange, pragmatic contradiction. “Our present culture has largely embraced a mentality that says, ‘You can do whatever you want, as long as it is being done by consenting adults and it doesn’t ‘hurt’ anyone. At the same time, however, people believe strongly in certain values and act as if those values are universal. This is evidenced in the various ways people publicly engage in ‘virtue signaling’ and then shame those who don’t live up to the cultural standard of the day.”

The author goes on to expound on the power of story to captivate the heart and imagination. “The imagination engages not only our intellectual faculties but also our beliefs and emotions. The imagination is ‘a faculty for making or discovering connections and meaningful forms. It allows a person to see how life and the world around us fit together in a meaningful and true whole.

“Often a person’s heart must be captured before the mind can follow. Persuasion through narrative is a profoundly biblical pattern that finds precedent in Jesus himself. It is hardly an overstatement to suggest that the most common way the Bible appeals to us is through story.”

Referring to the work of C.S. Lewis, Chatraw quotes: “Christian apologetics… is thus at its best when it out-narrates the ideologies of the world, by showing that the Christian story and its retellings, having captivated our imaginations, also enlighten our minds, and shape our moral vision.

“The good news is that we don’t have to muster up our own story. We’ve been given a story that is more than just true; it is the best story ever told. It is the story that makes sense of all other stories humans tell about the world.”

How have you been captivated by God’s “Big Story”?

How are you sharing that story with others?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!