"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." -- Ephesians 4:1-16

So what is the "then" in this passage?  When is it that we will all finally grow up?  The "then" is found just prior in vv 11-13:

"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Then he finishes later with:

"From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

My what a vision... what would the politicians do in such a world?

Readings:  Isaiah 45:11-48:11; Ephesians 4:1-16; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 24:3-4

"Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'He has no hands'?" -- Isaiah 45:9

We come made with so many questions... and not enough answers.  It seems at times that our great human quest is one that will not rest until we ourselves become like gods.  What begins as an innocent survey of wonder as we look around at what God has created, turns to a more focused interest in all that exists that is unseen... whether that be in the form of galaxies, the surface of mars, and other extraplanetary phenomenon... or the space found among molecules at the cellular level.  Then it turns from observation to manipulation.  We observe DNA, we decode DNA, now we are beginning to manipulate DNA.  Before long, we will be developing designer babies, growing replacement organs in petrie dishes, and much more.  We are taking the building blocks of life and are assembling new life.

Let's not forget along the way though, who we are.  We are assemblers, not creators.  We are taking that which God has already created and fashioning new forms from it. 

Can you creat DNA from nothing?  I can't.  God did.

Readings:  Isaiah 43:14-45:10; Ephesians 3:1-21; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 24:1-2

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast." -- Ephesians 2:8-9

I can't save you.
You can't save me.
I can't save me.
You can't save you.
No matter what we do,
no matter who we are,
We are not God.

Only God can save.
By God's grace you are saved
By God's grace I am saved
By God's grace we are saved

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah." Psalm 67:1

"A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.'" -- Isaiah 40:3

These are the words from Isaiah which John the Baptist will echo as he preaches on the coming of Christ.  Both prophets speak to a people who need to get ready to receive the one who is about to appear...

Though we find ourselves post-resurrection on this side of the story, we don't need to dismiss it as a message to a people long ago.  The message is still fresh for us today.  We must still make room for him in our lives.  When we fill our lives up with messages from tv, radio, internet, texting, social media, etc... so that every space is packed and we have no margin left for anything or anyone, how do we let God in?

It's only September still, but the words, "Let every heart prepare him room..." shouts loudly in my mind. 

Is there room in your life for Christ?

Readings:  Isaiah 39:1-41:16; Ephesians 1:1-23; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 23:25-28

"A man reaps what he sows." -- Galatians 6:7

This is one of the most elegant statements of wisdom out there.  How can you argue?  What is there to say?  It seems that everyone knows this, right?  And yet there is in our time (as in all times) people who like to blame external circumstances on their place in life.  While there are situations that dictate our quality of life (natural disasters, disease, and other calamities), for the most part, we live lives of experiencing consequences to our actions.  The seeds we sowed years ago are giving us whatever we are reaping now.  So not much of a crop in your life?  Don't dwell on regret.  Look ahead and take responsibility for the sowing of the seed that will produce the life you will live tomorrow.  Prayerfully consider what you'll plant, and where, and what it will lead to... and remember... you will reap what you sow.  Be sure to plant good seed in good soil.

Readings:  Isaiah 37:1-38:22; Galatians 6:1-18; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 23:24

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." -- Galatians 5:22-23

So many of us just want to know what God would have us do in any given situation.  The fruits of the Spirit as taught in Galatians can be our guide.  We speak often of love being the essence of God... the highest law itself... but when we are exercising and practicing love, and when we live within the bounds of that law, these are the things that become evident in us.  It's a great checklist to see how each of us is doing in our discipleship.  If you want to know whether you're growing or not, Paul give us here a list of mostly measurable attributes that characterize our lives as Christians.

Take time to reflect on each of these separately today:

love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness
self-control

So how are you doing?

Readings:  Isaiah 33:13-36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 23:23

"But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands." -- Isaiah 31:8

The outcome of your work, your life, your time, will reflect that which preceded the work itself: the plan and the purpose of the work.  If you expect to successfully change the world, you probably will.  Consider professional athletes.  They have been trained and conditioned most of their lives to play what appears to be instinctively.  But it's not instinct.  Instead, it's rapid brain processing that moves so much quicker than the typical brain.  It moves quicker because it has trained and built myelin inside it that physically causes that brain to fire at such impressive speeds.  But it all began with the image of what success looked like.  The 7 yr-old pitcher knew that to be successful meant to stand on the mound and throw the ball straight and over the plate, hoping the batter would swing and miss.  How many hundreds of thousands of pitches has a 25 year-old pro pitcher thrown in their lifetime?  Too many to count.  But it started with the vision of the ball going over the plate.  What is your vision?  Don't have one?  Pray until one comes.  Then with that vision, set out to make it a reality.  Make it a noble one!

Readings:  Isaiah 30:12-33:12; Galatians 5:1-12; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 23:22