Ephesians 4:14-16
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, for whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Observations:
As a result of the equipping going on I am supposed to grow up. I am supposed to grow in a way that anything false is immediately known to me. I am supposed to know better than any trickster that may come along.
I need to speak the truth and I need to do so in love. (Motivation)
My growth needs to be all-encompassing, every aspect means just that, leaving nothing out- every bit of myself.
The picture of the body- Christ is the head, the rest of us our joined together, fitted and held together and working well together because every individual part is working properly.
And when every individual is working properly the whole body grows, built up by love.
Application:
This first part is near and dear to my heart. We sat under a pastor for several years who often said that when people are trained to spot counterfeit money they first spend time studying the real thing. Because they know the genuine one so well they can easily spot the counterfeit. I did a little research and found that this little anecdote that we often hear is quite true. We need to know the truth. We need to read and study God's Word so that we quickly recognize false teaching, and it is out there dear friends. One of the interesting lines I as I researched this was that the government expects individuals to be responsible for recognizing whether the money they receive is the real deal or not. Individual responsibility. I think this fits in very well with the ideas presented by Paul here. While it is wise to seek the counsel of others when discerning the truth, we bear a responsibility to know it well ourselves. The more we know about God's Word, God's character and God's ways, the less likely we are to be fooled by "every wind of doctrine." My time spent in the Word and prayer is more than just a daily ritual that makes me feel good or another check mark on my good-girl to do list- it is vital to my ability to discern the truth, and then to be able to speak that truth in love to others. I believe it is also vital to keeping me in proper working order, individually, doing my part within the body.
Two questions I am asking myself:
Am I in proper working order- doing my part for the whole body? Am I trying to be the head, or letting Christ have His proper place?
Blessings,
Deb
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, for whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Observations:
As a result of the equipping going on I am supposed to grow up. I am supposed to grow in a way that anything false is immediately known to me. I am supposed to know better than any trickster that may come along.
I need to speak the truth and I need to do so in love. (Motivation)
My growth needs to be all-encompassing, every aspect means just that, leaving nothing out- every bit of myself.
The picture of the body- Christ is the head, the rest of us our joined together, fitted and held together and working well together because every individual part is working properly.
And when every individual is working properly the whole body grows, built up by love.
Application:
This first part is near and dear to my heart. We sat under a pastor for several years who often said that when people are trained to spot counterfeit money they first spend time studying the real thing. Because they know the genuine one so well they can easily spot the counterfeit. I did a little research and found that this little anecdote that we often hear is quite true. We need to know the truth. We need to read and study God's Word so that we quickly recognize false teaching, and it is out there dear friends. One of the interesting lines I as I researched this was that the government expects individuals to be responsible for recognizing whether the money they receive is the real deal or not. Individual responsibility. I think this fits in very well with the ideas presented by Paul here. While it is wise to seek the counsel of others when discerning the truth, we bear a responsibility to know it well ourselves. The more we know about God's Word, God's character and God's ways, the less likely we are to be fooled by "every wind of doctrine." My time spent in the Word and prayer is more than just a daily ritual that makes me feel good or another check mark on my good-girl to do list- it is vital to my ability to discern the truth, and then to be able to speak that truth in love to others. I believe it is also vital to keeping me in proper working order, individually, doing my part within the body.Two questions I am asking myself:
Am I in proper working order- doing my part for the whole body? Am I trying to be the head, or letting Christ have His proper place?
Blessings,
Deb
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