Paul's Weekly Reflection for Sunday 15th August

Living Wisely in Evil Days

Paul urges us in Ephesians to take care and pay attention to how we live. He introduces the ancient Jewish themes of wisdom and folly: don't be unwise, but be wise. Jesus himself used this terminology in the parable of the wise man who built on rock and the foolish man who built on sand. Only the house built on rock survived the storm—Jesus taught this to encourage us to build our lives on his word rather than anything else.

In the Old Testament, Hebrew wisdom begins with a proper appreciation of who God is and our relationship to him as his creatures and children. Solomon teaches us in Proverbs that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.

Making the Most of Every Opportunity

Paul wants us to make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. We may enjoy the life we live and all the world has to offer, but what Paul is really saying is that the time is short for those around us to come to saving faith in Jesus. We should take every opportunity to witness by word and deed to him and to his saving power.

For those of us confined or denied freedom to express our worship as we would love to do, there is encouragement in this passage. There are psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit—hymns and psalms written by others that we love to sing, many that we've known all our lives. But there are also songs of the Spirit, songs which only your spirit can write by communing with God's Holy Spirit.

If you are feeling confined, invite the Holy Spirit to give you your own song to sing. Speak words of encouragement to one another in your small communities, over the phone with a friend, or when meeting up for a walk. Don't waste the opportunity to speak words that God has placed on your heart. Whatever our circumstances, Paul urges us to give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Living Bread from Heaven

Jesus teaches that he is the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever; this bread is his flesh, which he gives for the life of the world. Unless we eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, we have no life in us. Whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood has eternal life, and he will raise them up at the last day.

Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus constantly points to himself as the fulfillment of the longings, hopes, dreams, and promises of the Old Testament. He refers to the time of wilderness wanderings when God's people were lost in the desert and feared starvation. God provided manna—a strange wafer-like bread that appeared each morning—which gave them life day by day.

But Jesus says: now that I've come, I'm bringing a bread that will feed you and give you not just another day's life, but eternal life. Jesus is quite clear: unless we come to him in faith, unless we're willing to accept that his body broken and his blood poured out is the gateway and key to eternal life, then we have no life. But if we humble ourselves, respond to him in faith, and spiritually consume what he offers us in his self-sacrifice, then we will have eternal life.

The Gift of Gratitude

Saint Paul encourages gratitude, though there are times when it can be hard to be thankful when life is really tough. If there is truly nothing else you can find to say thank you to God for, spend some time giving thanks for the saving death of Jesus. God in human form was willing to come and live our life, and more than that, to take our place in the death we deserved.

Jesus offered his body and his blood to take away our sin and to guarantee us eternal life. One day, whatever this life brings, Jesus will return and raise us to live with him forever. This is the wonderful and glorious truth for which we can never find sufficient words to express our gratitude.