Amazing Life

"Life sometimes gets so bogged down in the details, you forget you are living it."

I remember this quote from a book I read last summer. When I was preparing for teaching my Bible study this week, I realized that my living recently could be described that way. It was not an "Aha!" moment as much as an "Oh no!" moment. How could I have let myself forget what an amazing life I am privileged to live??!!

What I was studying was Eph 2:11-22. My overwhelming wonder was in the phrase Paul wanted those Ephesian Gentile believers to "know about the exceeding greatness of God's power toward them" (1:15-23) was that "HE (Jesus) IS our peace"!!

We never really truly realize the greatness of God's power until we realize the greatness of the obstacles which that power has overcome. Many people today are not amazed at the Christian salvation. They see nothing at all in it; nothing astonishing!! Why? because they have never realized the problem, because they are ignorant of sin, and know nothing about the wrath. of God. They do not realize the nature of these obstacles and problems. Not only was there the obstacle of their sin, which separated them from God, but also their "state" of being excluded and strangers from the covenant of promise and were without God in the world and without hope (Eph2). Honestly, is that not the condition of all of us?

The long and short of it: Ephesians 2:14...For He Himself is our peace.

"For" connects this statement to what has gone on before. This One by whose blood we have been made nigh IS OUR PEACE!! This is one of the most glorious things that is said about the LORD Jesus Christ anywhere. Of all the terms and titles applied to Him there is none more wonderful than this. HE is our Peace.

Hebrews 13:20-21 Now that God of peace, who brought up from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen

There it is!! God is the 'God of peace'. That is a very good way of thinking of salvation; we are saved, we are Christians, simply because God is a 'God of peace'. Everything is really the result of that.

I have been reading through the Gospels the past few days. Remember when one day someone came to Him and said, 'Master, which is the first, the greatest of all the commandments:' And this was His reply: 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. That is the first and the greatest commandment. And the 2nd is like it; You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

The important thing to notice is the order: First, the relationship to God; second, the relationship to your fellow man. The whole tragedy of the modern world is due to the fact that the first is entirely left out and men think you can start with the second. Man is not recognizing God, not starting with God, not submitting to God and is trying to reconcile himself to his fellow man. And of course he is not succeeding; he never can succeed.

That is the background to Paul's statement here! 'He is our peace!' Christ alone is our peace. There is no peace apart from Him. we must be in Christ before we can enjoy the blessings of God as the God of peace.

And so, after pondering the wonderful message Paul wrote to those Ephesian Gentile believers who had probably gotten bogged down in the details of life and needed a lift to the "Alps of the NT", and pouring over the writings of D. Martin Lloyd Jones on this passage.........I asked myself.......... "How could I have let myself forget what an amazing life I am privileged to live??!!