I was subbing for a first-grade class. The teacher next door came over to tell me how wonderful the children were. She smiled, I smiled, and then she spoke that one little word that gave new appreciation for everything she said in the previous sentence: “but.” That one word can illustrate the difference between light and dark.
WHAT WE ALL WANT
In Ephesians 1:17-23, Paul writes one of the most encouraging prayers made over believers who embrace the name of Christ: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious father, may give you the spirit of wisdom, and revelation, so that you may know Him better”. Wow. Isn’t that what all of us want? To “know Him better.”
HOPE IS GREAT
He goes on to describe the hope He calls us to, the richness each of us can experience, and the great power each of us have working in our lives. He says we have all these things because Christ rose from the dead! Great encouragement! Paul then closes the chapter by saying: “And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head, over everything for the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” That sounds great. What more needs to be added to understand this blessed life?
WHAT WE WERE LIKE
Paul begins Ephesians 2:1-7 with: “As for you.” Here he reminds believers what they used to be like. “All of us also lived … gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.” We by nature deserved wrath. Not desiring the spirit of wisdom and revelation, we desired to feed our hearts with sin. Ahh! Sounds like a bad memory.
TWO REALITIES
The word “but” is used by Paul as if to say, “We have a great group of kids today, but oh, how they have changed from the mess they once were.” We have two realities, not only how wonderful our new life is, but what our past was like without Christ. This is the reason Paul takes time to remind the church where they came from. He uses our past to explain our future.
A MIRACLE OF NEW LIFE
The other day I was talking to a man who covered from head to toe with tattoos and piercings all over his body. I asked him about the Christian t-shirt he was wearing. He said he was saved just seven years ago and today he is studying to become a pastor. By sharing his past with people he meets, he deliberately opens the opportunity to tell them about his future! He doesn’t focus on his past, but he explains how great God is, and how wonderful God was to send His son to die for our sins. To understand the miracle of new life, it was necessary to understand where he came from.
Paul offers a word of hope. “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved.” Remember, we have a wonderful life in Christ. The “BUT” before Christ and our total separation from God is a fact. However, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that makes an entire new life possible!
THE “BUT” IN YOUR STORY
Do people know the “but” in your story; both what you were before Christ and how Christ is being glorified today? I was blessed by a tattooed guy with multiple piercing to hear about the miracle of transformation. Are you blessing others with your story of before and after?