Okay, here's what I'm going to do. One of my favorite books out of God's Word just happens to be Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, and I had an idea that maybe I'd take that book verse by verse, more or less, and jot down some thoughts that occur to me...assuming they will. So, I'll start at the beginning, I guess, because it wouldn't make much sense to start anywhere else:
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 1:1
If I remember correctly from all my long years of Sunday School, Ephesus was not exactly what you'd call a Bible belt town. It's where Paul got into a lot of trouble for disrupting the sale of silver Artemis idols to tourists who came to see the big Artemis temple there by preaching the one true God and the good news about Jesus. So Paul's address here, "To God's holy people in Ephesus" might not have included a very big group. But I'm not sure.
In a way, old Ephesus and the rag-tag group of the faithful there sort of remind me of America today, you know? I mean, there are still a heck of a lot of the faithful here in America these days, it's true, but don't you agree that it sometimes feels as though this country is slipping into some kind of pagan abyss?
Maybe this will make me sound like the old dude I really am, but I'm talking here about things like the disintegration of marriage, where today's generation seems to think that marriage in a sexual relationship is optional...a nice thing to do after you've lived together for a while, but hardly important. And not to mention the whole idea of same-sex marriage...which I just mentioned, didn't I?
Have you noticed the emphasis lately in our culture on acceptance of "family" in whatever form it happens to take? Like a person's "family" can be the people he works with or his neighbors or a friendly old man down the street, while "real" families (i.e., Mom & Dad & kids) are more often than not shown as dysfunctional. Hey, I'm all for making kids feel okay about their situation in life, but it seems like in the process we're devaluing the importance of the real deal here and giving lousy parents a way to opt out of their responsibilities by telling them that junior will be fine as long as his teacher or Aunt Martha is around to watch out for the little tyke.
And there's this. On most television shows these days, if there happens to be a character who is a professing Christian, or worse yet, a preacher or priest, I can just about guarantee that he or she will be the murderer/rapist/child molester/crook/bad guy in the end. And, on the other hand, every prostitute on television these days has a heart of gold, loves her children and is really a much better mother than the blond suburban soccer mom christian...who is probably a murderer anyway or at least has an entirely dysfunctional family.
The good has become bad while the immoral has become the expected. I remember watching an episode of Cold Case a while back about a high school girl who had been murdered. It seems as though she belonged to a club on campus that practiced abstinence and vowed to stay that way until they were married. When the main characters (police detectives) on the show were told about the club, they literally rolled their eyes and smirked at each other. And yes, the teacher/chaperone of the group turned out to be a pedophile and the girl had been murdered by the rest of the members of the group because she threatened to blab. Or something like that. But it was a perfect example of how our culture has turned away from something that is obviously good and made it something suspicious.
So then, what am I saying? Am I just lamenting the loss of our Christian heritage here in America. Well, maybe a little. But let me get back to the verse up there, specifically where Paul refers to God's people in Ephesus as "holy" and "faithful in Christ Jesus." See, I can't really do much about what's happening here in our culture these days, and complaining about it is counterproductive at best, but the thing I can do is to remain faithful and to be holy.
I can take one day at a time and remember that no matter what, God is in control. I can remember that he loves me and that he loves America and indeed the whole world (remember, "For God so loved the world..."), putting my trust and faith in God and living each day for him. I can set myself apart and do whatever I happen to be doing for his glory, as an act of worship to God.
I might live in Ephesus, but I want to be one of God's holy people, faithful in Christ Jesus.
Lord, I live today for you, no matter what I do. I pray for this country, that your people here will be faithful and holy...that I will remain faithful and holy, and that your grace will be sufficient for the days ahead, whatever they may hold. Thank you for this country and for your presence here, touch the lives of those I come in contact with today and let your grace be seen through me. I love you, Father.
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