Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her

Ephesians 5:22-33 is a somewhat controversial passage of scripture on marriage.  While I believe there is much benefit from exploring the implications of this passage on marriage, I think what Paul has to say about Christ and the church is often lost in the shuffle.  That is what I would like to focus on here:

Christ is the head of the church.

He is the Savior of the body.

Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.

So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.

That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless.

Christ nourishes and cherishes the church because we are members of His body.

Why did Christ give Himself up for the church?  So that He might sanctify her, to present her to Himself having no spot or wrinkle, that she would be holy and blameless. 

Notice that Paul does not say that Christ died for the church so that she can go to heaven, so that she can be happy or live a good life. 

It's all about Jesus.  He is looking for something.  Something He died for.  He is looking for a bride to present to Himself in all her glory.  A counterpart compatible for Him.  But this counterpart must not have so much as a spot or wrinkle. 

Am I saying you need to go on a sin hunt?  To personally eradicate the spots and wrinkles in your own or others' lives?  No, I am saying Jesus already died to eradicate those spots and wrinkles.  We must subject ourselves to Him. 

He has cleansed us, and He continues to cleanse us.  And He nourishes and cherishes us.  He is all we need.

This is really only scratching the surface, but perhaps it is what we can handle for now.  Paul writes this passage not about individual believers but about the church.  There is much more to being the church than individual holiness, but that is a post for another time.

The Lord is the One who holds his hand

"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand." Psalm 37:23-24

I have been a nanny to the same little girl for the past two and a half years.  When I started with her, she was ten months old and now she is three.  So, I know a thing or two about holding hands.  And not holding hands.

In these past years, I have thought much about why we hold a child's hand.  The first reason is to stop them from falling.  If you have a good grip on a little one's hand, even if he or she stumbles, you can pull up on their arm and prevent a fall and the skinned knees and tears that will come with it. But that is only true if the child allows you to hold her hand.  I think all children, including my young charge, have stubborn moments when they refuse to hold an adult's hand.  Have you ever tried to hold the hand of an unwilling child?  It's not going to happen.  There were times in her toddlerhood when I would walk with her down her steep gravel driveway and not only would she not hold my hand but every time I got near her or even looked at her she would say, "No!" If she had allowed me to hold her hand, I could have kept her from falling.  I didn't want her to fall but, if she wouldn't let me hold her hand, there wasn't much I could do about it.  So, she would fall and cry.  I would pick her up and comfort her.  Then I would remind her, "This is why you need to hold my hand. So I can keep you from falling."

Now that she is three, she knows when she needs my help.  If the ground is unsteady, too steep, or a step is too big for her, she instinctively reaches for my hand so I can steady her and keep her from falling.

The second reason we hold a child's hand is to lead them, keeping them safe. Once we were walking through a parking lot, and she refused to hold my hand.  She needed me to lead her, showing her where it was safe to walk and when to stop for passing cars.  It was simply not safe for me to allow her to "learn her lesson" as I did when she fell on the driveway.  So, I picked her up, put her in the car, and we went home.  She missed out on the picnic I had planned for her because of her refusal.  The rule is, "You always hold my hand in a parking lot."  Even now, she doesn't always like it, but she submits because now she understands.  She sees how much bigger the cars are than she is.  She sees how fast they move.  Now she holds my hand so I can lead her.  So I can keep her safe.

I love those words from Psalm 37: "When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand."  They are so fitting.  If we allow the Lord to hold our hand, by staying in vital communication with Him, open to His conviction and His leading, even when we fall, He can lift us up.  I want to be like a three-year-old.  I want to see the unsteady ground of the world and reach out to the Lord, knowing His hand will lead me as well as prevent me from falling.  I want to see the dangerous parking lots and know I have to depend on God to help me navigate the dangers and avoid the temptations.  When I feel angry or frustrated, I want to cry out to the Lord, allowing Him to help me deal with these emotions and still love my neighbor.  When I feel alone or like nobody cares about me, I want to tell the Lord how I feel and allow Him to comfort me instead of searching for comfort elsewhere.

I find it comforting that God wants to hold our hands.  He wants to be in constant, close fellowship with us.  And even when we refuse, He picks us up, as I did with the little one I care for, comforts us, and reminds us to stay close to Him.  He is gentle and kind.  He delights in our way.

Thoughts on Nehemiah

The past couple of days I have been reading in Nehemiah, and I was impressed with the way Jerusalem's walls were rebuilt.  Chapter three lists all the people working to rebuild.  Officials, priests, goldsmiths, Levites, and those without titles worked side by side repairing the wall and gates around Jerusalem.

It is interesting to me how no one's work seems to be more important or impressive than any one else's.  And how without the work of any one of them, the wall would have been incomplete, putting the people in Jerusalem in danger of attack.  I feel that through this passage the Lord has impressed on me the need for me to enter into the work He is doing to build His church.  I have only a dim idea of what that looks like for me in this season, but that's okay.  My place is simply to work on the section of the wall that is in front of me, do what I know to do, be present in the lives of my brothers and sisters, and love.  Because love builds up.