City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

“¹ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

Ephesians 2:1-3

Reflection

I had a dream a little while ago.  It was a bit strange at the time, but perhaps it would be a good illustration for today’s thought.  There was a guy driving on the highway, I-45 South.  You know, just south of the 610 Loop.  He reminded me of Josh Lai a bit, but I’m sure it was someone else.  For the purposes of the illustration, Josh will do.  Well, anyway, as he drove along, he was being very careful to obey the speed limit. However, all the other cars were driving like crazy; speeding, weaving, and some were even crashing.

As he took in all the mayhem going on around him his speed crept up slightly.  He was going one mile per hour over the speed limit. That is when a police car appeared out of nowhere and pulled him over. It turns out that his father was the policeman. Totally surprised, he rolls down the window to find out why his dad was pulling him over. His dad told him that he was speeding so he gave him a ticket. Totally confused by this he asked, “why do I get a ticket for going only 1 MPH over the limit, when all of the other drivers are driving this way?” His father explains that they don’t have a father to teach them how to behave.

{End scene…}

The point to catch here is at the end.  The father in this story is the Holy Spirit who is there to teach us how to live this new life. This life that pursues the pattern of Jesus and as a result obeys the law. We all used to be those crazy drivers.  Pursuit of this pattern means that if we fall short of it, we are made aware, and thus have some knowledge of the work being done in our lives. Falling short means that we know what to pray for. The heart of stone gains flesh. 

Application

Challenge: Think of an example of the “disobedient life”, other than driving in traffic.  Pray about these three questions:

1. How did I behave when I was not a believer? (meditate and observe your previous behavior)
2. Do I still do that?
3. What would (or did) change this behavior?

Note that today’s verse should help you think of other examples.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I celebrate the faith in the Lord Jesus that exists among the believers and do not cease giving thanks for them. I thank You that You do not leave us alone to learn your ways, but You support us in all our lessons. I pray that You continue to teach us and lead us into fellowship with You and one another, that we might grow in You and find that obedience to Your will is more natural to our being than disobedience. To the praise of our glorious grace. Amen.