Ephesians 6

The gathering out the back of our place converges this Thursday night. We've been unpacking a great letter Paul wrote a few years back called Ephesians. It's the end of the road this week with Paul's final instructions, warnings and encouragement. It goes a little something like this...

Work hard, do as your told and do it well—with a healthy attitude. And if you're the one doing the telling, lead well and don't abuse your position of authority. Don't allow your serving or your leading to become dysfunctional, but keep it integrated and in harmony with Jesus' heart.

Don't be glib with life, it's a bigger deal than that. We're in a battle where we know the winner, but it's a battle nonetheless. People go down from either side in a battle so get protection. Kit up with the resources he's given you: truth, righteousness, peace, faith and salvation.

Pray and keep praying. Get stuck into your bibles and live spacious lives out of them. And don't expect this journey to be without incident. It's life! Don't expect that the devil isn't a little perturbed that you love God and are becoming more like Him. He can't stand it. So don't be oblivious to Him, but don't spend your life dancing on his grave either. There's more enjoyment from living a spacious life than fighting with the stingy.

Open your lungs and shout from the rooftops then. Stand up. Get up. Stand in the place where you work (now face north). Stand in your homes. Stand in the valleys and on the mountaintops. Stand in your churches and stand when there's no-one looking. Stand for what is right and bow down to all that's holy.

Don't do life alone—you weren't meant to. Link arms and do life together. Cheer on those around you. Lift up those with bloodied knees from the dragging down of life.

Love fearlessly and hone your peripheral vision: there's a bigger picture at work. Play on.