R Y A N S T R A T T O N

Everyday Prayers

Ephesians 1:15-19 Since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, this is the reason that I don’t stop giving thanks to God for you when I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you. I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers, and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength.

One of the things I love about Paul is how much his life revolves around prayer. Paul prays all the time and for everyone he has encountered. This shows us how serious Paul took praying and how it impacted his life. Something else that stands out to me is not that Paul prayed, but what he prayed for.

What are some things you personally pray for? I hear people pray for healing, for successful surgeries, for health, for safe travels, for blessings on meetings and events. It seems many of us, including me, look at prayer as something to do only when there are health issues or we want God to bless “our” efforts and work.

There are also people who pray for so much more than just physical healing or ailments. They go straight to the human condition, adding in spiritual, emotional, mental, AND physical healing and wholeness for those they love and those they consider to be enemies.

Going back over this passage today, we can see what it was that Paul was praying for. Bottom line is, he prayed for the power of God to be evident in each person so that we remember who we belong to and what it is we truly work for. So Paul begins by saying he thanks God for each person. What a great prayer. A simple “thank you” prayer. Lately I have found myself praying and giving thanks for the challenging people and situations in my life. It has helped me to see them and work with them as children of God, brothers and sisters in Christ. Not everyone or everything will go smoothly, but we can thank God because He is with us and is also with the other people.

He also goes on to say he prays for the spirit of wisdom so that God is made known to the people. We should do this today so that others come to know the joy that is found in Jesus Christ. Who do you know that you can pray for to come to faith? Have you prayed for yourself in this area for your faith to become stronger?

Paul also basically prays for the light of Jesus Christ to be shown through each believer so that the incredible power of God will be made known among those around us. Think about this, Paul has been beaten and has been imprisoned, shipwrecked, thrown out-of-town, mocked, ridiculed, and so much more. Through all of this he ca still praise God and give thanks for the people. Many of his converts were also people who did some of the things to him. Think of the forgiveness Paul had in his heart. He remembered he was no where near perfect, and this helped him to pray for all people, give thanks for them AND for God’s power and presence to be made known in them and through them.

We are challenged daily to go beyond superficial prayers, through we need to continue praying for physical healing and safety; but we should also look toward the spiritual realm, the emotional realm, the mental and relational. God is so incredible and big enough to handle things we may not want to lift up. This is part of the power of the gospel.

#TheGospelChangesUs

Out in the Open

Ephesians 1:9-14 ⁹God revealed his hidden design to us, which is according to his goodwill and the plan that he intended to accomplish through his Son. ¹⁰This is what God planned for the climax of all times: to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth. ¹¹We have also received an inheritance in Christ. We were destined by the plan of God, who accomplishes everything according to his design. ¹²We are called to be an honor to God’s glory because we were the first to hope in Christ. ¹³You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ. ¹⁴The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God’s own people, resulting in the honor of God’s glory.

So check this out, God’s message is not hidden to us. Many people can go through life trying to “figure out” God and what God wants us to do in this life. So many people get caught up in this that it is easy to miss out on life and see all that God has revealed through creation and through the working of the Spirit within each person all around us.

Not only did God reveal everything to us through Jesus Christ, but we are reminded that each of us was thought of before time began. God has chosen to be in relationship with us even before anyone even dreamed of us. We were thought of by the Creator of the universe and thus each have a purpose to fulfill. We may begin to ask the question, “what does God want to accomplish in my life?”

Asking a question like this helps us realize that God can and does use us; but this questions can also cause us to think that we are not good enough for God to use. So, Paul goes on an explains more about the gospel (good news) message of Jesus Christ. We get to read more about this message as Ephesians goes on. Part of the message is that we get to bring honor to God because God accomplishes much in our lives. Yes, we have been given gifts but it is necessary to thank the One who gave those gifts and talents whenever we have the opportunity to use them and use them well.

There is a spiritual inheritance promised by God and we have received the down payment, the Holy Spirit. This is to remind us we are not alone. Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit being a comforter, the Holy Spirit speaks through us, the Holy Spirit gives power. Paul explains the Spirit prays for us, the Spirit gives gifts, etc. The Holy Spirit is an incredible gift we have because it means the Living God is inside us and is working in us and through us. It is God who is accomplishing the works through us because of the Spirit.

How will you live differently knowing the Holy Spirit of God is in you? Have you trusted Christ as Savior and Lord? Trusting and hoping in Christ is the first part of willingly unleashing the power of the Spirit within us. God has much to do in us and through us. All this have been thought of since before time began. We choose to live for ourselves or God. His message is out in the open, ready for ALL people. Do you believe?

#TheGospelChangesUs

Know Who & Who’s You Are

Ephesians 1:3-8 ³Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing that comes from heaven. ⁴God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world.⁵God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love. This was according to his goodwill and plan ⁶and to honor his glorious grace that he has given to us freely through the Son whom he loves. ⁷We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace, ⁸which he poured over us with wisdom and understanding.

Ever have a day or days when you do not feel like you have enough? Where does this attitude or mindset come from? We can get too easily wrapped up in trying to get the better or best things in life and we can miss the true best that we have available.

Here’s what I love about the first chapter of Ephesians: Paul is laying out the gospel and reminding the readers, and us, what we have that God has given us. The truth is that we have “every spiritual blessing that comes from heaven.” What does this mean? This may not mean that we are gifted with material items, though it might. But we are blessed with even more important things than anything money can buy. We have received forgiveness which means we are released from the guilt that holds us back. We have received grace which means we can experience, and share, God in our lives and around us. We have been gifted and blessed with love, peace, hope, joy, etc. God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. We really do have everything, even if it seems others have more materially.

On top of all of this, each one of us is chosen by God. No matter what has been done in the past, there is redemption through Jesus Christ. We may not be able to forgive ourselves, but God will forgive because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on behalf of our sins (past, present and future). There is a way to begin a new life and allow Christ to make a new creation out of us. Because of Christ, we are open for adoption into the King’s family. This makes you a prince or princess in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Paul’s letter is not meant to puff up our ego, but rather to remind us who we are. We can easily forget this; we are children of God and made in His image. Believe this and you can experience a freedom in this life and a new confidence that will help you and I be more loving, grace-filled, peaceful, forgiving, etc.

Christ poured out His blood on the cross, and we have been accepted into God’s family. I encourage you to ponder what this means for you and to accept the gift God has given through Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity to continue to explore this gospel, good news, message over the next few days as we continue in Ephesians 1.

Believe in Jesus Christ and live. You are God’s child and you are special and unique. God’s grace is being poured on you today, just trust and accept it.

God chooses you!

New Month, Same Amazing Grace

Ephesians 1:1-2 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will. To the holy and faithful people in Christ Jesus in Ephesus. ²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is hard to believe that we have now entered into February. Time seems to be moving faster and we still have so much to do. We almost seem to have a never ending to do list and feel like everything changes all around us and we have to somehow keep up. This can cause added stress into our lives. One things that doesn’t change is God, His will and His grace.

Paul knows he has been called into his profession by God. He has learned to follow God’s will, even when it wasn’t safe or completely clear for him. Paul has been all over the known world, during his missionary tours, and even after encountering all types of people, he can still begin his letters with “Grace and peace.” Can we do this today? Remember God’s will for us is to love God and love other people.

One thing that stands out to me is how Paul addresses the people he is writing to, “The holy and faithful people.” The amazing thing is that he knew he was writing to imperfect people but he still called them “holy and faithful.” I wonder how people would describe us when we are not around, or are trying to speak to us?

I believe this is a high calling for our lives. One that comes to completion over time. But we can still strive to be “holy and faithful” in our words, our actions, our thoughts, etc. So starting the letter to the Ephesians in this manner should also have us think today.

We have started a new month. Last month we make mistakes (and will continue to make mistakes this month); but God lavishes grace and riches upon us, even though we do not deserve it. This is grace that God can still look at us and call us “holy and faithful.” Life does not have to be perfect or completely in order, but we have new chances to live into the calling God placed on our lives.

#AmazingGrace

Boasting About Christ

This is the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. I’m going to take tomorrow off and then start writing again on Sunday to begin going through Ephesians in the month of February.

Galatians 6:14-18 ¹⁴But as for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through him, and I have been crucified to the world. ¹⁵Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t mean anything. What matters is a new creation. ¹⁶May peace and mercy be on whoever follows this rule and on God’s Israel. ¹⁷From now on, no one should bother me because I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. ¹⁸Brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

So this month has been challenging for me, and has also been encouraging at the same time. As I have read through the entire letter this month everyday, I have discovered many things about myself and have seen grace in the midst of Paul’s writing and in daily life more clearly. Reading the entire letter each day and focusing on a small portion to reflect on during the day has been fun and I look forward to continuing this.

We do have freedom in Christ and we can choose to live in that freedom daily or we can choose to go our own path and find that we actually become slaves to circumstances or even superstitions along the way. But we also have to be careful that we do not allow this freedom we have to go to our head; but instead allow it to control our actions.

There is so much we have to boast about in our life; but it all really boils down to one word: CHRIST. If there is anything we can brag about it is Christ. We cannot really brag about God’s grace because we haven’t done anything to earn it. We can’t brag about the life we have because God is the source of our life and the giver of our talents and gifts.

Here’s a challenge for all of us that we can do starting today: “Give thanks in ALL circumstances.” When is the last time thanks was given for the challenges and frustrations in your life? When was the last time thanks was given for the opportunity to fail? When we live our lives in this manner, God’s light is shining through us and then God is the One who boasts on us.

So may we continue to live in faith and freedom and shape our lives around Christ. Brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

#LiveFreeInChrist

Standards of Life

Galatians 6:11-13 ¹¹Look at the large letters I’m making with my own handwriting! ¹²Whoever wants to look good by human standards will try to get you to be circumcised, but only so they won’t be harassed for the cross of Christ. ¹³Those who are circumcised don’t observe the Law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised, so they can boast about your physical body.

This is nearing the end of the letter to the Galatians and Paul is giving a reminder we all should follow. There will be times when we will want to try to please people, for the sake of being accepted by them. Children, teenagers and adults are no different in this area. We all have the desire to be accepted by certain people or certain groups. But Paul is looking at the motivation of the groups or people who make us try to do things so we “fit in” with their crowd.

We see this all of the time; all we have to do is watch any TV show, movie or look at group initiations. There seems to be something we have to do in order to be like the people we want to join. But these are all “human standards.” These standards will change over time based upon the culture and the people in leadership. This is one reason why it is not good to try to meet human standards.

So now we should ask, “what have you done to try to fit into a group or get certain people to like you?” If we look back at some of our past actions, we can see that we live with the wrong motivations at times. Human standards will change; but God’s will and standards do not change. God is asking that we live holy, set-apart, lives and to be people who love God and love people. This should be our standard of living.

If we love God then we can see Him in all aspects of our lives and we will meditate on His word and actions. We will remember how merciful and patient God is with us which will cause us to be humble around other people and show compassion. Each one of us have lived lives that show we do not love God as much as we say we do; but God is always with us and has never nor will ever leave us. Just because we forget at times who we are really living for, doesn’t mean that we can’t get back on the path.

When we love God with our entire lives, we will begin to truly (not conditionally) love people. We can then see the incredible potential each person has and the giftedness God has placed in their lives. We will also see, with compassion, the brokenness each person has and do what is necessary to walk with that person or people in the manner they need.

This way of life is not to impress other people, or even to impress God. We live this life because this is how we are called to live. Called to be in relationship, not isolation. Called to serve and love God with all of our lives. There are many people who think this way of life is not right, not cool, etc; but we do not live life to impress other people, or show off how “good” we are. We live life in this manner because we are FREE to. This freedom that Jesus Christ gives is incredible motivation to do what we are called to do and be who we are called to be.

#LiveFreeInChrist

Live for the Harvest

Galatians 6:6-10 ⁶Those who are taught the word should share all good things with their teacher. ⁷Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant. ⁸Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. ⁹Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. ¹⁰So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith.

What have you learned this week? Is this something you’ll keep to yourself or will you share the information? When we learn something for the good of those around us, even those who teach us, it helps us grow in our faith and can help the other person grow in their faith as well. This is a passage that we can take in many areas of our lives. Today we can think of this to mean the “good works” we do for people, but as I was thinking about this, something else seems to stand out more for me.

Yes we should continue doing good works and help those in need. And we should also remember the fruit of the Spirit at the end of Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. If this is fruit we should see in our lives, how does the harvest look for us and for those we encounter daily?

So we can plant kindness, or impatience. Love or hate. Peace or turmoil. The list can go on and on. If we look to benefit ourselves, we will leave a trail of destruction in our path and we will not be able to harvest the “fruits” from those we harm. “But, there are people who need to be taken down and shown they are in the wrong and their actions will not be tolerated!” I can imagine other thoughts people may have along those lines. But if we really take time to think about it, we are really living for ourselves, embracing our own prejudices and not “loving our neighbor as ourselves,” when we put others’ needs after our wants.

Jesus does say, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19 NIV). So the question comes in, what are we “binding up on earth?” If we bind up love and peace we can know the Kingdom of God here and now. If we bind up hatred or any form of prejudice, we miss out on the opportunity to live in grace.

It can be tiring to keep doing “good” to those around us. But we cannot get tired of doing good. We should continue to do what we can, how we can, in the strength and guidance of the Spirit. Anything that degrades value or demeans another person goes against how God desires us to live in community with each other. We can, instead, choose a different path. We have the freedom because of Jesus Christ to love God and love people. How does this play out in your life?

Even when we come across people who make us angry, frustrate us, those we don’t understand or agree with their lifestyle, we can still be the hands and feet of Christ to ALL people because each person is made in the image of God. Jesus Christ was a friend of the sinners (prostitutes, tax collectors, liars, cheats, the stuck up, the loathing, you and me).

Live in the freedom Christ gives by never stopping or tiring of doing good. So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith. Build up the community and let the light of Jesus Christ shine through so that everyone around us can see and experience the love, grace, mercy and forgiveness of God.

#LiveFreeInChrist

Sharing Life

Today, we begin the final chapter in Galatians. This is a great chapter on how we should live in community with others in the faith.

Galatians 6:1-5 Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. ²Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³If anyone thinks they are important when they aren’t, they’re fooling themselves. ⁴Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others. ⁵Each person will have to carry their own load.

Throughout the letter of Galatians, Paul is speaking of a personal faith in Christ and how Christ gives individuals freedom. Now in chapter 6, the last chapter of this letter, Paul shifts his focus from the individual to the community. This should remind us that Christ is working in us personally, but Christ is also working through the community. I am not going to pretend that living in a community is easy; nor will I say it is peaceful. When we add other people into our lives, life becomes more, not less complicated. But, Paul is reminding us how we should live and encourage each other.

Paul reminds us that we should be gentle. Oftentimes we say that the other person needs to be told just like it is and it doesn’t matter how the words come out. They need to know they are wrong! This is true; but there seems to be a way to correct, but also build up so that the other person can become better. We can affirm the person’s strengths and good qualities, then we can speak of what went wrong. The end of verse one is something we should also keep in mind: Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. This reminds us that we are also susceptible for the same kinds of actions and attitudes as that of the person we are there to correct.

We do not live this life alone so. This statement by Paul reminds us how we should be with each other: Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. I think it is awesome, Paul found another way to say the simple phrase, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s the law of Christ. We should be the people who do not allow others to live, or think they live, this life alone; there are always people there for them even when life seems to go down the drain. But he also goes on to say, “If anyone thinks they are important when they aren’t, they’re fooling themselves.” To me, this means we need to be humble and not think highly of ourselves. Many times if we are trying to help someone in need, we want them to get the help they need, our way. It becomes hard to listen to a person who thinks they are more important than they are.

Conversely, we should not compare ourselves with anyone else. We should be the people who do our work to the glory of God, which means we do it as best as we can. Then, when our work is tested, we know for sure we did what we were supposed to do. We have our own work to do, so we must do our job and not add to other people’s work load just because we don’t want to do it.

Our faith in Christ gives us absolute freedom to be there for people, no matter how different they are from us, and to do our work the best we can. When we live in this way, we proclaim Christ with our entire lives, words and actions.

“LiveFreeInChrist

*photo credit: counselingoneanother.com

It’s a Process

Galatians 5:22-25 ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit.

We have all heard the fruit of the Spirit before, and many of us can quote them without even batting an eye. I find it interesting, and brilliantly placed, to have this list almost immediately following the actions that lead us away from the grace of God. One of the challenges the fruit of the Spirit does for me is, I am reminded at how far I still need to go; but God is still working in us and through us.

Have you ever prayed a prayer likes this, “God, help me to be more loving (more patient, kind, faithful, gentle, etc).”? I have and I have changed the prayer. The reason I changed it is because whenever I prayed to be more loving or kind or humble, etc, I would have a very challenging next day. I was convinced the people around me were trying to make me angry or to do everything they could to break me down. But then I realized that I was being reformed inside to be able to handle situations and people. God was answering my prayer!

Something I think is important to think about is the word “fruit.” We live in a culture that says I want to have this now, I want to be this way now, you need to change now. This is a “now” focused time and we do not like to wait. We even ask God to make us more loving, more kind, more gentle, etc, but we forget it doesn’t happen over night or by snapping our fingers. Fruit is the product of time shaping the seedling and causing the bud to transform. The process takes time.

Being sanctified takes time and is a never-ending process until we enter the Kingdom Eternal. But God is always working in us and through us for this fruit to be formed in us. We should be patient and continue to meditate on God’s word daily and allowing his Spirit to guide us and transform us. The process will be long and painful; but if we realize what’s going on, we can most likely live more joyfully and extend grace more often because of the grace that has been given to you and me.

A good reminder of the pain and turmoil it takes for transformation to take place is to look at the cross. On the cross, Jesus was still transforming the world and setting it free from sin and death,.

#LiveFreeInChrist

Guided by the Spirit

Galatians 5:16-21 ¹⁶I say be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires. ¹⁷A person’s selfish desires are set against the Spirit, and the Spirit is set against one’s selfish desires. They are opposed to each other, so you shouldn’t do whatever you want to do. ¹⁸But if you are being led by the Spirit, you aren’t under the Law. ¹⁹The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good, ²⁰idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry,²¹jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that. I warn you as I have already warned you, that those who do these kinds of things won’t inherit God’s kingdom.

Here’s and interesting question, “do you consider yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit?” Does being led by the Holy Spirit mean we do not get to have any fun? The list Paul lays out, surely seems like we would be missing out on fun, if we let the Holy Spirit lead us and not allow us to go into these actions; but are we really missing out if we do not fall into these acts?

If we were to talk about each one of these actions, then this would either be a very, very long post; or it would take several days to get through. Bottom line is that we should avoid these kinds of actions because they all experience some kind of destruction at some point. Destruction of relationships. Destruction of the body. Destruction of freedom. Destruction of our proximity to God. Now, I do not mean here that God is further away in distance. Our proximity to God never changes, because God does not leave us. Our relationship to God can feel light years away when we choose a life that is far from the life in grace he offers us.

So here’s the question again, “do you consider yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit?” This is an extremely important question because the answer will help us live a happier, more peaceful, more joyful, fulfilled life than if we were to do everything we felt like we wanted to do, or even go with the crowd.

In our fallen state, we have a tendency to live life for us instead of living the life God desires us to live. The point of this passage is not to keep us from having any fun in life. We can have so much fun in our lives. The point of having this passage is to show us, some of, the things that will cause sin to live in our lives. If sin rules our lives, we may not hear the pull of God trying to bring us back into a life of grace.

God’s kingdom is not just for some point in the future. God’s kingdom can be experienced and lived in today, here and now. That is one of the joyous parts of the gospel. Living for God gives us greater life and greater joy. Our challenge is to not indulge our freedom to do whatever we want, but to be FREE to live the way God is desiring us to live: holy and set a part lives.

#LiveFreeInChrist

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