June 08, 2021: SOAP #4205:  Ecclesiastes 7-9; Ephesians 4

SCRIPTURE:  Ephesians (NIV) 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

OBSERVATION: Paul was writing from a Roman prison, but he was not a prisoner of Rome.  He was “a prisoner for the Lord!”  Rome contained Paul in a cell.  Rome had built the prison.  But the Roman prison did not hold Paul.  The Lord held him there.  He had Paul right where He wanted Paul.  Instead of being busy moving on his evangelistic journeys, Paul had time to write letters!   

It was not that the Lord was with Paul in prison, Paul was with the Lord!  The Lord was not there to help Paul (although I am sure He did,) Paul was there to do the Lord’s bidding (writing letters to the churches.) 

Paul’s ministry in writing the letters far surpassed any other ministry he had.  Those letters are still ministering to people.  I doubt if Paul had any idea of how far those letters would take his ministry.  His dream was to go to Rome and beyond to regions that had never heard the gospel.  He probably never thought about France, Spain, and England.  He had probably never even heard of North and South America.  Yet his ministry reaches all the way to the middle of the USA, and then on around the world to the orient. 

APPLICATION:  Setbacks and limitations need not hinder the ministry God has for me.  Instead of calling for God to be with me and help me out of my problems, I need to start confessing that I am with God.  I need to ask Him what He wants me to do. 

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, you have ways to take even small things and making great things out of them.  You can take a woman’s infant child and make him to be a great leader. (Moses, Jesus)  May we be faithful in doing the small things and the unseen things. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!