“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”
~ Ephesians 2:8
Hi James and Ellen,
What would you do if there were no shelters of any kind? If living without a shelter means that you will sleep on the ground while being encased by night’s blackness, be drenched by torrential rain while thunder claps celebrate lightning flashes and be frozen by blasts of cold, artic air, would you be okay with this way of life or would you be consciously – or unconsciously, looking for another way to live life? What would you do if there was no hope of any kind? If living without hope means that you will hunt for elusive wealth while attempting to satisfy a self-convinced life security need, look for vague power roles while trying to satisfy a self-perceived life image need and search for identity positions while endeavoring to satisfy a self-proclaimed life value need, would you be okay with this way of life or would you be unconsciously – or unconsciously, looking for another way to live life? Are you thankful for the shelter that you have? You do not need to sleep in the oppressive darkness of starless and moonless nights when you can sleep in a house. Electric bulbs, candles or a kerosene lantern can light your bedroom. You do not need to be waterlogged by buckets of soaking rain. The roof will keep rain from pouring down into your house. You do not need to be covered by snow blankets and frozen by below freezing temperatures. A furnace or a fire in a fireplace will help keep insidious cold from taking over the rooms in your house. The only way to have hope is to receive hope as a gift. The hope gift – when opened, has you escaping darkness. The hope gift – when opened, shines light on internal peace. The hope gift – when opened, pushes back menacing elements. The hope gift – when opened, cleans away inner filth. The hope gift – when opened, promises incessant life. Why would any guy, gal or kid want to subject himself or herself against nature’s way of maintaining and replenishing planet Earth when he or she can live under a roof, inside protective walls and experience a house’s warmth? Even guys and gals in the most primitive people groups will find or they will build protective shelters. Why would any guy, gal or kid want to subject himself or herself against the wiles of the ruler of the evil spirits when he or she can live with the knowledge that he or she is an integral block of a holy dwelling – which is the ‘body of Christ’, that is filled with hope, peace and joy?
Paul points out in Ephesians 2 the difference between having and not having hope. Not having hope per Paul is the result of the transgressions or sins of a guy, gal or kid making the guy, gal or kid dead. Also per Paul, every guy, gal and kid born on planet Earth will try to gratify the cravings of his or her desires and thoughts that he or she was born with because of Adam’s disobedience that resulted in the embedding of sin DNA in the hearts of every guy, gal and kid who is born on planet Earth. Just like every other guy, gal or kid who God – as God the Father, tenured, is tenuring and will tenure on planet Earth, you have a natural inclination or an inborn proclivity towards living in darkness, suffering the consequence of doing evil stuff and facing hell’s pit of fire. Just as other guys, gals and kids who God – as God the Father, adopted before He created planted Earth, you will be led by God – as God the Spirit, to a cross that has been bathed with blood that was shed by God – as God the Son, on which He was on hung on and nailed to and then to a grace/faith door. As guys, gals and kids pass by the blood stained cross – which means that he or she has been imbued with the facility to claim the help of a faith spirit seed that has been implanted – through His unmerited mercy, by God – as God the Father, into the life of the guy, gal or kid who God – as God the Spirit, will lead through the faith/grace door at which time the guy, gal or kid will undeservedly inherit for all eternity the hope gift. Once a guy, gal or kid passes through the faith/grace door, the guy, gal or kid will be compellingly convinced in his or her heart that he or she is now ensconced forever in life’s hope room. Paul explains all this in verse 8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–” Paul also says that you are God’s workmanship and because of that, you are going to innately want to do good works for God.
Many Hispanic guys, gals and kids participate the three days before Lent in what is called Carnival. Relational compromising tends to become the norm by the end of these days. Throwing water filled balloons at one another is traditionally done the first two days of Carnival while filth of all kinds is thrown at one another the third day. To get away from the yuk that is associated with Carnival, some of the guys, gals and kids in Christ-follower evangelical communities in Bolivia will get together over Carnival in a retreat. The first Bolivian evangelical Christ-follower community driven retreat that your grandmaa and grandpaa participated in over Carnival – when your grandmaa and grandpaa were missionaries on the South America Mission field missionary team in Bolivia, was about two months after your grandpaa had the muscles torn lose from his left elbow when he toppled his motorcycle after a taxicab nearly ran him over. Your grandpaa taught during this retreat with his left arm in a cast. Your grandpaa at one point drew a balloon on a cloth blackboard to represent the home of all Christ-follower guys, gals and kids and to illustrate how non-Christ-follower guys, gals and kids are blindly living outside the balloon. Where are your lives right now?
Ephesians 2 (962)