Ephesians 1:10
There is an appointed time where all things will be gathered together… The things of yesterday will join the things of today and all in the household of faith will be united… As a Christian we find strength through this passage taken from the letter to the church of Ephesus… We know that despite all the suffering, ridicule and scorn which we presently deal with, there is a sturdy foundation we can stand upon which simply declares that in the dispensation of the fullness of times… As we go through, the hour continues to draw near to when all the suffering will end, sin will be no more and everlasting life will become reality… Those who have fought the good fight before us will be reunited unto us in the return of the bridegroom to this earth… You can endure the struggles of life and overcome the deepest valleys by reminding yourself that the time has not come yet… Your time to be exalted has not come yet, your time to ascend has not arrive yet; this isn’t to say that it will not happen but that it just has not happen yet… As a child I was able to go outside and wash my fathers cab because of the payment I was guaranteed to receive; standing in the sun was tedious; however, knowing what was to come made it bearable… The same principle applied today in our focus verse can be applied to our lives as well; your reward for all your labor is guaranteed, the things you endure today are bearable because you know what is coming tomorrow… In the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things Christ…
The work which God has started will be completed, Paul just reminds us today that will not happen when we want it too… There are so many things which we desire on this earth and this is why Paul again reminds us that it is on the timing and design of God that we must trust and have our being… Life doesn’t always make sense; there are times that have come and will come when we will not understand our current situation or what it is that God has in store for us… Paul reminds us today that in these times we are not to become discouraged, we are not to become dismayed, but that we are too remember that God indeed does have a plan… Paul unfolds the desire and plan of God as it deals with His disciples and creation… In his letter to the Church of Ephesus, Paul is writing to the body of Christ as well as those who have begun the transformation into Christianity… There were many souls that were being turned over to Christ; however, there were also many that were skeptical of Christ and being susceptible to prosecution by other religions and people… The truth of the matter is that when we turn our lives over to the Lord we are going through a transformation, as we are transformed, there will be many that will be skeptical, many that will criticize and many that will persecute… Because of these known hardships, many people are left asking the questions (why should I believe in God) or (why would God allow this)…? Both of these questions are answered in the study verse for today’s reading… Again, Paul says “that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ…” There is a period of time that will elapse, a period of time that we will endure hardship, a period of time that we will be ridiculed and a period of time that we will feel all alone… This period must be fulfilled, just like Christ had to suffer a period of time where He was separated from His father we too must go through, but we must also remember that there is a method to this madness… God has a plan that is at work right now in our lives, God has ordained steps that are being taken within His will and plan that we may not understand nor recognize at the present moment…
“The dispensation” simply means God’s allowance… God is allowing certain things to happen, He is permitting certain things to take place, but know that in His allowance, He is also preparing to gather His body unto Him…While Jesus was separated from God, God was already preparing for His return…While you go through storms of life know that God is already a step ahead and planning your deliverance… You will be brought back into the fold, even though you may be drifting and battered by the storms of life you will reach land and find you feet planted firmly upon the strength of the Lord… We may suffer now, we may face hardships now, but we know that the bible says that when Christ left this earth He was going to prepare a place for us… Christ left to make room and setup our Eternal Rest, Christ left to prepare a place where we would suffer no more, we would cry no more, we would sin no more… Paul says that He will gather things in heaven and on the earth… The hope of a Christian is embodied in knowing that Christ plans to come back for us… We all shall gaze upon His face and hear Him say Well Done! Ephesus was a port city that had various people traveling through its towns daily… Knowing this, allows us to understand how diverse this location was… We too live amongst diversity; we see many religions, beliefs and people everywhere we turn… Our crown is not of this earth, but it indeed will be given to us when Christ returns and gathers all His people unto Himself… Today, find encouragement during your hard times, find peace in the storm and find perseverance during your struggle… You may not see it, you may not know how, but God is working it out and you will overcome… This walk isn’t one that we can bare on our own; however through faith we can make it and that requires us to trust in the Lord knowing that His ways and thoughts are not ours, but that they will produce more than we ever could… (Isaiah 55: 8, 9)
ALL FOR HIS GLORY!
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