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Integrity in Our Spiritual Lives
A young man purchased a pleasure boat with a nice little motor and trailer. The unit appeared clean and satisfactory, and—being purchased second hand—it was not too expensive. Eager to try out his new acquisition, he took some friends and rode out to the public slip and launched the boat. It ran well, and the group made their way to a small island off the mainland in Lake Ontario.
Beaching the little boat, they explored the island and returned to the boat to head home. A short distance out, a splashing sound alerted them to the fact that they were taking on water. Quickly, the boat capsized, dumping the three friends into the chilly waters. A most fortunate rescue forestalled serious repercussions. What happened? A single rotted timber was found in the base of the hull that, with the wave action on the beach, had led to a split in the wood. Just one bad piece, out of all the others, was enough to overturn the boat.
How similar can it be in our lives, as well? We might be so solid, so faithful, so firm and unwavering in so many ways, and yet with one area in which we have not surrendered to the Lord, one sinful area we seek to hold onto, we can find ourselves in deep moral, spiritual and even physical trouble.
Read Ephesians 3:14–21. What is Paul saying to us here? How does this bear on our personal integrity? How can we experience these promises in our own lives?
So much is promised us in these texts. The Holy Spirit can strengthen us from within; that is, He can change us, not like some cosmetic surgery but more like heart surgery, something working deep within us. And this change comes to us by faith, by knowing the reality of God’s love for us. The Lord seeks a complete transformation in our lives; He desires that we be “filled with the fulness of God.” Notice, too, that unlike many self-help and new age philosophies, Paul is not talking about our tapping into some innate power found within us. No, the power that “works in us” is the power of God, who can do more than we ask or think. The question is, Are we allowing Him to, or are we letting our carnal natures rule instead?
What might it mean to be “filled with the fulness of God”? Be prepared to talk about your answer in class.
| TUESDAY | June 1 |
A young man purchased a pleasure boat with a nice little motor and trailer. The unit appeared clean and satisfactory, and—being purchased second hand—it was not too expensive. Eager to try out his new acquisition, he took some friends and rode out to the public slip and launched the boat. It ran well, and the group made their way to a small island off the mainland in Lake Ontario.
Beaching the little boat, they explored the island and returned to the boat to head home. A short distance out, a splashing sound alerted them to the fact that they were taking on water. Quickly, the boat capsized, dumping the three friends into the chilly waters. A most fortunate rescue forestalled serious repercussions. What happened? A single rotted timber was found in the base of the hull that, with the wave action on the beach, had led to a split in the wood. Just one bad piece, out of all the others, was enough to overturn the boat.
How similar can it be in our lives, as well? We might be so solid, so faithful, so firm and unwavering in so many ways, and yet with one area in which we have not surrendered to the Lord, one sinful area we seek to hold onto, we can find ourselves in deep moral, spiritual and even physical trouble.
Read Ephesians 3:14–21. What is Paul saying to us here? How does this bear on our personal integrity? How can we experience these promises in our own lives?
So much is promised us in these texts. The Holy Spirit can strengthen us from within; that is, He can change us, not like some cosmetic surgery but more like heart surgery, something working deep within us. And this change comes to us by faith, by knowing the reality of God’s love for us. The Lord seeks a complete transformation in our lives; He desires that we be “filled with the fulness of God.” Notice, too, that unlike many self-help and new age philosophies, Paul is not talking about our tapping into some innate power found within us. No, the power that “works in us” is the power of God, who can do more than we ask or think. The question is, Are we allowing Him to, or are we letting our carnal natures rule instead?
What might it mean to be “filled with the fulness of God”? Be prepared to talk about your answer in class.
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