Ephesians 1:15-23. Paul has heard of the faith and love of the Christians in Ephesus. He gives thanks for them, and prays that God gives them "a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him" so that they will know the hope of the glorious inheritance to which they are called. He also prays that they realize the "immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe." All is accomplished through Christ, who is far above every "rule and authority and power and dominion" in this age and every age to come. All things are at his feet, he is "the fulness... who fills all in all."

First of all, this is one sentence! I certainly have no place editing Paul's letters, but I often think he must have suffered through a period shortage! 😁 I think he just got on a roll sometimes, and kept going - he was in the zone - and couldn't stop for a breath (and didn't have to, since he was writing, not reading these letters!) 

Just yesterday, I wrote about so-so kings, and how they lack wisdom, and even the willingness to seek it, and how that does not bode well for the people. This morning, my husband and I were talking about the gas pipeline that is stopped due to a ransomware attack, and I said gas prices are sure to go through the roof here for a while. My husband said that he hopes that the powers that be - the "rule and authority" - will be all over this, will put a stop to it, and will keep the gas flowing. I said our "rule and authority" is completely inept right now - they have been, in large part, very poorly educated;.they lack wisdom; and they don't know what they don't know, and aren't willing to learn it, or seek wisdom. They don't want to learn, they want to rule. We are living under a so-so bureaucracy, at best, and we are suffering the consequences. Our "king" himself is hopelessly compromised and weak, just a puppet, really, but even when he had his full mental capacity, he was not a leader, but a plagiarist, fraud, and bully. So we really are in for a time of suffering, I'm afraid - much worse than just high gas prices - but read on for hope!

This reading from Paul is the perfect reminder that we are not of this world. When we truly believe, when we live our lives for God, and have a proper order to our lives, we align ourselves to the true king. Our true king is far above all of the mess we find ourselves in. None of this matters - he is in control and he has prepared and won for us a glorious inheritance. Gas prices, or really any first-world problem under our so-so leadership, are rather inconsequential in that grand picture.

Paul also reminds us that when we are properly ordered, living in faith and love, we also become channels of God's power in the world. I have felt this power sometimes, it is a heady experience. Paul recognized it, as well, and, given his personality, God gave him an affliction in order to keep him humble - a "thorn in his pride" (hat tip, Black Crowes) - to remind him, and us, that it is God's immeasurable power in us. When we feel that power, when we are able to accomplish something, we should never think (as some of our leaders do), "that wasn't God, it was me." It is tempting to do this, but all power flows from God - he is the creator, the source of everything. When we have tapped into that power it is him working through us, we have to be careful not to let our pride get in the way. This is wisdom and humility.