A Little Lesson from Ephesians…

As Ken drove me to Joni and Friends this morning, our van became a sanctuary of praise-full song – “We’re Marching to Zion” was the hymn on my heart, and I sang it vigorously! I have to on days like this… days when my hip and lower back cramp in pain. It’s my way of chasing away any dark, discouraging spirit bent on ‘taking me out of the battle.’ A difficult day like this is also a chance to ‘testify’ to the spirit world that, come hell or high water, I choose to cleave to the cross, hang onto the Spirit, and grab hold of the grace of my Savior. Ephesians 3:10 tells me that as we face our trials courageously, our lives are elevated onto a cosmic field of warfare where the stakes are about as high as you can get – we either make His sustaining-grace famous by trusting Him, or we make His grace appear empty by not trusting Him. I want to be in the camp that trusts in the Lord. I think you do, too…

Which is why I’ve posted a video of the message I gave for Moody Founder’s Week this past Wednesday (couldn’t get to Chicago because of the blizzard, so I sent a video). In it, I talk about Ephesians 3:10 and its impact on my day-to-day life as a quadriplegic (I also wrote extensively about Ephesians 3:10 in the book I wrote with Steve Estes, A Step Further). Hopefully, this message will be a blessing to you, too, reminding you of your high calling in the midst of every trial. Finally, take heart from what A.W. Tozer wrote many years ago, “The best thing is neither to seek nor avoid troubles but to follow Christ and take the bitter with the sweet as it may come. Whether we are happy or unhappy at any given time is not important. That we be in the will of God is all that matters. We may safely leave with him the incident of heartache or happiness. He will know how much we need of either or both.”

Onward and upward, friend!