A legacy of sacrifice.
This year as we mark 250 years of God’s grace to the United States of America, we also remember the sacrifice that many have made to give us the blessings and freedoms we enjoy today. The cost has been great but the blessings have been infinite.
158 years ago, on the very first National Decoration Day, President James Garfield made this statement to those gathered at Arlington Cemetery: For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue. For the noblest man that lives, there still remains a conflict. He must still withstand the assaults of time and fortune, must still be assailed with temptations, before which lofty natures have fallen; but with these the conflict ended, the victory was won, when death stamped on them the great seal of heroic character, and closed a record which years can never blot. (James Garfield, May 30, 1868)
We are forever grateful for the selfless sacrifice that soldiers gave to carry out the missions to which they were assigned and to protect the freedoms they treasured for future generations to enjoy. To honor their sacrifice is to honor the freedoms we have been given in our country without abusing them or using them to impinge on the freedoms of others. To honor their sacrifice is to never take our country for granted, but take time to remember our past, its failures and successes, to repent of our national sins that have created discord and division, to understand and protect the moral fabric which truly protects life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, to encourage values of hard work, personal responsibility, and excellence that allow our country to prosper as well as stand ready to help others less fortunate than we.
We live in memory of many military giants who traversed the fields at Gettysburg, navigated the trenches of Europe, stormed the beaches of Normandy, slugged through the marshes in Vietnam, walked the roads in Afghanistan, traveled the convoys in Iraq, and engaged in many other points of combat around the world. Many of those that perished were young men and women who lost the life they had and the life yet to be lived. All who perish leave behind parents who grieve, spouses who live alone, children who miss a parent, and friends and fellow soldiers who feel the empty hole in their hearts.
A day of remembrance doesn’t fill the hole these men and women have left, but I pray it gives pause to give significance to the sacrifice they made.
I am forever grateful for those who serve in our armed forces, men and women, who stand ready, stand proud, and stand strong to give me and my family the blessing of peace and freedom to enjoy today. Thank you. I and our nation are forever grateful for the sacrifice you have made. You are a gift from God.
Psalm 118:29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Apply: In grateful reflection and prayer, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6OS-gR-zqI
Prayer: God of all nations and ruler of all. We give you thanks for the nation in which we live and for the freedoms which we enjoy. May we use this gift to not just preserve the freedom of our country, but to proclaim and preserve the freedom of forgiveness which you have given to us through the ultimate sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ. In his name we pray. AMEN.
As Each Part Does Its Work
Devotions this week are based on Week 6 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
I want to start today’s devotion just giving thanks to God for our amazing daughter who graduates from high school today! Thank you Lord for your faithfulness to her…go with her in the next chapter of her life!
Ephesians 4:14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4 ends with a beautiful picture of the Church growing up into Christ. Paul says we are no longer to be infants, tossed back and forth by waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Christ, who is the Head. Then Paul says that from Christ, the whole body grows and builds itself up in love “as each part does its work.”
That phrase is worth carrying with you: each part does its work. It is simple, but it is powerful. The body grows when each part is connected to Christ and each part contributes what Christ has given. The Church is not built by one person doing everything. It is not built by a few visible people carrying the whole load. It is built as the ascended Jesus works through every member of His body.
Paul says this growth is spiritual. The Church grows in unity, faith, knowledge of the Son of God, maturity, discernment, truth, and love. That kind of growth is not flashy, but it is beautiful. A spiritually healthy church is not merely busy. It is becoming more like Christ. It is learning to embrace grace, speak truth without cruelty and love without compromise. It is becoming a steady hope in a world of confusion.
This growth is also missional. A body that is growing in Christ becomes a witness to Christ. Jesus told His disciples in John 13, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” The world notices when a group of people from different backgrounds, ages, personalities, and stories are joined together in humble, patient, truth-filled love. The unity and maturity of the Church become part of its witness.
In a stone archway each stone has a place. Some stones are more visible than others, but every stone helps bear weight. If one stone is missing, the structure is weakened. In the same way, each member of the body matters. Some serve publicly. Some serve quietly. Some lead. Some encourage. Some pray. Some give. Some teach. Some comfort. Some invite. Some repair. Some organize. Some simply show up faithfully with love. But together, under Christ the Head, the body grows.
This is why your faithfulness matters. A kind word matters. A prayer matters. A meal matters. A lesson matters. A visit matters. A conversation matters. A hidden act of service matters. Not because these things are impressive by themselves, but because they are joined to the work of the ascended Christ.
Jesus is not gone. He reigns. He gives. He builds. And He builds through His people as each part does its work.
Reflect: What small act of faithfulness might Christ use to build up His body this week? How can your love for other believers become a witness to someone outside the Church?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Head of the Church. Keep me connected to You and faithful in the work You have given me. Help our church grow spiritually in maturity and missionally in witness as each part does its work in love. Amen.
Equipped for Ministry
Devotions this week are based on Week 6 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Christ has given every Christian gifts to be used for the benefit of the body. Some of those gifts are people in certain roles to be a blessing to the Church as a whole. Paul names some of those gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These are not the few that are to do all the ministry while everyone else watches. Paul says they are given “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
This is a major shift in how many people think about church. Church is not a place where a few gifted people perform religious services for a crowd. Church is the body of Christ, where leaders equip the saints and the saints do the work of ministry. The goal is not spectatorship. The goal is participation. The goal is not simply attendance. The goal is maturity, service, unity, and love.
Think about a coach preparing a team. A good coach does not train all week so that he alone can play the game while the team sits in the stands. The coach trains the players so they can step onto the field prepared, confident, and united. In a similar way, pastors and teachers are not given to replace the ministry of the congregation. They are given to prepare the congregation for ministry.
This matters because every believer has a part to play. Some works of service happen on Sunday morning, but many happen throughout the week. Ministry happens when a parent teaches a child to pray. Ministry happens when a member visits someone who is lonely. Ministry happens when someone speaks truth gently to a friend drifting from Christ. Ministry happens when someone welcomes a guest, encourages a teenager, prays for a missionary, helps a widow, or bears patiently with a difficult person.
The result of many being equipped to carry out the work of the body? The body of Christ is built up. That means the health of the Church is not measured only by what happens on a platform. Much of the Church’s strength is found in quiet, faithful, unseen ministry.
First Corinthians 12 gives a similar picture. The body has many parts, and each part matters. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” God has arranged the members of the body just as He wanted them to be. The visible parts are not the only valuable parts. Sometimes the hidden parts are the most necessary.
This is encouraging and challenging. It is encouraging because your service matters. It is challenging because you are not called merely to consume. If you belong to Christ, you belong to His body. And if you belong to His body, Christ intends to work through you for the good of others.
Today, ask God to move you from attendance to participation, from watching to serving, from receiving only to also giving. Jesus is building His Church, and He does it by equipping His people for works of service.
Reflect: Where have you been tempted to think of church more as something you attend than a body you belong to? What is one work of service God may be preparing you to do this week?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for equipping Your people for ministry. Help me not to be a spectator in Your Church. Prepare me to serve with humility, courage, and love so that Your body may be built up. Amen.
Grace Given to Each One
Devotions this week are based on Week 6 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 4:1-8 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”
Live a life worthy of the calling we have received. Paul urges humility, gentleness, patience, and love. He calls believers to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Then he reminds them why unity matters: there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all.
But unity does not mean sameness. Right after Paul emphasizes the oneness of the Church, he says, “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” That is a beautiful balance. The Church is one body, but each member receives grace uniquely from Christ. The ascended Jesus gives gifts to His people, and He gives them with wisdom, intention, and purpose.
Your gift is given to you, but it is not given only for you. That may be one of the most important lessons in Ephesians 4. Christ gives His gifts uniquely and communally. They are uniquely apportioned to each believer, but communally intended for the good of the whole body.
Imagine a family sitting down for a meal where each person brings one part. One brings the bread. One brings the meat. One brings the vegetables. One brings dessert. One sets the table. One welcomes the guests. If each person keeps their contribution to themselves, the meal never becomes a feast. But when each gift is offered, everyone is nourished. The Church works in a similar way. Christ gives grace to each member so that the whole body is strengthened.
This is important because many people underestimate what Christ has given them. Some think, “I do not preach, sing, lead, or teach, so maybe I do not have much to offer.” But Paul says grace has been given to each one. Not just leaders. Not just public servants. Not just people with visible roles. Each one.
Romans 12 says we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. Some serve. Some teach. Some encourage. Some give. Some lead. Some show mercy. 1 Peter 4 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace.” That means your gift is a stewardship. It is grace entrusted to you for the blessing of others.
On some days, your gift may look ordinary. It may look like listening carefully to someone who is hurting. It may look like praying faithfully for your church. It may look like teaching a child, preparing a meal, sending an encouraging text, opening your home, giving generously, or showing up when others are tired. But ordinary does not mean insignificant. In the hands of the ascended Christ, ordinary faithfulness becomes part of how He builds His Church.
Today, do not ask only, “What do I have?” Ask, “What has Christ entrusted to me for the good of others?” You are not giftless. You are not useless. You are not merely taking up space in the body. Grace has been given to each one, and that includes you.
Reflect: What grace or gift has Christ uniquely entrusted to you? How can you use that gift this week for the good of the body?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for giving grace to each member of Your Church. Help me recognize what You have entrusted to me and use it with humility and love. Teach me to offer my gifts for the good of others and the building up of Your body. Amen.
Ruling FOR the Church
Devotions this week are based on Week 6 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 1:19-23 That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Jesus is not merely remembered as a teacher from the past. He is not simply honored as a moral example. Ephesians 1:20 says God raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms. He is alive, exalted, and enthroned…“far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given”! Every power you can name, Jesus is above it. Every authority that seems intimidating, Jesus is above it. Every force that appears unstoppable, Jesus is above it.
Then Paul adds one of the most comforting phrases in the New Testament. God appointed Jesus “to be head over everything for the church.” Notice what Paul does not merely say. He does not only say Jesus is head of the Church, though that is true. He says Jesus is head over everything FOR the Church. His authority over all things is exercised for the good of His people and the fulfillment of His mission.
This does not mean the Church will always look powerful. Often, the Church looks weak. It gathers ordinary people. It depends on grace, prayer, Scripture, sacraments, service, generosity, and love. It does not always have cultural influence or worldly strength. Yet Ephesians tells us the Church belongs to the One who reigns over everything.
Think of a small child walking through a crowded airport while holding the hand of a strong and loving father. The child may not understand the announcements, the delays, the crowds, or the confusion. But the child is not alone. The father knows the way. The father holds the tickets. The father carries the bags. The father leads the child home. In a far greater way, the Church moves through history held by the reigning Christ.
This truth is deeply practical. When the world feels unstable, Jesus is not unstable. When culture shifts, Jesus is not surprised. When governments rise and fall, Jesus remains enthroned. When your own life feels out of control, your Savior is not pacing heaven wondering what to do next. He is seated at the right hand of the Father.
Psalm 110 says, “The Lord says to my lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The ascended Jesus rules presently and eternally. He reigns in this age, and He will reign in the age to come.
For the believer, this brings courage. For the Church, this brings confidence. Our hope is not in our size, our strength, our strategy, or our reputation. Our hope is in Christ, who is head over everything for the Church. The same Jesus who died for His people now rules for His people.
So today, do not measure the future by what you can control. Measure it by the One who controls it all. Jesus is not gone. He is in the heavens ruling all things for the benefit of His Church.
Reflect: What power, pressure, or fear feels large in your life right now? How does it change your perspective to remember that Jesus is head over everything for His Church?
Prayer: Ascended Lord Jesus, thank You that You reign above every power and authority. Help me trust Your rule when life feels uncertain. Strengthen Your Church with confidence, courage, and hope under Your loving authority. Amen.