Bounce Back Spirit - Ephesians 2
Listening to the new Israel & New Breed CD entitled "Live in South Africa" I was reminded of a childhood memory. Did you ever have one of those inflatable "punching bag" toys? I think mine was Bozo the Clown. I loved that thing. Or I hated it. Or I loved to hate it?! I could punch it in the face, kick it in the head, throw my newest leggo aircraft creation at it, and it would sway and bob, but it always came back for more (hmmm - did I have violent tendancies as a child or what?).Why did it always bounce back? Because it had that heavy weight in the bottom. Look at the verses in today's chapter:
20 We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.He is our foundation - our weight, our anchor that allows us to have a "bounce-back" spirit. No matter what the world throws at us, because Christ is in us as our foundation, we can bounce back. Because we're "carefully" joined together we can help each other to bounce back. Wow - that preaches!
There is something else I picked up on this morning in Ephesians 2. I really like the NLT version of those famous grace verses, Ephesians 2:8-9. Check it out:
8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.Salvation is not a reward... There are rewards for serving Christ, but Salvation is not one of them. Otherwise, if we could earn Salavation, we would boast about it. It is a gift.
Lord - thank You that You have been my heavy weight, my foundation that has allowed me to remain flexible and bounce back no matter what the world and the enemy has thrown at me. Thank You for my brothers who have helped me bounce back because we are so "carefully" joined together.
peace!
e
