Spiritual Stability

Saturday - March 12th

Scripture to Read Today: Ephesians 4:7-16

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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.

Ephesians 4:14

We have added about 375 square feet to our house in the last four months. Lesli and I are working to make a bedroom suite for her parents. As they grow older, we want them to be close to us (really close - I guess). We think having them move in with us will be the best situation for all of us.

The contractor doing the addition and some remodeling of existing spaces around it has been great. But, remodeling can be challenging. We had less than half of our house available to us at one time. Someone recently told me that marriage vows should say, "For better or worse, in sickness and in health, during remodeling or not, until death do us part." Lesli and I are good, but I get the sentiment in the suggested addition to the vows.

While I have been around construction projects a lot in my life, I noticed several elements in the walls and foundation of the addition that I had not seen before. Every time I asked why this or that was done, the builders said those things had to do with earthquake precautions. I had not seen much by way of earthquake precautions in construction projects in the midwest or the east coast. But, I get the importance of earthquake preparedness in construction here in California.

Without such precautions, our addition could be tossed around in an earthquake. So I am glad we have them. These added construction elements provide stability to the house as a whole.

As Paul addressed the need for us to seek maturity together in the church, he warned us of the danger of not having such maturity. The Apostle gave some vivid imagery of the instability a church can have if its members don't pursue unity and maturity in Christ together. He said spiritual stability means that "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" (Ephesians 4:14).

"Every wind of teaching "describes so much of what we see and hear in our world today. Turn on religious programming. Simply google "God." Unfortunately, you will see many "winds of teaching" and many "deceitful schemes." They will look so real, but they are counterfeits!

That is why we need the unity, maturity, clarity, and ministry Paul talks about in Ephesians 4:13-16. If we fail to be united, mature, and clear together in the Lord and His Word, we will be tossed around by the storms of error and scheming. So instead, we should lean into the body of believers and build each other up in Christ and His Word.

None of us want our homes swaying and collapsing in an earthquake. Likewise, none of us should want our spiritual lives to be tossed around by every wind of doctrine and every scheme of deceptive people.

Look for ways to build up other believers in Christ and His Word today!

God wants our lives to have spiritual stability in Him and His Word!