Each Day Matters

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,  I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1: 15-16 (ESV)

If I asked you what you have heard about Kim Kardashian, what would you say? Rich? Spoiled? Too many selfies? How about if I asked about Mother Teresa? Giver? Servant? Cared for the less fortunate? Now, what if I asked people what they have heard about you? What would they say? When I read Ephesians 1:15-16 I know exactly what I want people to say about me when they hear my name.

In Ephesians 1:15-16, Paul tells the people in Ephesus “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” When Paul wrote this letter he was under house arrest in Rome, but years earlier had invested in the lives of the believers in Ephesus. He had just heard two things about the believers in Ephesus which led Paul to write to them: One, he heard they had faith in the Lord Jesus and two, he heard they had love for all the saints.

Faith can be such a vague word. Everyone has faith in something. When I hear someone say they have faith my first question is, “Faith in what?” That is why I like how Paul continues to say he has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus. He doesn’t just say Jesus either, he says Lord Jesus. The word Lord should not be taken lightly when reading this passage. Jesus must be our Lord if we are going to have faith in Him. He is our top priority, the source of all goodness, the only One worthy of our worship.

Love also can be such a vague word. People love many things. I love the fact the Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series! I love my wife’s lasagna and playing football with my kids in the backyard. Again, Paul is very specific when using the word love in this passage. He doesn’t say I have heard about your love and simply stop there. If he did, we would have to ask, “Love for what or for whom?” Paul specifically says that he heard about their love for the saints, or the believers in their midst. The followers of Jesus in Ephesus looked out for each other and helped take care of each other. They were so unified in their devotion to Jesus that all other details (perhaps who they would vote for in a political election if they were able) didn’t deter their love for each other.

At ICS, our students love many things. They love recess. They love bringing home a good report card. They love lunch with Mr. Danish, Minecraft Modding Club, being on the basketball team, or getting to lead the morning announcements. It is a joy for us as faculty and staff to watch students truly enjoy their experience at ICS. But more important than that, we want them to grow in a very different type of love during their years here. It is our goal for each student to leave here confident in their love for one another and their commitment to a personal relationship with Jesus, because the more you know Him, the more you love Him.

One cannot live a life that shows a faith in the Lord Jesus and a love for all the saints without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Once that decision is made the great song I learned growing up comes to mind, “I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.”

These verses are a great challenge to all who claim to be followers of Jesus. Are we living in such a way that when people hear our name they immediately think of a man or woman who has faith in the Lord Jesus? What are we doing to live out our faith in the Lord Jesus? How are we showing love for all the saints? As we live day to day, may our circumstances not alter our faith in the Lord Jesus and our love for fellow believers. And, as Paul ends in Ephesians 1:16, may we never stop praying for one another.

Written by our Assistant Head of School, Dale Pinkley.

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