Do you remember when you left home? How did your parents feel? We remember dropping off our kids in college. Knowing how fragile life can be, it is a wonder we didn’t bubble wrap them to protect them from harm. That is why I pray for families who recently dropped off their kids at colleges. What do we say when we say goodbye to a family member or a friend?
Paul concluded his address to the Ephesian elders with these encouraging words: “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace.” God’s grace really is enough. It builds us up and offers us an inheritance. Only family received inheritance. Paul spoke these words to God’s children. We may speak them to each other. Our inheritance rests among the sanctified – those who have been made holy. If we have not received all we had hoped in this life, remember we are not home, yet.
Why did Paul go out of his way to speak a last word to the Ephesians? Did he want something from them? No. Through Christ, Paul had something to give to the Ephesians. He was not “on the take.” He reminded them that he did not covet their possessions. He was never trying to take money from them. Instead of greedily coveting other’s possessions, Paul worked with his hands to supply his own needs and those of his friends.
The goal of Christian ministry in the first through the twenty-first centuries is not to become wealthy. When we work hard, we have money to share with others. Then Paul gives us a quote from Jesus which is not recorded in the gospels. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” There is more joy in giving to others than in receiving from others. Have we learned this? We may teach it to friends and family as we say goodbye. God gives us all we need so that we can share it with others. What if the only things we really keep for eternity are those we give away? What will we share today?
