When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending His grace to you Gentiles. As I briefly wrote earlier, God Himself revealed His mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.
Ephesians 3:1-4.
Ian, you told us that Paul has a mind like a steel trap. “Paul’s mind is like a steel trap. He doesn’t forget his train of thought. He doesn’t forget where he was up to and what he was on about.” (Bible Gem 398). Well it sure seems that he has lost the plot in this section, hasn’t he?
Yes, it certainly seems like Paul has started a thought and not completed it. “When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisonoer of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . .” At this point his thought stops and he digresses to something else . . . Assuming by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending His grace to you Gentiles . . . But then he doesn’t appear to get back to the same thought again. “As I briefly wrote earlier, God Himself revealed His mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.”
“Run that by me again. I seem to be missing a connection.” My point exactly, is this a time when Paul indeed digresses and then doesn’t get back to the point he was making? We all do it. Is this a place where Paul does it and in fact doesn’t complete what he started to say? You check it out using all the means I have shown you in Bible Gems in the past. We will investigate that likelihood in the next Gem, after you have used all your resources to find out.
In the 1st half, you think LIFE is all about achievement, but at the end you realize it’s all about relationship.
Rick Warren
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
Anon
Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
Anon