Ephesians 1:20b, 21
“and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
Jesus finished His work of redemption. At first He descended into Hades to share the good news with the Old Testament saints, then He rose from the grave and spent several weeks with His disciples and appeared to hundreds of others, telling them the good news. He commissioned His followers to spread this good news to all, then He ascended into Heaven and was seated at the Father's right hand.
What's He presently doing? Hebrews 7:25 says, "wherefore also He is able to save to the uttermost those drawing near to God through Him, always living for to intercede for them." He's interceding for us. He demonstrates His omnipotence as Colossians tells us "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together", (1:17). What comes to mind are those who belittle Him with children's stories of Him holding lambs. Little do they know that He created science and presently allows all of it's laws to function.
He is above all power and authority and His name is above all names. Many on earth have made great names for themselves and many have had great authority. None hold a candle to Jesus. It's like comparing the moon to the sun. The sun generates it's own light and warmth, while the moon only reflects.
We all are beneficiaries of Jesus' work. Our entire Western culture is as the result of Jesus. Our judicial system, our system of education, our emphasis on human rights, our correctional system and so on all come from the bible. Granted, some have sought to change all of that for the past decades, but prior to that, Jesus and the bible were the foundations.
Much of Jesus does for us presently goes unnoticed. We won't know until heaven. We know from Romans 8:28 that He works all things for the good for His children. Not only does He bless us with positive things, but even our difficulties turn into blessings. That's a powerful and good God.
That is simply amazing that God can form all things for the good. That's why He tells us not to worry. He can handle all of it. He said in Matthew 6:24, "Therefore I tell you don't worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than good and the body more than clothes?" This is a game changer. Worry consumes many. Worry fuels the pharmacy industry and possibly the alcohol industry. Some companies rely on worry for their sales. They market their product fully knowing they are tapping into people's tendency to worry.
Jesus' providence elevates us. He is trying to put us on a higher plane. We aren't to be consumed with earthly things. This type of living is called walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). The end of this verse says that those who walk by the Spirit don't fulfill the desires of the flesh. God's ways not only bless us and keep us from worry, but they also keep us out of trouble. The flesh wants to dabble into things that enslave us. As we walk by the Spirit, He keeps us from getting stuck.
The work He does is both individual and connected. The concept of "iron sharpening iron" speaks of how we benefit each other. This isn't coincidental. In our friend groups, church groups, coworkers and so on. If a team was keeping track and attempting to coordinate all of this towards goals, it would be overwhelming and filled with failure. It's easy with God. He can change our hearts whisper ideas for us to follow. In the largest sense, He is working towards His Kingdom. An amazing work.
Lord, we thank You for Jesus, for the work He's done and the work He continues to do.