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Category Archives: Ephesians

Ephesians 6:10-12

13 Nov

Photo of Northern Lights as observed in Fredericksburg, Texas, by Ron Sutton.

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:10-12

Dear God, there is so much more to this place that what we can see. As I sit in my study right now, there is so much more to this room than what I can see. When I die and some of the mysteries are revealed to me, I am going to be simply blown away. Blown away!

I thought of this yesterday when a friend, Ron Sutton, sent several images he took from outside his home of the Northern Lights that were “visible” from South-Central Texas. I put “visible” in quotes because we couldn’t see any of this with our naked eyes. For Ron, this was only visible with a very slow shutter speed on his camera.

It made me start thinking about everything happening around me right now in the spiritual world that I cannot see. That’s what made me think of this Ephesians passage on spiritual warfare below. Then I went and searched other passages about not being able to see what you see. Here are some examples:

2 Kings 6:12-17

13 “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”

And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” 14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.

15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

Then there’s this one:

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

And one more for good measure:

Hebrews 11:1-2

11 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

Father, there is so much happening I cannot see. Whether it is the spiritual warfare going on around me, the plans you have that there is no way I can comprehend them, or simply the little things you are doing to ordain my steps and impact your world through me. There are also bad things I cannot see. I can’t see the devastating impact of my sins upon others. I hate to think about that. I also often miss the pain others are in and how you might be calling me to love them or help them. Help me in all of this, Father. Help me to love others and love you well. And even if I can never see what is around me on this side of life, help me to at least understand there are things I cannot see and to be humble before you in the knowledge that I am simply not as strong, smart, or whatever as I think I am.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2025 in 2 Corinthians, 2 Kings, Ephesians, Hebrews

 

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Ephesians 2:11-22

30 Aug

11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:11-22

Dear God, the verse of the day from Bible Gateway was just verse 19, but I’m so glad I went back and picked up the context for it. As I slowly read through these 12 verses this morning, I kept thinking, “Oh, that’s great!” There is such good stuff in here. I think I just need to go verse by verse:

  • Verse 11 – There was division among God’s creation. Gentiles were excluded from the blessing you gave to the Jewish people. How does that work? That’s an awful lot of people who lived and died without you. The vast majority, in fact. But it’s also interesting that Paul takes a little dig at the Jewish people saying their were Jewish and your people on the outside, but many were proud of that but did not submit their hearts to be conformed as their bodies were.
  • Verse 12 – I think the key sentence in verse 12 is, “You lived in this world without God and without hope.” Hope in what? I’m sure if you had asked a Roman who was worshipping his or her idols they would have told you they were fine and had plenty of hope. I think part of the uniqueness of following you and your ways is that it’s how you taught us to live and experience your redemptive love for us that brings us a joy and peace we would never know otherwise. Forgiveness. Mercy. Love neighbor. Worship you, a God who loves me and wants me. I don’t know that any of the Roman or Greek idols were perceived to have wanted their worshippers. They needed them for their own egos, but I don’t think the other Gods wanted the people just because they loved them. So the hope I experience in you is wholly different than what an idol offers me. An idol is created to fulfill my desires and worshipped so that the god will agree to give me what I want. In this relationship with you, I am just yours and you are mine. And if I will live by Jesus’s instructions (see the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7), I will find great hope that is beyond what idol worshippers ever experience.
  • Verse 13 – Jesus brought me near to you. Oh, Jesus, thank you for your blood. Thank you for your redemption. I know the Father has a list of the frustrations and pain I’ve caused him and others, including even myself. But he cannot see it through your blood. It’s gone. That’s amazing. He/you had no reason to do that for me except that you love me. Thank you.
  • Verse 14 – We are one creation again. We are your human creation. No longer Jew or Gentile. Male or female. Slave or free. Jesus made us one with each other and you. He gave us that pathway. This whole passage is beautiful!
  • Verse 15 – As I see this verse about “end[ing] the system of law with its commandments,” I can’t help but think about some of the American church who is convinced that children will be drawn to you and your Lordship by posting the 10 Commandments on classroom walls. I asked my wife recently what Bible passage she would put on a school wall if she could pick anything. Here answer was John 3:16. Yeah, I think that’s a better choice than the 10 Commandments too.
  • Verse 16 – Our hostility towards other people is so ridiculous. I was at a college football game last night, and I sat next to two young women rooting for the other team. We had a nice time talking with them. It could have been hostile because we have constructed a division between us by getting behind our respective universities. But we kept is fun and gracious. But isn’t it interesting how much we, as your human creation, find ways to build our tribes so we feel like we can belong to it and get some of our self-worth out of that identification instead of simply getting that affirmation from your love? We are such fools.
  • Verse 17 – Both groups needed your peace. Even though the Jewish people were nearer to knowledge of you, they still lacked the peace of forgiveness and mercy, both received and given. And the Gentiles had much to learn about you. But make no mistake, both groups needed your peace. As I think about the secular Israelis majority in Israel today, I wonder if this passage doesn’t describe both them and the Palestinians.
  • Verse 18 – Jesus prayed for us to be one in John 17. He gave us the path through his redemption of our souls and he taught us what it would look like. Paul, Peter, and the other apostles tried to teach us too. If only we would follow your teaching.
  • Verse 19 – Jesus brought me here to your feet this morning, Father. I am nothing if I wake up this Saturday morning with only my selfishness and need to fulfill my own desires over the next person’s. Help me to worship you and worship others like I should.
  • Verse 20 – The foundation of your house for us (with many rooms?) is made up of the teaching and lives of the apostles and prophets. But Jesus is the cornerstone. You built the foundation for Jesus to build on, but he first standard setting stone sets the stage for the rest of our church.
  • Verse 21 – And now we build from that cornerstone into your holy temple, both personally/individually and corporately. Oh, how we need to do better in both areas! How I need to do better in both areas! I need to be better about continually making you the cornerstone of my individual life, and I need to be better about building your church with you as the cornerstone.
  • Verse 22 – And the temple isn’t just about having a place to perform. It’s a place about building an internal, personal culture as well as being part of building a dwelling where all of us can live under you and your authority.

Father, it was such a delight to spend this time thinking about these things this morning. Thank you. Thank you for all of this. I love you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

P.S. As I was closing, I got to thinking about John’s/Jesus’s letter to the church in Ephesus some years later. They did all the right things, but they lost their first love. And when they are just performing but they aren’t loving you as part of it, then the cornerstone is no longer setting the standard for the house. Help me to keep you as my cornerstone.

 
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Posted by on August 30, 2025 in Ephesians

 

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Ephesians 2:8-10

13 Aug

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:8-10

Dear God, I have to say it feels good to just take Bible Gateway’s verse of the day and just start praying. I don’t have any Sunday school classes I’m preparing for. I don’t have any CMLS Bible studies I’m teaching. I’m not working through Psalm 119 anymore. This morning, I’m just here to take a piece of scripture and hang with it and with you.

I will say, however, that since I did the thing on the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 it made me think of this letter differently this morning. I am now reading it through the lens of what John wrote to them from you. They did lots of good things but they lost their first love. They didn’t love you enough and they didn’t love others. Now, this was probably written several years before John’s Revelation, but were the seeds there? Or was this the time when they still both had their first love and they were doing all the good things? Just interesting to consider when I read Paul’s words this morning.

As for this passage, the message to me this morning is, “Be careful not to take credit for anything.” And I think taking credit for things is how we lose our first love. How we lose our appreciation and love for you. I can keep doing the good works, but if I start taking credit for them myself then I can get to a point where I forget that you are the author. You are the provider. You are the one who blesses the fruit and multiplies it. I am a vessel. And I can try to be a motorboat that powers itself, but I will eventually run out of gas. The only renewable energy to move my vessel is if I ride your current or allow my sails to be pushed by your wind.

Father, I have a lot happening in my professional world right now, and I need your provision. I need to replace an employee. Please guide me to the person you have for our patients and for us as a staff and volunteers. That person is out there. Please bring them to us. I have other issues as work I need to address. Help me to do it well and lovingly. We need different types of resources. Please guide us into them. Help us, Father. Help me. And I pledge to you to stay before you in prayer and do my best to give you the glory for everything. Oh, how I love you, Father.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 13, 2025 in Ephesians

 

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Ephesians 4:11-16

30 Apr

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Ephesians 4:11-16

Dear God, I was talking with a friend just yesterday about this last part that talks about us being different parts of the body. He suggested that I get involved with him on a project he’s doing, and I had to tell him that it didn’t fit my gifting. To his credit, he understood and didn’t push. I really appreciated that.

But going back to verses 14 and 15, oh, how this is a fear for me. There is a lot of talk the last few years about Christians “deconstructing” their faith. It is mainly talked about as something to fear and be rejected. I think the theory goes that we have been handed down these teachings for generations (although some are newer than a lot of people think) so we need to just rely on them, believe them, and then move on to something else. And there is something to be said for that. Leaning into the teachings of those who came before me and who have more experience than I have can be important.

However, sometimes people are wrong. Sometimes teaching is wrong. Was Jesus born in a barn/stable? People have always taught me that he was, but I can’t find that in the Bible anywhere. People have taught me that Jeremiah 29:11 is for me specifically: 11 “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.‘” But is it? Is that what God was telling me through Jeremiah, the weeping prophet? As you and I continue on this discipleship journey day by day, I am trying to see through the fog and into your nature. I try to get a regular dose of teaching from people I trust, and I am grateful that I don’t always agree with them because it allows me to challenge my thoughts and then filter them to see if I should change my mind.

Father, at the end of the day, I will go to my grave with errant theology. I heard on a podcast yesterday that great theologians centuries ago used to make their last writing a set of retractions of things they had said earlier. They used St. Augustine and his writing called Retractations as an example. So who am I to think I’m not a fool who is wrong about a lot of things? So I come into this day being grateful for you. Grateful for my wife. Thank you. Grateful for my children. Thank you. Grateful for our health. Thank you. Grateful for the food I will eat. Thank you. Grateful for my home. Thank you. Grateful for my job. Thank you. Grateful for my friends. Thank you. The list goes on and on. I also come into this day really loving you. I love you, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. I am grateful for your love in return. Thank you. And now I take this love and share it with others. Thank you for that opportunity. Please keep me from teaching anything that would lead one person away from you.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 30, 2025 in Ephesians

 

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Ephesians 6:10-12

27 Jan

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:10-12

Dear God, with my limited mind, it can be so hard for me to remember this. I look around me and I think I am just fighting the bad ideas or idolatrous behavior in others. I think I am confronting their sin. Of course, I ignore my own bad ideas, idolatrous behavior and sin most of the time because I like my bad ideas, idols, and sin. I don’t want to get rid of those. But I need to remember that I am not fighting others, per se. I am not fighting my own nature either. There is a bigger evil happening in your world, and I need to engage it through engaging deeper and deeper with you. Then you will give me your eyes to see others for who they really are: your loved children. You will give me eyes to see my own bad ideas, idols and sin. You will reveal to me opportunities for me to repent before you and love, love, love.

So how do I do this? Paul continues in verses 13-18:

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Your truth. Your righteousness. Peace offered through Jesus. Faith. Embrace my salvation. Engage the Holy Spirit.

Father, walk with me today as I do these things. Give me your eyes to see. Give me your ears to hear. Give me your heart to love. Give me your wisdom and discernment so that I will know how to act proactively and then react to everything happening around me. Give me your peace so that others might be drawn to you through me. And I pray for the couple we met yesterday. I pray for my wife. I pray for my children and their significant others. My parents. My siblings and in-law siblings. My nieces and nephews. My coworkers. My friends. The people the place I work serves–all of them. Find each life. work in each person. Bring glory to your name. Let everything that has breath praise you.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 27, 2025 in Ephesians

 

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Ephesians 5:1-14

07 Jan

5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

Dear God, I was reading an editorial yesterday a friend sent me about Jimmy Carter. It is from Good Faith Media and is called “Good Christians Make Bad Politicians: The Legacy Of Jimmy Carter” by Josh Carney. It’s what I thought of this morning when I read these words from Paul. There was one line in the piece that stands out to me: “While Jesus is an admirable sage that we love to quote as an antidote for our personal problems, his politics are too impractical for real American problems. It might be impossible for an American president to enact the politics of Jesus. The very idea of the nation-state carries implications that are at odds with the kingdom of God.” It’s sad but true.

I think a comparison would be the difference between me being a civilian and being in the army. As a member of society, I am willing (or I should be willing) to sacrifice myself for others. As a member of the army, I would be willing (or I should be willing) to take another person’s life for the sake of my country. Just that last sentence that I bolded about the idea of a nation-state being at odds with your kingdom. It reminds me of what someone said about your actions in the Old Testament. None of it was how you designed it, but you are just constantly triaging the situation and working with what you have with the Israelites. Are we any different.

But I’m not in the army. I’m not a politician. I’m just one of however many billions of people are on this earth. I’m just one of however many hundreds of millions of people who live in this country. I’m just a husband, father, son, brother, boss, employee, community member, and friend who has work to do today. How will I choose to do it? Will I seek myself and my own gratification, or will I work to help and love others? Will I be what Paul calls people to be in verses 1 and 2 of Ephesians 5, or will be be what Paul describes in verses 3-5?

Father, to quote the end of the Nicene Creed, I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Until then, I pledge myself to you as best I can.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 7, 2025 in Ephesians

 

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Ephesians 1:18

01 Nov

18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

Ephesians 1:18

Dear God, I love the idea of praying this for people. When I don’t know what to pray, maybe I should just prat that their hearts will be flooded with light so that they can understand the confident hope he has give to those he called–his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. What a great thing.

I have a relative who texted my wife and me last night asking us to pray for her husband who is about to have a significant event today. We prayed together about it this morning, and, frankly, this isn’t too far off of what we prayed for all of them (her husband, her, and their families). Then we prayed for our children as we always do, and this was kind of the tone of that prayer well. Their joy. Their peace. But I like this: “That [their] hearts will be flooded with light.” YOUR light. The light of your grace and glory shining in them, through them, and out of them.

And then as I pray for my wife today. For myself. For my friends and coworkers. For the friend who lost her mother yesterday. “That [their] hearts will be flooded with light.” My wife has a hectic few days with different activities. Flood her heart with light. I have a lot going on in the next 24 hours. Flood my heart with light.

Father, the reason I know you are a good God is because the closer I get to you the “gooder” I get. I know you are a loving God because the closer I get to you the “lovinger” I get. I know you are a merciful God because the closer I get to you the “mercifuler” I get. So let your light shine in, through, and out of me today. You are a good God. You are a loving God. You are a merciful God. You are a just God. You are a compassionate God. I could go on and on. I am grateful that you are my God.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 1, 2024 in Ephesians

 

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Ephesians 5:15-20

25 Oct

Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:15-20

Dear God, I don’t want to be thoughtless in what I do. I’m even about to go and try to vote. I don’t want to be thoughtless in that process either. I know in the grand scheme of things that my one vote will probably not move the needle between who wins and who loses, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t take it seriously. Prayerfully. Thoughtfully.

Then there is the part about putting myself in a position to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to be filled with you. But what do I need to do to put myself in that position? It won’t just happen. I need to go back to those things I said a few weeks ago about the floor. What is the minimum I need to be doing each day? I need to spend this time with you. I need to keep myself pure. I need to regulate what I take into my eyes and ears. I need to give. I need to love.

Father, if I can just put myself in a position and set myself up in a good situation where I can be filled with your Holy Spirit then that will go a long way towards me bearing out the fruits of your Spirit. So I start with this time of worship. I worship you, Father. And I trust you. Regardless of the outcomes of the election as they compare with the candidates for whom I will vote, I am going to put my trust in you. You are my God. I worship you and you alone. Help me to spread that peace to other Christians around me who are concerned about the outcome of this election. And help me to spread your peace to non-Christians around me as well.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 25, 2024 in Ephesians

 

Ephesians 3:6-7

23 Oct

6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. 7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

Ephesians 3:6-7

Dear God, I sit here this morning as the recipient and beneficiary of this Good News. I could have been a Greek who worshipped the Unknown God (Acts 17:23). I could have been godless and not allowed the teachings of Jesus and your Holy Spirit growing within me to drive me into loving others, forgiveness, being a peacemaker, etc. As I sit here now, it’s hard for me to imagine what I would be like or who I would be without you. I have friends who are without you, and almost none of them are at peace. Some are constantly angry and cynical. I share you with them, and they seem to not want to leave what they already know so well. I suppose I wouldn’t want to either. I’m fortunate my father found you when his life was in a rocky stretch when I was 8 years old, and he started taking us to church.

So is there anything I need to be doing to let others know that they are heirs into your family? How else do I need to invite others in. What do I need to be doing to share you with those within my sphere of influence? What are the words you want me to say?

Father, I know I don’t do enough in this area. And I know that if I were to do a lot more then very few would accept the invitation. When I come across people today, give me eyes to see them with your eyes. Give me ears to hear them and know them with your ears and knowledge. Live through me. Love through me. Let your kingdom come on earth and your will be done on earth through me and your body, the Church. And thank you. Thank you, Father, for everything you are.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 23, 2024 in Ephesians

 

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Ephesians 2:11-22

22 Oct

11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:11-22

Dear God, I am one of those Gentiles that benefits from all of this. I am someone who was lost but now I’m found. And here I am now. Sitting here before work, praying to you. Loving you. Worshipping you. Looking to you for guidance. Asking you for your love and presence to be in my life and the lives of others. Asking you to guide your church in the midst of election fervor. Asking you to reveal my sin to me so that I might repent and then take up my cross and follow you. That is what I get to do this morning because of what Jesus did 2,000 years ago. Because of what you did in sending a piece of you to us. Because the Holy Spirit, your Holy Spirit, a piece of your nature, is now sitting in this room with me–in me–loving me and guiding me. Talking to me. Comforting me. Correcting me.

Father, I need your inspiration today. I need your love. I need to be able to inspire your love in others. I want people to hunger for you after being with me. I want others to find you on a deep and personal level so that they might experience the life you have for them here on this earth. Having finished Ecclesiastes yesterday, I don’t know that Solomon (if that was Solomon) ever really found what he was looking for, but I have. I wouldn’t trade you for anything. Not anything. Forget afterlife. For the here and now, you are everything I need. I worship you, and I praise you. My Lord and my God.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 22, 2024 in Ephesians

 

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