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Category Archives: Ephesians

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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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, what does it mean to be saved? We use that word a lot: “Saved.” Growing up, it mainly meant saved from hell. “If you were to die tonight, do you know where you’ll go?” That was the selling point. That was the benefit transaction. I am rescued from hell. But from even the age of 17 or 18, I started to realize there was a different story to tell. It’s not about getting saved from hell. It’s about getting saved from myself. Getting saved from separation from you in the here and now. It’s about loving you and humbling myself enough to experience your love and comfort in this moment. It’s about getting myself transformed into who Jesus taught me to be through his life and his teaching.

Paul reinforces that perspective here. He isn’t talking about me getting saved from hell. He’s talking about becoming your masterpiece. It’s about us doing the good things you planned for us long ago in the now. Not later. Not after death. Now.

So my job is to continuously choose the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14). I didn’t choose the narrow gate once just so I can get my fire insurance. No, that’s not the gate Jesus called me to. Jesus called me to live up to the standards of the Sermon on the Mount through developing my relationship with you and being transformed into what Paul is talking about here to the Ephesians. It starts with loving you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then loving my neighbor as myself. Low and behold, if I do those things then I will be a peacemaker and merciful. I will be comforted when I mourn. I will be salt and light. Hate and lust will become more and more distasteful to me. I will give. I will pray. I will fast with a humble heart, not for show. My treasures on earth will be the things that are of you and not the things of this world. I will be curious and not judgmental. I will ask for better and better things, and you will delight in giving me the things that are good for me. I will judge people by their fruit and be shrewd around those I do not trust. I will build my life on you and get rid of as much sandy soil as possible. That is my job, even today.

Father, it starts with loving you, and I do love you. Thank you. Thank you for loving me and being who you are in your nature. Thank you that knowing you better means knowing how to love better. Help me to share that love with others. And help me to love others around me. My wife. My children. My family. My coworkers. Our volunteers and donors for where I work. Our nonprofits clients. My friends. My community. Let your love flow through me to all of these, for their good and for mine.

I offer all of this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 13, 2024 in Ephesians

 

Ephesians 2:17-22

03 Jul

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 2:17-22

Dear God, it’s amazing to see how many ways the Bible finds to tell me that you love me. That’s something even now I tend to take for granted. You love me. You love the people I love. You love the people I don’t care for. Like a parent loves a child at the deepest levels of their soul, you love us that much and even more. I’m sorry I don’t really know how to appreciate that.

And then there’s the matter of spreading your love to others. Sharing it. Helping other people be drawn to you. To experience what it means to sink their roots into your river and feel you flow into them. To grow your fruit.

Father, help me to be a source of your love for others today and to encourage just one person to embrace your love for them. I pray for the two new pastors in town and the new church that started last month. Help all of them. For the new church, while it breaks my heart that it felt it needed to break away from another church to star anew, I pray that it will fill a need in the community that wouldn’t otherwise be met. Fill the leadership with your love, compassion, wisdom, and Spirit. Help them to hear your voice. For the new pastors, well, there are always criticisms of the last guy. The day I leave my position there will be criticisms of me. Help these two pastors to avoid those traps. Help them to follow their predecessors in love, to follow you completely, and to be part of your kingdom coming and your will being done in their churches and in our community as it is in heaven. Show me how to support them as well. And for those who are on my mind who are facing physical challenges, I pray that you will heal, strengthen, and comfort them. Strengthen their caregivers as well.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2024 in Ephesians

 

Ephesians 3:16-21

06 Jun

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:16-21

Dear God, the metaphor that seems to work over and over again to describe our discipleship is agricultural. There is Jesus’s parable of the different soils. There is the Fruit of the Spirit. In this case, Paul talks about our roots growing down into your love to keep us strong.

The trick with all of these agricultural analogies is that we have to do the work. We have to tend our soil. We have to fertilize the seeds planted in us. We have to get rid of the thorns and stickers.

To some extent I do that, but not enough. Although I’ve come to a good place of not making the outcome of the November elections an idol (either by who will win or who will not win), I still allow some of the venom of even those with whom I agree seep into me by giving them an audience. I don’t do it much, but sometimes I listen. Sometimes I watch. Sometimes I read.

I was talking with someone last night about a rumor they heard about the Pope cursing. They had just heard the rumor and used it as something with which they could accuse the Pope. First, I was able to find the story and the explanation of what happened. Then I asked the person, why would the Pope have dropped an Italian f-bomb during a blessing? Then I asked, what do you think the motivation is for the person who is pushing that narrative?

I could go on and on about misinformation on one side of things that I disagree with, but there is misinformation on the side of things that confirm my biases as well. Oh, how I need to guard my heart. Oh, how I need to weed my soil. Oh, how I need to ensure my tree is planted by streams of living water. Oh, how I need to do what I can to allow my roots to grow deep into you and your love!

Father, as I sit here this morning, I have a family member going through a common but still risky medical procedure today. Love him today. Love him through the doctors. Love him through the nurses and even those who check him in at the hospital. Love him through his wife. Love him through me and his family. Hold him close. Heal him. Give him strength. Help him to use his life for you and whatever you’re calling him to do and be.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 6, 2024 in Ephesians

 

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Ephesians 4:11-16

30 Apr

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 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. 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. 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. 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, this sentence really struck me: “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.” It would be nice to think that being mature in you is attainable, but I feel so far from it.

I was on a bike ride this morning, and was thinking about how I’ve been in a bit of a spiritual lull lately. No excuse. I simply haven’t love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I’m sorry for that. I really am.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I give you this day—this moment. I’m here waiting for church to start. I commit this time to simply worship to you.

I pray all of this through the grace of Jesus,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 30, 2023 in Ephesians

 
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