September 27, 2024 IT’S A BIG DEAL
From Ephesians: “made us alive together with Christ.” “Raised up with Him.” “His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” “But now in Christ Jesus…have been brought near.” “He is our peace.” “Being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” “Walk in a manner worthy.” “Speaking the truth in love.” “Grow up in all aspects into Him.” “You lay aside the old self.” “Put on the new self which in the likeness of God.” “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification.” “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” “Be kind to one another.” “Be imitators of God.” “Let no one deceive you.” “Now you are light in the Lord.” “Be strong in the Lord.” “Doing the will of God from the heart.”
Ephesians is a rich book! We are likely guilty of at times taking the gospel, the word of God, too casually. The amazing thing is that because we may be so familiar with the word of God, we may lose the impact of His word on our lives. The word of God is not just a book; it is the living word of God: it is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. Living by and according to His word does not rob us of life, but rather is the source of life. Above are just a few quotes from Ephesians; as we read these, as we read the book of Ephesians, we come face-to-face with the fact that God has done great things in us! We were given His word that we might become aware of the awesome works He has done in us. Of course, on our own, we cannot discern His word, but we have the Holy Spirit who enlightens the word of God to us. It may be our old nature to take what God has said casually, but that does not have to be the case. We can turn our hearts to the word of God and can day by day be refreshed in His word. The goal is not to have just a knowledge of His word, but to be transformed by His word. It’s a matter of reading His word then applying and obeying what we read. Just yesterday, I had the thought that no matter how we feel about what we read in God’s word, or whether we like it or not, as believers who claim to know God, how dare we not take every word to heart and live it out. That’s not to condemn us. Let us move towards what God says about who we are in Him; let us lay aside anything that would cause us to not fully embrace what God has done on our behalf. It is mind-boggling, life changing, and absolutely amazing that God has made us NEW creations-not refurbished-but made NEW. These quotes from Ephesians are a synopsis of who we are. Now, we can live life just as He planned and experience total fulfillment-even in the trials.
Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.”
Blessings, Buddy
From Ephesians: “made us alive together with Christ.” “Raised up with Him.” “His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” “But now in Christ Jesus…have been brought near.” “He is our peace.” “Being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” “Walk in a manner worthy.” “Speaking the truth in love.” “Grow up in all aspects into Him.” “You lay aside the old self.” “Put on the new self which in the likeness of God.” “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification.” “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” “Be kind to one another.” “Be imitators of God.” “Let no one deceive you.” “Now you are light in the Lord.” “Be strong in the Lord.” “Doing the will of God from the heart.”
Ephesians is a rich book! We are likely guilty of at times taking the gospel, the word of God, too casually. The amazing thing is that because we may be so familiar with the word of God, we may lose the impact of His word on our lives. The word of God is not just a book; it is the living word of God: it is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. Living by and according to His word does not rob us of life, but rather is the source of life. Above are just a few quotes from Ephesians; as we read these, as we read the book of Ephesians, we come face-to-face with the fact that God has done great things in us! We were given His word that we might become aware of the awesome works He has done in us. Of course, on our own, we cannot discern His word, but we have the Holy Spirit who enlightens the word of God to us. It may be our old nature to take what God has said casually, but that does not have to be the case. We can turn our hearts to the word of God and can day by day be refreshed in His word. The goal is not to have just a knowledge of His word, but to be transformed by His word. It’s a matter of reading His word then applying and obeying what we read. Just yesterday, I had the thought that no matter how we feel about what we read in God’s word, or whether we like it or not, as believers who claim to know God, how dare we not take every word to heart and live it out. That’s not to condemn us. Let us move towards what God says about who we are in Him; let us lay aside anything that would cause us to not fully embrace what God has done on our behalf. It is mind-boggling, life changing, and absolutely amazing that God has made us NEW creations-not refurbished-but made NEW. These quotes from Ephesians are a synopsis of who we are. Now, we can live life just as He planned and experience total fulfillment-even in the trials.
Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.”
Blessings, Buddy
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