Where am I?
All Devotionals
| 05/17/2012 THU |
Seeing Good in Others--Depsite Their Flaws--for the Sake of Christ
Despite the secularism and materialism of our culture, people have a deep longing for spiritual support, especially during times of tragedy. How Christians express this support—among themselves and to others—is crucial. |
| 05/16/2012 WED |
Strengthened by God for the Challenges of Life
Though we will need to unpack these ideas more fully in later reflections, we can say briefly here that Paul describes the spiritual support (vv. 15–16), the spiritual insight (vv. 17–19a), and the spiritual power (vv. 19–23) through which God enables believers to live their faith courageously even amid the most challenging circumstances, and to do so for his glory. |
| 05/15/2012 TUE |
God Has the Power--and He Will Do What He Promises
The weakest of vessels and the vilest of sinners are part of God's eternal plan, as are all who believe in him. How do you know that you are included? Because you believe in him, and having believed, you have the testimony of his Spirit in your heart that he is bringing all things together for his glory and your good. |
| 05/14/2012 MON |
Signed, Sealed, and Guaranteed by the Spirit of God
In this passage of Scripture, Paul tells the Ephesians that they “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (v. 13b–14). Those who are part of God’s redemptive plan are marked with a seal that guarantees their receiving the full rights of God’s heirs in a Kingdom redeemed and made right. |
| 05/11/2012 FRI |
Seeing the Whole Rainbow Through Eyes of Faith
In this portion of Scripture, Paul lifts us above earthly perspectives and lets us see the whole design of human history from the perspective of heaven. We are raised above the limitations of our sin and finitude to see that from the beginning God chose to love us. He made a people for his very own and promised that from them would come those who would believe in Christ. |
| 05/10/2012 THU |
The Ever-Expanding Mercy of the God of Love
God’s involvement of “all things” in his divine plan is more than a continuing expansion of his covenant with his people. It is an expansion of his mercy itself. What did the Jews do to be the chosen people? Nothing. God’s blessing was based in his mercy, not on their merit. And what do Gentiles now have to do to qualify for this mercy and be granted the same privileged status as the covenant people? Again, the answer is: nothing! |
| 05/09/2012 WED |
God Has a Plan for the Universe--and We Are Part of it!
Our lives, in scope and detail, are part of God's plan; we are included in the design that brings him praise. Even when we have failed, even when our sin is apparent, the purposes of God do not go away. The lines of God connect the events of the past, the events of our lives, and the experiences of others, so that all might be to the praise of his glory. |
| 05/08/2012 TUE |
Loved Not Because of What We Do, But Because of Who God Is
Killing mold, I discovered, is a lot like trying to live the Christian life. We can do everything right as best we understand it, but we are still unable to do all that God requires. Our weaknesses of understanding and will, the complications of life, and forces beyond our control keep perfect performance of God’s will far distant. So, what confidence do we have that God will continue loving and securing us if we cannot do everything he requires? |
| 05/07/2012 MON |
Christ for All, and All for Christ!
Paul says that it is God’s will to bring heaven and earth together and “to unite all things in [Christ]” (Eph. 1:10). This is an amazing thought. The inhabitants and domains of heaven and earth will be one. We and the angels will live together in glory. The will of God will be done here as there, and this united Kingdom will exist in complete submission to our Lord. All that God brings together will be united under the headship of Christ. |
| 05/04/2012 FRI |
Amazed By the Revelation of God's Redeeming Grace
As evidence of God’s great care for us, Paul says that God has “[made] known to us the mystery of his will” (v. 9). A truth once hidden, though long anticipated and much hinted at, has now been revealed with startling clarity in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Though there is much more to God’s will than what we finite creatures can know or experience, even this degree of revelation shows how great are our privileges as sons and daughters of God in Christ. |
| 05/03/2012 THU |
Forgiven of Every Sin by the Powerful Blood of Our Savior
Because the blood of Christ deals not only with our inherited sinful nature but also with our actual trespasses, we know that we are freed from the guilt of our individual and daily transgressions. Every dimension of our sin—including all of our individual trespasses—is covered by the blood of our Savior. |
| 05/02/2012 WED |
Freed From the Prison of Sin by the Precious Blood of Christ
Sin takes away the righteousness that God intended to characterize our lives and holds us hostage to Satan’s purposes. We cannot escape from this prison of guilt and shame by our own actions, for they too are tainted by our sin. We must be rescued from our sinful state by something outside ourselves. |
| 05/01/2012 TUE |
Chosen!--Not for Pride But for God's Puposes
Biblical Christians can often appear quite proud of being chosen by God, as if we somehow deserve our predestination because (we think) we understand the doctrine so well. Yet, if there is any truth in our message that God’s love is unmerited, unearned, and unconditional, then our being chosen has absolutely nothing to do with our qualifying for it. |
| 04/30/2012 MON |
Plucked From the Fire By God's Gracious Choice
The fact that God chooses us because we cannot save ourselves does not answer our questions about why some are plucked from spiritual danger and others are not. But Paul does not address those questions here. He is saying simply that God makes us his own and loves us, even though we know that we are not good enough and do not merit his affection. Indeed, knowing these things is one of the marks of God putting his Spirit in us. |
| 04/27/2012 FRI |
Loved and Chosen by God--From and For Eternity
Wouldn’t it make a difference to your heart, to your zeal, to know that God has loved and will love you forever? It makes a difference to me, and Paul knew it would make a difference to those in the church at Ephesus. |
| 04/26/2012 THU |
Welcome to God's Family--and to All the Benefits Thereof!
and inheritance. So it is with those who are in Christ. It was God’s will and pleasure to adopt us as members of his own family through the work of Jesus. He makes us his own sons and daughters—and thus brothers and sisters of Christ. As such, we have all the rights, privileges, and affection that the Son of God himself receives from the Father. |
| 04/25/2012 WED |
No More Shame, No More Blame--Because We Are in Christ
Life will not allow any of us to be completely free of shame. Our weaknesses, the world’s uncertainties, and our sin all have the potential to shame us before earth and heaven. But the glory of the gospel is that our heavenly Father has erased our names from the blackboard—the handwriting that was against us he took away and nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14). Because of our union with Christ by faith, God no longer blames us for what shames us. |
| 04/24/2012 TUE |
Not Yet Without Troubles--but Already at Peace in Christ
In this life, we face difficulty, danger, and the deceit of our own hearts—but in Christ, heaven and all its benefits are already ours. |
| 04/23/2012 MON |
Encouraged by God in the Midst of Our Struggles
When we wrestle against spiritual forces that challenge and sometimes overwhelm us, we may wonder, “Is God still here for me? Does he still want me to win? Have my compromises and weaknesses turned him away?” In this passage, our heavenly Father, through the apostle Paul, shouts his encouragement to his children who are wrestling against evil in Ephesus. |
| 04/20/2012 FRI |
Possessed of the Peace That Powers Purposeful Ministry
If the problems we face are so great, the culture so wicked, the church so weak, and people so human, then what basis is there to expect that any change is really possible? |
| 04/19/2012 THU |
At Peace in Christ by the Grace of God for the Sake of the Gospel
The apostle Paul offers the Ephesians grace amidst sin, peace amidst the storms of conscience and likely persecution. How can he do this? |
| 04/18/2012 WED |
Holy in Christ Even in a World of Sin
A missionary who flew over Calcutta for the first time sensed great futility. Seeing the sheer mass of humanity below, he wondered what difference he could possibly make there. The only thing that made him stay was the belief that God was there ahead of him. The apostle Paul must have had a similar sense of God’s prior presence and purpose at Ephesus, because the challenges to faith in that city were so massive. |
| 04/17/2012 TUE |
Empowered by God to Face Every Challenge
What should be the effect on us of believing that, as God’s people, we too are chosen for a divine purpose by the will of God? |
| 04/16/2012 MON |
Called By God to Proclaim His Gospel
What is the source of our ability to face challenges greater than ourselves with the expectation that God has a purpose in them and that our efforts are not in vain? The apostle Paul, who knew something of such challenges, answers in the opening words of his letter to the Ephesians. |
| 04/13/2012 FRI |
Friends of God--and Holy Too!--Despite Our Many Failings
Defects reside in every human heart. Some are hidden to our consciences, but others glare in our vision. When we see the dimensions of evil within us and suspect that there are others as yet unperceived, then we truly value our Savior’s promise to be more than fair, like the Master in the parable of the vineyard (Matt. 20:1–16). |