Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 4:1-16 (day four) Maturity…it is a principle that is demonstrated in all of God’s creation. A seed is planted, it grows to a tree, it bears fruit, and the fruit ripens. A child is conceived, he grows to birth, he is born and lives apart from his mother, and he soon grows to be a child, a youth, an adult. Spiritual maturity is what we must strive for as a believer. If the process of growth is interrupted at any point, there is no maturity, there is death. Paul says, “…we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” Paul goes on to say that each of us is vital to the growth of the body…the church. Verse 16 says, “from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body…” If our personal process of growing in Christ is hindered, it damages the growth of the church.
Author: Larry Soape
Larry Soape is the Associate Pastor for Median & Senior Adults, and Missions at FBCSA.
Superlatives
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 3 (day four)
When Paul describes the Savior, he always uses superlatives. Verse 8 says, “…the unfathomable riches of Christ.” Verse 10 says, “…the manifold wisdom of God.” Verse 11 says, “…the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Verse 16 says, “…the riches of His glory,” Verse 19 says, “…the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.” Verse 20 says, “…who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.” How can you describe Christ without using superlatives? Maybe you are a creative thinker…maybe you are a person of great vision…of great dreams. Verse 20 says that no matter how lofty our thoughts may be, they do not even approach the thoughts of the Lord… “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” Let’s ask God to cause His thoughts to be our thoughts…for our eyes to see as He sees.
Reconciled by the Cross
Re: Verse reading – Ephesians 2:11-22 (day four) What was it that separated Israel from the Gentiles? What was the barrier of the dividing wall (v. 14)? What was the enmity between them? Verse 15 says it is the Law of commandments. Moses received the law following the exodus and preceding entry into the promise land. It was the Law that established Israel as the people of God. What was it that reconciled the two groups and put to death the enmity? Verse 16 says it was the cross…Christ’s death on the cross removed the barriers and made available to both Jew and Gentile access in one Spirit to the Father. In this scenario, we have the old covenant giving way to the new covenant. One more question…what was the most important characteristic of the new covenant believers? It was love. Read ahead to Revelation 2 to see if the church at Ephesus maintained that characteristic. How about you?
By Grace
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 2:1-10 (day four)
Verses 8-9 say, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Boasting is based on pride, so we have here a contrast…grace vs. pride…gift vs. works…God vs. man. Paul is teaching that salvation is all God’s doing. Since the Garden of Eden, man…in his pride…has sought to supplant God with himself. It is the same battle today. We are His workmanship…God made us to respond to Him in good works. But we are not saved by our good works. All too often, we evaluate our good works against the good works of another person. When evaluated against God, where they should be, they are not capable of paying the price of our salvation. Paul is giving the church at Ephesus a course correction in theology…do you think he could be talking to us too?
The Eyes of Your Heart
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 1 (day four)
Verses 18-19…I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe…are the theme verses of the book of Ephesians. Paul has written to encourage and to admonish. His prayer covered three major areas:
- For them to know the hope of His calling
- For them to know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance
- For them to know the surpassing greatness of His power
Paul had a heart for teaching true doctrine. He wanted the churches to not only understand the truth, but also to live by it. Does knowledge of scripture make a difference in your life? Do people see the difference that Christ makes in your life? May the eyes of your heart be enlightened!
Great Faith
Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (Day Four)
This passage in Isaiah has always disturbed me. A burning coal sounds to me like it would really hurt the lips. I’m not sure what Isaiah’s thoughts were as the seraphim approached him with a red hot coal, but the results were very good…his iniquity was taken away and his sin was forgiven. Fortunately for Isaiah, he was the only human present…had anyone else been there, I am sure they would have warned him not to let the hot coal touch his lips. Isn’t that how we often are with God’s truth? God commands us to be kind to our enemy and we fear destruction…God tells us to be reconciled and we fear humiliation…God instructs us to live a life of holiness and we fear rejection. Isaiah demonstrated great faith in yielding to what looked to be destruction. God, grant us faith to accept Your Word for truth and to trust in Your blessed results!
Fear of Man
Re: Verse reading – Romans 10:8-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (day four)
It is a simple message…1 Corinthians 15:3-4. We call it the Easter verse…”that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” It is not hard to learn, so why do so many fail to communicate this message of redemption? Could it be the fear of man? Peter faced the same fear…he was more concerned with what a young slave girl thought about him than what his Lord thought. Fear of man…does it keep you from sharing the Gospel message? It does not have to be complicated…Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the third day…according to the Scriptures! Are we afraid of what our family will think? …our co-workers? …our neighbors? …our friends? …a perfect stranger? Fear of man vs. fear of the God of the Universe…go share, according to the Scriptures!
A Life of Gratefulness
Re: Verse reading–Psalm 103, Luke 17:11-19 (day four) The psalmist is grateful to God for His bountiful blessing. Verse 11 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him.” David is expressing gratefulness for God’s mercy and forgiveness of sin. When did God forgive our sin? It was at Calvary…many years after David wrote these words. David was expressing gratefulness for God’s promise of forgiveness as if it had already happened. David understood an important truth…God’s promises are sure! We too can count on God’s promises, just as if they had already occurred. We can give thanks for the hope He has given us…we can give thanks for the promise that He will never leave us or forsake us…we can give thanks for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God’s promises go on and on. With so much to be grateful for, we can spend the rest of our lives praising and thanking God.
Deflecting the Praise
Re: Verse reading- Deuteronomy 8:10-18; Matthew 25:14-30 (day four)
We all enjoy the praise of others…probably way too much. One of the character qualities we have taught our children is to ‘deflect the praise’. Deflecting the praise requires humility. When praised, our response should be to immediately remember those who have invested in us to enable us to accomplish that deed and then to acknowledge it openly…It may be financial provision, or a teacher who taught us the skills, or parents who sacrificially provided for us to have the opportunity to learn. Deflecting the praise to others not only recognizes their contribution, but it reminds us of God’s provision in our lives. Humility replaces pride. “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) God, in His Sovereignty, has given us talents, promises, skills, and opportunity. May we never forget the source of our blessing!
Christlikeness
Re: Verse reading- Mark 10:35-45; John 13:12-17; James 2:14-17 (day four) How do we know how to act as a Christian? In any given situation, how do we know how to respond? We have an example…Jesus has come to earth to show us how to respond to God. As a child of God, our character, our behavior, our actions should follow the example of Christ. In our reading today, Jesus gives us an example of servant hood. There was an expectation on Jesus’ part that the disciples follow His example. Albert Schweitzer once said, “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.” Schweitzer recognized what Jesus taught…if our lives do not look like Christ…if we do not follow His example…our relationship is not genuine. There must be a visible obedience in our lives to confirm our true relationship. Christ-likeness is our goal. How are you measuring up?