The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 4:25-32 (day three) 

“…just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

To forgive means to decide not to exact punishment for wrongdoing. That is indeed what Christ has done for us. Punishment can take many forms. If I give a friend the cold shoulder after discovering that he misled me about a career advancement opportunity so that he could take that opportunity for himself, I am punishing my friend. If I remain warm in my interactions with him, however, while waiting eagerly for news of hardship or failure that he might encounter as he undertakes that new career opportunity, I am still punishing him, albeit in a very nuanced way. And if I am punishing him, I have not forgiven him. There are often consequences for wrongdoing. But consequences are not in my power to control. Punishment is.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 4:25-32 (day two) 

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, vs. 26

Time for confession. How many of you have the second part of verse 26 memorized, but did not know the first part? Both parts of this verse work well together, and the following verse is a caution when this advice is not followed. Unhealthy, un-dealt with anger is an invitation for the deceiver to work sin into your heart.

Be angry – that doesn’t seem like something you would read in the New Testament. We particularly struggle with this verse because we see so little application of what it says. In 2020 anger invariably means sin. It manifests in violence, abuse, neglect, inappropriate language. As a society we do not process these feelings in a healthy biblical manner. If we recognize injustice, or unrighteousness, or sin around us we have cause to feel angry. It is what happens next that we, as believers, must not look like our society. Paul offers solutions, forgive and remember your forgiveness, don’t speak words that will escalate the problem, show grace where possible.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 1:13-14 (day seven)

“who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Vs 14

The word pledge here can also be translated as down payment. We are more familiar with this terminology. A down payment on a home, car, or other large purchase is a way for us to enjoy the fullness of an item before we are able to have complete ownership. The seller allows the purchaser to pay for a portion of the item up front and will finance the rest of the payment, so that over time, the item will eventually come under the complete ownership of the purchaser.

The Holy Spirit is given to us as a down payment of our inheritance to God’s Eternal Kingdom. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to participate in the fullness of God’s love, mercy, and work here on earth until we achieve complete ownership of this inheritance in heaven.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 1:13-14 (day six)

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4

In the spring of 2015 I stood under a canopy of stars in the heart of Ethiopia. There were no other lights other than those twinkling back at me. It is likely, growing up in Africa, I had seen similar night skies, but I couldn’t remember. It was as if I was seeing them for the very first time.

Vast. Beautiful. Incomprehensible.

There wasn’t a vacant spot, without a star beaming in it. And like a glistening vail, the Milky Way appeared to hold stars in their place.

In those moments I felt so small against the back drop of the immeasurable. Stars that would swallow our own like a whale swallowing a speck of plankton. Distances measured in billions of years.

I didn’t just feel small. I was in awe. Enraptured. Seeing, but capturing only an infinitesimal fraction of the universe’s truest nature.

I imagine, even in eternity, that is how we will feel gazing into the full scope of God’s sovereignty.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 1:13-14 (day five)

“you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Promise in Ephesians. Even in the Old Testament, God is promising to send His Holy Spirit to live in and influence believers.   “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” Ezekiel‬ ‭36:27‬

Jesus promises the same thing in John. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”‭‭John‬ ‭14:26‬

There are hundreds promises from God throughout scripture. And He has kept every one of them. Which ones do you need to remember today?  Which ones will bring peace and courage to your heart?  Search the scriptures with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  He will help!  God has promised!!

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 1:13-14 (day four)

We were outsiders, excluded from a relationship with the Creator God…Gentiles who had no inheritance in Christ.  Then, we discovered the Truth of God’s plan.  We were included all the time!  The Gospel was open to us.  When we believed in Christ, our eternal relationship was sealed with the Holy Spirit.

In our Western culture, we do not have kings.  We are not as familiar with the trappings of a monarchy.  To ‘seal a command’ would mean a proclamation was made, then wax was applied to the document and an image was impressed into the soft wax before it cooled.  When the wax quickly hardened, the remaining ‘seal’ carried the full power and authority of the king.  The weight of the realm assured that the proclamation would be carried out.  It could not be broken!

The Holy Spirit is our ‘seal’ of promise.  We have an inheritance with Christ…forgiveness, redemption and abundant life.  The impression of the Holy Spirit (the gifts of the Spirit…another study!) on our lives is the visible sign of our inherited relationship with Almighty God!

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 1:13-14 (day three)

“…the redemption of God’s own possession…”

A common understanding of “possession” emphasizes notions of defiance and smugness: “It’s mine, not yours, and you have neither power nor right to tell me what to do with it.” Paul frames it another way. Here, “possession” emphasizes restoration to a status in keeping with high favor. Nobody ever knew how valuable you really are. Parents, family, and friends perhaps come closer to that realization than others (though, sadly, not invariably). But God always knew. That’s why the Bible refers to those separated from God as lost instead of worthless. And it’s why hell is such a cosmically profound catastrophe: a being of immeasurable value eternally wasting away. Salvation enables you to believe what God already knew about you – that you are precious to him. The Holy Spirit promises that God has never lost track of you.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 1:13-14 (day two)

 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Of the many things that the Holy Spirit does in and through us, it also acts as assurance of our salvation. When you experience the power of the Spirit in your life, make sure to thank God for that reminder of that seal on your heart. The Spirit is powerfully active in the world, but is also personal. The way it intercedes for your in your prayer life is a reminder of God’s promise of hope. When you are given the words to witness that you never thought you could put together, it is a gift and a reminder of his working in your walk. The Holy Spirit is only available to those who know Jesus as savior, and as such should serve as a confident assurance.