Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 1 (day five)
No one has ever called me a “Saint”. I certainly wouldn’t classify myself as such either. Yet Paul labels every one of the believers in Ephesus as a saint. vs. 1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:” Why? Were these folks different in character and behavior than us? The encouraging answer is “NO DIFFERENCE”. So why the saint title? Because our identity as believers (saints) is not found from behavior, actions, or deservedness. It comes from the work and power of The Lord. In Christ we receive a new: heart, nature, loyalties, kingdom. They are now ours because of the work and character of Christ alone. He has made us saints!! What a hope-filled identity!! Thank you God for Your work in us!!
Tag: God
Enough
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 1 (day three)
“…the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” We live in the fear that everything is a zero sum game: Whatever we give away means that much less for ourselves–be it money, possessions, or affection. The concept of “shortage” doesn’t have a place in the economy of God, though. The universe he has made, and the community he has birthed, knows nothing of scarcity. One of the results of taking seriously his lavishness is that we, too, become people who lavish what we have on one another without fearing that we will be left with nothing.
Sealed with a Promise
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 1 (day two)
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, 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. (13-14)
This has always been one of my favorite passages of scripture. The promise of eternity invested in us. Nothing that we have done can either claim it or lose it. It has been sealed by the Spirit so that we are marked for eternity.
We have all done some sort of financial planning for our future; whether it be for our retirement or for our posterity. We look for things that say-great return on your investment, or guaranteed pay out after x number of years. We want security. We have worked long to be able to provide for ourselves and our families.
God’s investment was the eternal kind. One we could never afford, and one we can never lose. Isn’t that an encouragement?
God be praised!
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 1 (day one)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ”–v 1. It is our greatest duty. It is our highest privilege. We are to bless God! The absence of it is sin. “Even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks”—Romans 1:21. It is the path of faith. Even in tragedy, Job said, “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord”—Job 1:21. On the night of His betrayal, the Lord gave thanks! No wonder Ephesians begins with a call to worship, a call for Christians to praise God for the gifts He has given us in Christ–no matter the present circumstances. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Do you do so, my brother? Will you?
The example of angels
Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (day seven)
“Above Him were the seraphs. . . With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.” When Isaiah saw they Lord, he also saw seraphs. They are only mentioned once in Scripture. How they are different than cherubs and other angels is not indicated. The Hebrew word (seraphim) means “burning ones” indicating passion. They are “on fire” as they shout, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. Their presence convicts Isaiah. They shout, he has not. He also notices their humility. With two wings they cover their faces so as to not see God–humility of privilege. With two wings they cover their feet so as not to be seen–humility of ego. With two wings they flew to do the immediate bidding of the King–humility of will. Who among us would not have felt the contrast of our shallow, careless worship to that of these glorious and humble creatures?
“The things which are”
Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (day six)
In the last book of the Bible, Jesus shows John the Apostle “the things which are, and the things which shall take place”—Revelation 1:19. It is a revelation, a God-given insight into invisible and eternal reality. There are many instances in Scripture of this same grace. Isaiah’s vision of God in Isaiah 6. Ezekiel’s visions (many). Even Paul’s encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus falls into this category (Acts 9). When God opens our eyes to “see” hidden realities, it is called a vision. No wonder that Paul later writes to the Ephesians, “I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened”—Ephesians 2:18. Understandably, visions come to us with compelling power. “I was not disobedient to this heavenly vision”—Acts 26:19. Not imaginary things, God is helping us see invisible realities, things more real and more urgent than any we see or touch with physical senses. God is revealing “the things which are.”
Opportunities
Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (Day Five)
What is it about God that compels or “draws” you into worship? As we read the Re: Verse passages this week we see several possibilities: His Holiness, His Purity, His Sovereignty, His Beauty, His Kindness, His Graciousness, His Generosity, His Strength. William Temple says worship is to “quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.” Opportunities are available because the scripture says that God “seeks” worshipers (John 4). Personal Worship, Corporate Worship, and Small Group Worship all present moments and experiences to see and hear from the Lord. Worship begins with a holy anticipation and ends in holy obedience (becoming more like Christ)- the point and goal of each spiritual discipline we’ve studied this summer.
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!
Actuality
Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (Day Three)
“The whole earth is full of his glory.” In one sense, the worship of God means seeing things as they actually are. The vision that the prophets in the Old Testament had in common reflected this understanding: “The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Elisha prayed for his servant: “‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” If we would worship God, we must be convinced of the reality of his reign. Perhaps a prelude to worship is this prayer: Open my eyes, Lord.
Powerful Worship
Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (day two)
When confronted with the majesty of worship that surrounded the throne, Isaiah was shaken to his core. The beauty of the scene made him very aware of how small and inadequate he was. This, however, did not end his worship experience. It called him to repent…and then to serve. When was the last time worship caused you to have this kind of reaction? When we meet together do you enter that gathering with an expectation to be filled? Before Isaiah could be sent out he had to first recognize his frailty. That kind of vulnerability is difficult to encounter without at least a modicum of willingness to acknowledge God’s sovereignty. What do you expect worship to be like? Is it up to the Pastors? I want to challenge each of you to come into worship with an expectation that God will move, call us to repent, and send us out to do his good work. Let’s meet him together.