Monday, February 28, 2022
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Friday, February 25, 2022
Feb 25 – Devotion on Ephesians
Feb 25 – Devotion on Ephesians
11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1
Vs 11, Paul then continues on his thought. This was God’s eternal purpose. The moment man fell in the garden God has already had His plan of redemption in action. The seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. In the fullness of time Jesus Christ would come and through His death, burial, resurrection, broken body and shed blood redeem mankind. The blood of animals would never make it happen. Jesus Christ accomplished what no animal could. His death was once and for all. His blood covered the sins of all mankind for all time. Jesus accomplished and then sat down at the right hand of God. He will come to judge the living and the dead. He is the Lord and Savior of all. In the name of Jesus, all knees will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the father.
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Feb 24 – Devotion on Ephesians
Feb 24 – Devotion on Ephesians
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.
In Vs 10, Paul then reveals that God’s was intent goal and ambition that from this time and forevermore that through the church this mystery would be made clear. All men have now the opportunity to get saved and become children of God. God has always had a passion for all people. He does not want any to perish but all to come to the knowledge of the truth. The vessel and vehicle God has chosen is His church. We are the only hands and feet He has chosen. The administration of the message is given to all who love and know Him. Kind of a scary thought to think that the rise and fall of the message are in the hands of frail mankind. This is the manifold wisdom of God that should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. This statement is amazing because those in heaven now know what mankind knows in a real way. God let both angels and demons know that in His wisdom He has redeemed all mankind. The angels will never experience it but they can rejoice when people come to know the Lord and the demons can walk in fear because God has established on earth in His children the ability to defeat the kingdom of darkness.
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Feb 23 – Devotion on Ephesians
Feb 23 – Devotion on Ephesians
9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Vs 9, Paul then brings four more truths to us to ponder. Paul was given the task to make plain all that God had done through Jesus Christ. I can see the smile on his face and he explains to his audience the freedom, joy, peace, grace, and love they would receive in Christ. Can you shock on the face on the Jews in the audience and the smiles on the face of the Gentiles as they learn that all the riches of heaven was available to all? The administration of this message was given to Paul not to any other of the apostles but to Paul and that is why they had the council at Jerusalem in Acts 15 which in the end they only encouraged the Gentiles to not eat meat offered to idols and to serve the Lord. Thirdly, Paul reveals that this was kept hidden in God but at the fullness of time was revealed. The church for the first years had nothing to do with the Gentiles but through persecution and Paul, this wonderful message was brought to all in that world. Paul also reminds his audience that it was God who created all things. It was not some Greek myth or Roman god that created the world. It was God and God alone. God creates and sustains all things by His power and authority.
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Feb 22 – Devotion on Ephesians
Feb 22 – Devotion on Ephesians
8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ.
In vs 8, Paul then reveals four more things about himself. We are getting a monologue about how Paul viewed himself. He viewed himself as the least of God’s people. Paul knew that he had persecuted God’s people. He had dragged them to prison and even supervised the execution of others. He knew what his past was and what he had done. He knew it was the grace of God that elevated him from persecutor to apostle. All was a full recipient of God’s grace. He knew that the grace of God has been applied to him. He also was overwhelmed that God would entrust him with such a message and responsibility.
Imagine a former persecutor, racist, bigot, and murderer given the responsibility to bring a message of good news to a world that was as far remove and different than he has ever seen. To go into communities where there was no gospel and establish a work for the Lord. Paul loved going where the gospel had never been before and then seeing what God could do. It must have been amazing. Lastly, Paul loved to tell them about the boundless riches of Christ. God gives us abundant ad eternal life. All the riches of heaven are now available to the people of God. He will supply all your according to His riches in glory. He is Jehovah Jireh and this happened because of Jesus Christ.
