Category Archives: Ephesians

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Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV) 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. source

And then he said:

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,   Ephesians 4:1 source

There’s that Therefore again.

So, because HE is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can think or ask; because of this, I beseech you, he said WALK WORTHY.
Could there be a more appropriate, more important, more needed time for US to walk worthy?!

People of Ephesus

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Ephesians 3. Verse 13

13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.  source 

He actually asked them to NOT lose heart? Like that was an option for them?

And it was. And it is. And why was it? And why is it? 
Do you see that word, THEREFORE? Long ago I was counseled when I read the word THEREFORE in Scripture that I should immediately ask why is that word THEREFORE, there for? 
So, I do.
To get the reason for the therefore in verse 13 we need to back up to verse 8 and read again through verse 13. Here’s a link for you to do that. Ephesians 3:8-13

A sentence that spans 5 verses. He has written longer sentences.

And then he prays for them. And what a prayer! 

Ephesians 3:14-19  (AMP) 14 For this reason [grasping the greatness of this plan by which Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ] I bow my knees [in reverence] before the Father [of our Lord Jesus Christ], 
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name [God—the first and ultimate Father]. 
16 May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], 
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, 
18 be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; 
19 and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].  source 

So Christ may DWELL in your hearts.
Don’t miss that.
Don’t just breeze over it.
DWELL. It means what it says. 

HOLY SPIRIT, please help us believe this DWELL.
Believe it so much that we MAKE ROOM for HIM to dwell and live and DO in us. 

And I see in this that if we receive, accept, and believe that GOD LOVES US, I mean REALLY loves us, then tribulation does not cower us in fear or steal our faith or our joy.
If we are going to BELIEVE GOD, the first and most crucial fact we must believe is THAT HE LOVES US ALWAYS AND FOREVER. 

I’m just gonna put my name on that and accept that HOLY SPIRIT is going to answer this prayer on my behalf just as much for me as He did the Ephesians. 
You too?

Day 20

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Day 20 of The Giving of Thanks.

The Bible. 
I am giving thanks for The Bible. I am thankful for Scripture. I am thankful The Bible has been preserved for me. And for you. It is a miracle that 40 Penman over a span of 1,500 years recorded the Bible as GOD spoke and we have it still today. The Bible has been opposed, banned, burned, rejected, and most sadly of all I think, disbelieved and left on the shelf to collect dust. 

Ephesians 2:19 in part says “we were made members of the household of GOD.” 
As members of His household, what a shame we do not read the Letter our Father sent us. 

Verse 20 of the same Chapter says we have been built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets – JESUS Himself being the Chief Cornerstone. How is it that we think we can successfully build our lives without the Chief Cornerstone?

I know some of you will this day give thanks with me for your very own copy of Scripture. And you will this day open and read it; you will pray over it and ask The Father how do YOU want me to embrace and obey this reading of Your Word? And it is people like you GOD will work through to save the world! 

Make That Two

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A quick word this morning from Ephesians 2:10.

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. source

And to make it quick, just one word. Well, make that two. His workmanship.

If you are saved; you are in covenant with Yeshua, Jesus the Christ, then you are His workmanship. I am His workmanship. 

What is a workmanship? I looked it up. It’s really cool.
The skill of a craftsman or Artisan. 

You and I. We are HIS workmanship. The Skilled One, The Artisan of all Artisans IS crafting us!

We are HIS WORKMANSHIP. 

I can only imagine what we will be when HE has completed us! 

Just something for us to ponder this lovely Sunday. 

Numbers 6: 23 (in part) – 26 . . .  ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: 24 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ source 

Heavenly Food

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Ephesians 2

Read with me verses 1 – 9. The following is the New King James Version but at the link provided at the word source below, you have many translations at your disposal, if your own favorite is not close at hand.

Ephesians 2 New King James Version (NKJV)
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. source

Now, these 9 verses are so full of heavenly food I cannot dish it all up in this post, not even what I am seeing at this sitting which for sure is only scratching the surface.
First, I love that in verse one we are assured that GOD has made us ALIVE! We were DEAD in trespasses and sins but not anymore! That is all of us in covenant with JESUS. Tragically, all others are still at verse 2. And verse 2 describes people walking according to this world – it’s not a healthy walk. There’s a lot more to be said on that but not at the moment. 

Prince. That prince is satan. He’s the one ruling that stuff we snatch out of the air and act on it. Really. He is a prince and I say that in the most unbecoming way.  He has some clout, like it or not, enough that we must not take him lightly. But hey, he’s not KING and he’s not LORD! Aren’t you glad? Me too!
He is a spirit being. He operates in the supernatural and he operates in the sons and daughters of disobedience, who we used to be BEFORE the HOLY SPIRIT made us ALIVE.
What do sons and daughters of disobedience do?
They fulfil the desires of the flesh AND of the mind.  (Whatsoever a man thinks, that is who he is. Where is that Text found? Proverbs 23:7). This is why when GOD saved us He gave us the Mind of Christ.  So, if disobedient sons and daughters fulfil the desires of the flesh AND the mind? What do we do?

Verse 4 assures us that HE is rich in mercy, not piddling. HE does not run out of mercy when we mess up, which we do.  He has great love for us.  When we forget or disbelieve this one little verse, we get into so much grief, hurt and pain.

Again, He talks about bringing us to LIFE. HE says we are (legally) sitting in heaven with JESUS since HE made us alive. I say legally because, just look around and you know for sure we are not physically there today. But we will be! We have a binding covenant with GOD in JESUS.

And the verses come to this. GRACE. No amount of good deeds, no amount of turning over new leaves, repeatedly. No amount of nothing we can do will make us ALIVE. Only HE raises us from the DEAD. It’s HIS GIFT.

Have you received HIS GIFT?

Do you hear HIM offering this Gift to YOU today?

Are you accepting or rejecting?

If you would like more information, I’d welcome your email.

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