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Ephesians 3:1-5:14<\/strong><\/span> Wow, Paul\u2019s opening verse 1 in chapter 3 of Ephesians today reminded me that Paul literally wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus while he was in prison in Rome!\u00a0 \u201cI, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus because of my preaching to you Gentiles.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 I think if we keep this fact in mind, Paul\u2019s words in this letter become all that more poignant and powerful.\u00a0 Could you ever imagine yourself being a prisoner of Jesus because of your preaching the Word to others?\u00a0 I think this is something we should really consider.\u00a0 Would you go to jail for Jesus?\u00a0 Why or why not?\u00a0 If you would go to jail for Jesus, then I challenge you to consider ways in your life that God may be asking to you indeed be like Paul \u201cin chains for the Gospel\u201d \u2013 even if you won\u2019t \u201cliterally\u201d be going to jail any time soon.\u00a0 (I pray not!) Maybe those chains are that you don\u2019t spend as much time doing something that is counter-productive to the Gospel.<\/span><\/p>\n Bible.org\u2019s commentary on today\u2019s readings in Ephesians titled \u201cPaul\u2019s Imprisonment, his Prayers, and his Praise\u201d<\/strong> is <\/span>at this link<\/span>.\u00a0 Below is a great image for Ephesians 3:18 from today\u2019s readings:<\/span><\/p>\n Great teachings from Paul today about unity in the body of Christ!\u00a0 Chapter 4 verses 4 through 6 are beautiful \u2013 \u201cWe are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Do you believe these words of Paul\u2019s?\u00a0 Do you believe that all of us in Christ are all one body?\u00a0 That we have the same Spirit?\u00a0 And that we have been called to the same glorious future?\u00a0 I like that last piece of verse 6 \u2013 God the Father is living through us all!\u00a0 Do you realize that God the Father, who is indeed over you, and is also literally living through you?\u00a0 This is powerful to consider\u2026<\/span> Verses 14 and 15 I think are so important for each of us to meditate upon: \u201cThen we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The thing that these verses remind me of is that indeed at some point we are all \u201cchildren\u201d in our faith.\u00a0 When we are new to Christianity we are certainly children who need others to lead us, disciple us, and help show us the way.\u00a0 And I guess as I think about this, we should always be like children before God \u2013 but I don\u2019t think we should always be children before humans.\u00a0 Because if we remain as children before humans, then we are at risk of \u201cforever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has cleverly lied to us and make the lie sound like the truth.\u201d\u00a0 Has this ever happened to you?\u00a0 I know it has happened to me and it\u2019s scary to think about.\u00a0 I once heard a church pastor say that his most important job was to help his congregation become \u201cself-feeders\u201d when it comes to their faith.\u00a0 I thought this was fantastic and very wise!\u00a0 This pastor did not want his congregation to always rely on him and what he had to say on Sundays as their only source of spiritual food.\u00a0 This pastor wanted his congregation to be able to spiritually grow in other ways outside of Sunday services \u2013 through Bible study, small groups, and other spiritual disciplines.\u00a0 So, this may be a good time to ask \u2013 are you a \u201cself-feeder\u201d when it comes to your faith?\u00a0 Can you grow in your faith and find food for yourself spiritually outside of what you hear at church?\u00a0 If you\u2019re new to the faith, I wouldn\u2019t stress about this \u2013 but think about it.\u00a0 I do think each of us should aim to become \u201cself-feeders.\u201d\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Well, if we don\u2019t then we are so reliant on the words of other people that we could be misled down wrong paths.\u00a0 The one thing that I think really is critical for each of us in our journeys of becoming self-feeders is reading, studying, and really meditating upon Scripture.\u00a0 If we can become well grounded in Scripture then we can filter through the lens of the Bible what others are telling us.\u00a0 It is amazing how much \u201cspiritual stuff\u201d or rules or rituals that I hear is so \u201cimportant to practice\u201d from others that I don\u2019t see in the Bible!\u00a0 In fact, as I\u2019m typing all of this, I will also say that I sincerely hope you don\u2019t take anything I say on this blog as Truth \u2013 it\u2019s a blog trying to draw out some practicalities and questions and reflections and commentary based on the Truth, the Bible \u2013 but what I write is not the Word.\u00a0 As Paul writes in verse 15 today, instead of remaining forever children in our faith before people, let us \u201chold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.\u201d<\/em><\/span> Bible.org\u2019s commentary on today\u2019s readings in Ephesians titled \u201cThe Calling and the Conduct of the Christian\u201d<\/strong> is <\/span>at this link<\/span>.\u00a0 Below is a great image from Ephesians 4:3 from today\u2019s readings \u2013 <\/span> Wow.\u00a0 It is rare that I will copy & paste 8 verses in a row here on this blog \u2013 because you can simply read the verses by clicking on the link above.\u00a0 However \u2013 I think these 8 verses of Paul\u2019s in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 17 through 24 bear repeating here and warrant our re-reading and really meditating on these verses.\u00a0 Please take a few minutes to really reflect and pray on these verses \u2013 \u201cWith the Lord\u2019s authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don\u2019t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. But that isn\u2019t what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God\u2019s likeness\u2013righteous, holy, and true.\u201d<\/em> <\/span> Powerful verses above, eh?\u00a0 I love this teaching \u2013 there must be a spiritual renewal of our thoughts and attitudes!\u00a0 Has there been a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes?\u00a0 Is there currently a daily spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes?\u00a0 Or are you maybe on \u201ccruise control\u201d these days?\u00a0 A great teaching I heard once is that \u201cyou are either moving forward or you are sliding backwards.\u00a0 There is no stable middle ground.\u201d\u00a0 I believe this to be true in our spiritual life.\u00a0 We are either moving forward \u2013 continually renewing our thoughts and attitudes and displaying our new nature \u2013 or we are sliding backwards.\u00a0 Backsliding as some may say.\u00a0 I pray that each of us today will really take to heart these teachings of Paul\u2019s in Ephesians.\u00a0 Let us throw off our old evil nature and our former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception!\u00a0 Let us each and every day spiritually renew our thoughts and attitudes through Christ Jesus our Lord!<\/span> Bible.org\u2019s commentary on today\u2019s readings in Ephesians titled \u201cLeaving Our Old Ways Behind\u201d <\/strong>is <\/span>at this link<\/span>.\u00a0 Below is a great image for Ephesians 4:25 from today\u2019s readings \u2013 <\/span> Ephesians chapter 5 is such an incredible chapter!\u00a0 I know I won\u2019t do it justice in this blog posting.\u00a0 There is so much I could dive into in nearly every verse.\u00a0 Actually, I will share this with you.\u00a0 I met with my Pastor a couple of days ago.\u00a0 And he shared with me that he is currently memorizing the entire book of Ephesians!\u00a0 I had shared with him that I\u2019m just starting to memorize Scripture verses \u2013 and to invite you along with me on this journey at the bottom of each daily blog posting. Well, you know how Pastors are \u2013 they\u2019re always a step ahead!\u00a0 And my Pastor is memorizing the entire book of Ephesians\u2026\u00a0 wow.\u00a0 He shared with me that as he\u2019s memorizing Ephesians he is amazed how some of the words and meanings of words of Scripture are coming alive to him in new ways!\u00a0 I believe it.\u00a0 I\u2019m curious if anyone reading this today has ever memorized an entire book of the Bible?\u00a0 Or even a chapter?\u00a0 Please post up in the comments below if you have?\u00a0 I have actually downloaded 1 Corinthians 13 onto my Blackberry and I am hoping to memorize that chapter soon!\u00a0 Okay, back to Ephesians chapter 5.\u00a0 You know how I enjoy posting up YouTube videos these days, so I of course loved reading verses 19 & 20, which you\u2019ll see in this image below!\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42<\/span> Ephesians 5:1-2 touches on a theme I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about lately \u2013 living a life of love! \u2013 \u201cBe imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.\u201d <\/em>(NIV)\u00a0 Have you ever meditated on what it means to live a life of love?\u00a0 I have occasionally.\u00a0 But I\u2019m starting to camp out on this thought a lot more these days.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s in large part due to the impact 1 Corinthians 13 has had on me this past year.\u00a0 And it certainly fits in well with Jesus saying the 2 most important commandments are to love God and love people.\u00a0 But perhaps most significantly, I\u2019ve been trying to live out this thought of \u201cliving a life of love\u201d in real life a bit more these days.\u00a0 I definitely don\u2019t have it all figured out by a long shot!\u00a0 But I think living a life of love is something we should all seek.\u00a0 Not strive for.\u00a0 But seek.\u00a0 Or maybe \u201creceive\u201d is the better word.\u00a0 I think we can receive from Jesus the ability to live a life of love.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think we can get there on our own power.\u00a0 So, there\u2019s a lot more I could write about what I\u2019ve been thinking about in regards to living a life of love.\u00a0 But let me at this point just encourage you to think about this concept.\u00a0 Living a life of love.\u00a0 Do you want to live a life of love?\u00a0 Think you can do this on your own?\u00a0 Or will you invite Jesus and the Holy Spirit into this process each and every day?\u00a0 How does <\/span>1 Corinthians 13<\/span> speak to you these days?<\/span> Worship Video:\u00a0 <\/strong>Today\u2019s readings in Ephesians reminded me of Tenth Avenue North\u2019s song \u201cHealing Begins:\u201d<\/span>
~ Click here to read today\u2019s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~<\/span><\/em>
~ Listen to today\u2019s Scripture with <\/em>The ESV Bible<\/em><\/span> ~<\/p>\n