Ephesians 1 - 11.28.24

SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 1:17-18a, 22-23 NIV

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,

may GIVE you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,

so that you may know HIM better.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened

in order that you may know…

HIS incomparably great power for us who believe.

God placed ALL things under his feet and

appointed HIM to be HEAD over everything for the church,

which is HIS body, the FULLNESS of HIM who FILLS  everything in every way.”

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OBSERVATION

Talk about a Thanksgiving Prayer…

Paul reminds the believers in the church at Ephesus who Christ is—and who they (we) ARE—in CHRIST.

ALL things are under Christ’s feet.

Christ is the HEAD of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.

Paul takes the analogy further…

Christ is the HEAD of The Church…

We, as The Church, are The BODY of Christ—His Fullness.

APPLICATION

Is there a Power Shortage in our lives?

Paul explains:

The POWER of The Holy Spirit, THROUGH the resurrected, ascended Jesus Christ,

is Available to ALL Christians—by Faith.

HIS Power is To “us-ward” who believe.

“…that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and HIS incomparably great power for us who believe.”

‭‭(Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Paul is speaking about a dynamic, mighty, divine, living, eternal energy that is Available to us!

A wealth of riches that has been FREELY given. But what good is this wealth if we leave it locked up and never draw on it?

When Paul explains that Christ is the Head and we ARE Christ’s body—the practical application is that there is a LIVING Connection—right here—right now—between us and Christ!

THROUGH His Holy Spirit-we are UNITED to Him, share in His resurrection, and are seated in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6).

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the ends of the earth.”” (Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

PRAYER

LORD Jesus,

I pray that out of YOUR glorious riches YOU will strengthen us with your power through YOUR Spirit in our inner being,

so that Christ may DWELL in our hearts—through faith.

And I pray that we, being rooted and established in love,

may ALL have power, together with ALL the Lord’s holy people,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is YOUR Love,

and to KNOW this love that SURPASSES knowledge—

that we may be FILLED to the measure of ALL the FULLNESS of GOD.

Now to HIM who is able to do immeasurably MORE than ALL we DARE to

ask, hope, or imagine, according to His POWER that IS at WORK

WITHIN us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

throughout ALL generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

‭‭(Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Tina L Kudelka

Galatians 6 - 11.27.24

Scripture

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

Observation

This chapter of Galatians gives us practical suggestions on how to live a Christian life. If someone got trapped in sin, let the others who are more mature in Christ, bring him/her gently back to the Lord. When we bear each other’s burdens and watch out for each other, we fulfill the law of Christ. 

The chapter continues to give us more instructions on living a Christian life. Don’t have a great opinion of yourself. Be generous. Share your blessings with the one who teaches the word. Don’t get tired of doing the right thing, we will reap our rewards eventually.

We fulfil the law of Christ, when we bear each other’s burdens. What is the law of Christ? Jesus said that the most important commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind, and that the second most important commandment is to love our neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). When we love God with all our heart, he helps us to selflessly love others around us. When we bear each other’s burdens, we fulfil the law of Christ. 

Application

The Bible teaches us that we should not be looking to our own interests, but to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:4). How do we look out for others and bear the burdens of our sisters and brothers? We can look for practical ways to help out the people God has placed around us. 

Another way to bear the burdens of others, is to actively pray for them, as if we are praying for ourselves! Paul compares interceding for others to birth pangs experienced by a woman giving birth (Galatians 4:19). When I gave birth to my first-born, my doctor administered the epidural only after I had gone through almost 12 hours of labor! That gave me a first-hand experience of the deep pains of child-birth, incomparable to any other pain known to mankind! Let us intercede and pray deeply for others in their needs, by bearing their burden in prayer.

Prayer

Dear Father, I thank you for loving me. Help me to bear the burdens of the people you have placed in my life, and fulfil your law. Show me how I can help people in their need. Show me how I can intercede and pray effectively for their needs, as you expect. Help me Lord, as I can do nothing without you (John 15:5). May my prayers for my sisters and brothers rise up to you as a sweet incense (Psalms 141:2). In Jesus’s name. Amen.

- Asha Chacko George

Galatians 5 - 11.26.24

SCRIPTURE:  Galatians 5:25 “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

OBSERVATION:  Paul knew God, loved God, and his life was led by the Spirit of God.  He explained to the Church that it was for freedom that Christ set us free.  “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.” 

APPLICATION:  We keep in step with the Spirit of God by living lives that are led by the Spirit of God.  When we are living by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.  They are in conflict to one another so that we are not to do whatever we want. If we did what our flesh wanted, we would be led back into slavery to our selfish desires. 

The fruit of the Spirit is the work of the Holy Spirit in us.  Those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!  That’s the ONLY reason we are able to stand firm and not let ourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery!  Because… Christ has set us free!

PRAYER:  Thank You Lord for purchasing our freedom when You died on the cross for our sins. Thank You for the freedom we now have to live for You.  We who were once dead in our sins have been made alive by Your Spirit. We who have been forgiven much are now free to love much!  As you love us, we are to love others. I pray you will help us to die to our fleshly desires, and live fully and completely unto You.  I pray that the virtues of Your Spirit will be revealed in our lives by the way we love You and others, and that we will bear much fruit for Your honor and glory as we continually keep in step with Your Spirit.

- Robin Orefice