Author: evangelist_breland

Ephesians 2:8-10

When man disobeyed God, he became spiritually dead. Yet,   while man was in his fallen state, God showed how great His   love was for him. “He gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16, AMP Bible).

Paul started verse 8 stating how men are spiritually resurrected from death in sins. He told the Ephesians that it is by grace they have been saved through faith. This is God’s unmerited favor. Further Paul told them this is not their own doing; it is the gift of God. It is the manifestation of His kind and forgiving nature toward all mankind. How wonderful it would be if all accepted the free gift of salvation which only comes through faith in Christ Jesus!

Verse 9 stressed that none of this is the result of works by the hands of man so that no one may boast or take credit in any way for his salvation. Man’s attempt to keep the law demands work. This is legalistic and useless; Scripture condemns it: “Yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through the faith of Jesus Christ.And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law” (Galatians 2:16).

“For we are what he has made us. The Amplified Version declares “we are His own master work, a work of art,” created in Christ Jesus. Yes, God prepared good works for us beforehand so when we become spiritually resurrected, we may walk in them (v.10). Children of God are created to be used for His purpose. We don’t plan our paths; God does. We are to live according to His will, and trust Him to lead us in the way He’d have us to go. Give Him praise for grace has made you alive in Christ through faith!  

Ephesians 2:1-10

This passage began with Apostle Paul telling the Ephesians   that Christ “made you alive who were dead in trespasses and sins” (v.1). When we walk according to the ways of this world, we are spiritually dead. The spiritually dead follows the ways of the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (v.2). Just as the others outside of Christ were once in the same dead condition so were we.  By nature we were children of wrath; we conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind (v.3).

He went on to tell the Ephesians that God, who is rich in mercy, had a great love with which He loved us (v.4). Even when we were dead in trespasses, He made us alive together in Christ; by grace we have been saved (v.5). He raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (v.6). God did this so that in the ages to come, He might prove the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (v.7).

Paul told the Ephesians that they have been saved by grace. Their salvation was through faith and not of themselves; it is the gift of God (v.8) – not of works, lest anyone should boast (v.9). For we are His workmanship; we have been created in Christ Jesus with a new nature to do the good works He prepared beforehand for us (v.10). Praise God and give Him a handclap for giving us faith and salvation. Without faith we cannot be saved. Will you commit to a new life in Christ Jesus through faith today and avoid God’s wrath?

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

God created man as a sinless moral agent in God’s image for His purpose. God placed him (Adam) in the Garden of Eden with the responsibility of tending and keeping it (2:15). God commanded him to freely eat of every tree of the garden (2:16) but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because man would surely die the day he ate of it (2:17). Satan, clothed as a serpent, used his craftiness to have a conversation with the woman and convinced her to trust him and distrust God and His word.

“Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden (3:2), but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die (3:3).’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die (3:4), for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God (or gods), knowing good and evil (3:5).” We must be anchored; do not fall prey to Satan as the woman did. She believed his half-truths, total lies, and bold accusations of God having less than honest motives. Be careful not to add to God’s word; He did not say: “you shall not touch the tree.” Today put your trust in the God; He is love and truth. Do not trust Satan; he is a liar and deceiver.

As children of God, giving God thanks should be a part of our daily worship of Him. The songwriter says, “When I look back over my life and think things over, I can truly say that I’ve been blessed; I’ve got a testimony.” This is the testimony every child of God ought to have.

We are in a spirit-filled relationship with Christ; therefore, we ought to encourage each other. In these verses Apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesian believers to “Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, [offering praise by] singing and making melody with their heart to the Lord” (v.19). He warned them against being excessively drunk with wine and praising pagan gods as was a custom with the Greeks. Instead Paul urged them to be filled with the Holy Spirit (v.18). He urged the church to sing a variety of forms of songs, honoring God and making melody with their hearts to the Lord. Today that repertoire might include the traditional hymns, gospel songs, contemporary, spirituals, rap and so forth.

Then the apostle urged the church to always give thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (v.20). Because our heavenly Father  has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, He is worthy to be blessed and  praised (1:3). Give Him a hand clap and shout glory!    

John 17:6-10, NKJV

Christ is always the ultimate example in all things for children of God. In verses 1-5 He prayed for Himself, asking His Father to glorify Him as He was in the beginning. He didn’t find it robbery to humble Himself and descend from His seat in heaven where He sat on His Father’s right hand to come to earth and die for our sins. Soon He would go to the cross, and His earthly mission would be complete. He was ready to return home to His Father and be glorified with Him in authority and majesty which He had with the Father   before the world existed (v.5). Jesus was not selfish in His prayer, and we should not be either. He prayed a specific prayer for His disciples.

He told the Father that He had manifested, or revealed, the Father’s name to those whom the Father gave Him out of the world. They belonged to the Father just as we belong to Him through our faith in His Son Jesus. The Father gave them to Jesus, and they kept and obeyed His words. Christ’s prayer showed how personal the relationship was between Him and His Father. He said that those the Father gave Him knew that all things were of the Father and certainly believed that the Father sent Him from above. He has given them the words of the Father, and they have received them (vv. 6-8). Thank God for the prayer of our Brother. His disciples needed it then just as much as we need it now. His prayer was not for the world; it was specifically for those whom the Father has given Him for they belong to the Father, and Jesus is glorified in them. Our spiritual walk must be holy, in love, and in unity because that is how we glorify the Father and His Son. We cannot walk with one without the other. Those who belong to Jesus belong to the Father, and those who belong to the Father belong to Jesus. Shout glory and give God a hand clap of praise for He is worthy.