Some thoughts from my devotions in Ephesians:
Passage:
Ephesians 1:3-14
Thoughts:
Paul starts off this section praising God, "Blessed be...God..who has blessed us...with every spiritual blessing." (notice, he didn't say "earthly" blessing).
Notice that most of these blessings have something to do with our salvation.
1. He chose us to be holy and blameless. v. 4
2. He predestined us for adoption as sons. v. 5
3. He redeemed us through Christ's blood. v. 7
4. He forgave us of our sins. v. 7
5. He lavished us with his grace. v. 8
6. He made known to us the mystery of His will. v. 9
7. He gave us an inheritance. v. 10
8. He sealed us with the Holy Spirit. v. 11
Application:
It is so natural to get caught up in earthly blessings (cars, homes, computers, clothes, etc.). These things can, and probably should, be enjoyed. But that enjoyment must be placed in the broader context of our enjoyment of spiritual blessings (e.g. our salvation).
To come at it from a different angle, I usually thank God everyday for food (at mealtime) - but do I thank God everyday for my salvation? I encourage you (and me) to make thanking God for the blessing of salvation a regular habit.
~Jason
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
With Him
Some thoughts from my devotions in Ephesians:
Passage:
Ephesians 1:20 "that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,"
Ephesians 2:6 "and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"
Thoughts:
Please note: two incredible things happen to Christ in 1:20:
1) He was raised from the dead.
Imagine the look on Satan's face when death's grip couldn't hang on to Christ! Christ came to the earth, gained some followers, gained some haters, and died. Case closed? Not on your life.
2) He was seated at God's right hand in heaven.
I don't think we have to be an expert in Biblical imagery to know that being at God's right hand is a GOOD thing. God stamps his approval on this slain lamb and says, "He's with Me."
What's even more incredible, is that the same two things happen to us in 2:6:
1) We are raised from the dead with Him.
Don't let earthly distractions (Economy, Health, Power) deceive you - our greatest enemy is death. We live our life, we gain some followers, we gain some haters, and then we die.
2) We are seated with Him in heaven.
If God is for us, who can be against us? Again, it's not hard to see the significance of being seated with Christ in heavenly places. Undoubtedly a good place to be considering eternity is a long time.
So the first is a conquering of earthly death, and the second is the sealing of our eternal destiny.
Application:
Oh, please don't miss that ever important prepositional phrase - "with Him". Or that other one at the end of 2:6 - "in Christ Jesus".
These two facts that bring an everlasting peace (power over death, and eternity on God's side), can only be fully realized though the person and work of Jesus Christ. Fortunately, Paul doesn't leave us to guess about how to know that we are saved -
"For by grace you have been saved through faith." (Ephesians 2:8a)
If you want to know more about how to be saved, check out this video.
If you are already saved, let these two truths bounce around in your mind as you go about your day.
-Jason
Passage:
Ephesians 1:20 "that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,"
Ephesians 2:6 "and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"
Thoughts:
Please note: two incredible things happen to Christ in 1:20:
1) He was raised from the dead.
Imagine the look on Satan's face when death's grip couldn't hang on to Christ! Christ came to the earth, gained some followers, gained some haters, and died. Case closed? Not on your life.
2) He was seated at God's right hand in heaven.
I don't think we have to be an expert in Biblical imagery to know that being at God's right hand is a GOOD thing. God stamps his approval on this slain lamb and says, "He's with Me."
What's even more incredible, is that the same two things happen to us in 2:6:
1) We are raised from the dead with Him.
Don't let earthly distractions (Economy, Health, Power) deceive you - our greatest enemy is death. We live our life, we gain some followers, we gain some haters, and then we die.
2) We are seated with Him in heaven.
If God is for us, who can be against us? Again, it's not hard to see the significance of being seated with Christ in heavenly places. Undoubtedly a good place to be considering eternity is a long time.
So the first is a conquering of earthly death, and the second is the sealing of our eternal destiny.
Application:
Oh, please don't miss that ever important prepositional phrase - "with Him". Or that other one at the end of 2:6 - "in Christ Jesus".
These two facts that bring an everlasting peace (power over death, and eternity on God's side), can only be fully realized though the person and work of Jesus Christ. Fortunately, Paul doesn't leave us to guess about how to know that we are saved -
"For by grace you have been saved through faith." (Ephesians 2:8a)
If you want to know more about how to be saved, check out this video.
If you are already saved, let these two truths bounce around in your mind as you go about your day.
-Jason
Monday, May 10, 2010
Music for Thought: Part 3 of 4
Our reflective journey via musical case studies continues with a Johnny Cash classic.
Johnny Cash performs "Hurt" a cover of the song by Nine Inch Nails .
I'm afraid that the more I say about this song, the less meaningful my comments will become. Let me just point out the two most powerful moments in the music video.
I will Make you Hurt (2:35-2:40)
When June (Cash's wife) looks down at him from the stairs, it's a look that says a thousand words. When I see that expression on her face, it's like I can feel it too. It's like she lets out a big sigh that says, "It pains me so much to hear you say all this - but I love you. I love you too much to reach out and make you stop. I'm going to let you journey down this path of healing and redemption. And as you do, I'll be here for you. Waiting. Ready to love you, no matter what."
My Empire of Dirt (2:53-3:09)
If you didn't react in some way physically (sit up in your chair, grunt in surprise, raise your eyebrows, put your hand over your mouth, ANYTHING) when Cash started pouring out that wine - you better call an ambulance because you're a dead man walking. Notice the priceless stare down from Cash as his shaky hand pours out the contents of his glass. That wine spills all over the place and we can see the utter disgust of a man determined to abandon everything he once held as valuable.
What Have I Become?
That question, "What have I become?" is the most applicable. To me, performing an internal inventory can be purging and damning at the same time. As we look back at where we've gone wrong, we can confess it before God, and ask for forgiveness - and this purges us of our sins. However, when we take an honest look, not at our gross sins, but at our subtle ones; not at our actions, but at our motives - it is damning.
But God's grace is greater than all our sin. When we approach Him through Jesus Christ, we unlock the floodgates of God's infinite mercy with the key of faith.
I'm afraid that the more I say about this song, the less meaningful my comments will become. Let me just point out the two most powerful moments in the music video.
I will Make you Hurt (2:35-2:40)
When June (Cash's wife) looks down at him from the stairs, it's a look that says a thousand words. When I see that expression on her face, it's like I can feel it too. It's like she lets out a big sigh that says, "It pains me so much to hear you say all this - but I love you. I love you too much to reach out and make you stop. I'm going to let you journey down this path of healing and redemption. And as you do, I'll be here for you. Waiting. Ready to love you, no matter what."
My Empire of Dirt (2:53-3:09)
If you didn't react in some way physically (sit up in your chair, grunt in surprise, raise your eyebrows, put your hand over your mouth, ANYTHING) when Cash started pouring out that wine - you better call an ambulance because you're a dead man walking. Notice the priceless stare down from Cash as his shaky hand pours out the contents of his glass. That wine spills all over the place and we can see the utter disgust of a man determined to abandon everything he once held as valuable.
What Have I Become?
That question, "What have I become?" is the most applicable. To me, performing an internal inventory can be purging and damning at the same time. As we look back at where we've gone wrong, we can confess it before God, and ask for forgiveness - and this purges us of our sins. However, when we take an honest look, not at our gross sins, but at our subtle ones; not at our actions, but at our motives - it is damning.
But God's grace is greater than all our sin. When we approach Him through Jesus Christ, we unlock the floodgates of God's infinite mercy with the key of faith.
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