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Rough week

19 May

Rough week

Ephesians 4:22-24    that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

It has been an incredibly long, stressful week. The demands at work have simply been more than I could keep up with alone; I could have tripled my work force with the demand. It has been one of those Murphy’s Law weeks; every thing that could go wrong did, and three times on a large scale. Anger, anxiety, depression, and temptation seemed to have been at every turn. I seemed to have been tempted to return to my old self, over and over again in so many ways. Satan has been after me this week with a gun blazn’ assault. I failed myself and my Lord in the heat of battle a few times. Conviction set in, and I am thankful for it. That steep conviction of sin in my gut is an assurance of Salvation to me; I know that I have grieved the Holy Spirit living inside me, for I know that Christ lives there. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians tells us of these struggles that we will face for our time here. Paul wrote to those in Ephesus to encourage them of how to live in their faith as believers in Christ; of how to face all the troubles before them with the hope that lived in them. My study Bible titles Ephesians 4:17-24 “The New Man.” I and you are a new person in Christ. We will still face the troubles and temptations of this world, many times direct attacks from our enemy to take our eyes off Christ. Throughout Ephesians Paul points us to how to face them; not alone but in the likeness of Christ. Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. The ultimate goal of God for you is to make you more like His Son.

Ephesians 5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (ESV). This week has been a week to remind me of how far I was from God for so much of my life. This week has been a week to make me realize God’s grace given to me, an undeserving soul. This week has been a week to make me realize I am a work in progress; I will fail and I will seek forgiveness for all my life. Ephesians is a great place to go spend time when you need a reminder of who you are, and how you are to live your life as a Christian. Even when you have a week like mine, you are still a child of His.

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Get to work

08 Apr

Get to work

Ephesians 2:8-10    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. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Yesterday I had three instances where Ephesian 2 came before me. Very early this morning I was tossing and turning getting sick; I felt God speak to me about “In His hands”. I have not slept all night, and have been thinking about what He was pressing on me. In Ephesians Two, the central meaning of the gift of the gospel is stated in verses eight and nine. God’s grace is what allowed you access to Him, through the giving of His Son to pay the penalty of your sins. There is no way you will ever do enough good works to earn access to God. If you think that you can earn access to God, you are saying you are better than the perfect sacrifice He gave; you feel your good deeds outweigh Christ’s blood…..really?

Verse ten speaks of that grace that follows the act of Salvation; you have been born again, renewed by that grace through Christ’s blood and you are a new man. Paul speaks much about becoming that new man that Christ created you to be in his letter to Ephesus. Ephesians 4:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Matthew Henry writes: “Yet God, in his new creation, has designed and prepared us for good works: Created unto good works, with a design that we should be fruitful in them.” Our new man is created by His hand to live a life producing good works.

The apostle James spoke much about the faith and works debate. James understood that we are not saved by our works, but our salvation is to produce good works. James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. We are called by Christ to produce fruit, to make disciples, to live a life in pursuit of Him. If we live a life in true pursuit of Him, the natural product of that pursuit will be good works. We will feel that tug to share what we now possess as a new man in Christ. Jesus spoke to these good works that a come as a result of abiding in Him in John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. Is their evidence in your daily life that you are producing good works as a child of His? Let there be no doubt that you are called to live a life producing good works to honor His name and sacrifice. That is what His hands designed the new creation for, that has been born again of the water and Spirit. John 3:7

 
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Posted by on April 8, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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BC – AC

01 Jul

BC – AC

Ephesians 4:22-24 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

I ended up in Ephesians 4 this morning, and so much of it speaks of the new person and our change once we accept Christ. There is a true “BC” – Before Christ. There is also an “AC” After Christ in your life’s timeline. There is that point in history when your life changes forever, and the pursuit and the lens which you see this life is forever altered. As Dr. Ed Gravely puts it so well, you begin to see life through the “lens of the gospel”. We begin to feel conviction of the old habits that are still there. The Spirit begins to show us where our faults lie, and gives us the power through God’s grace to help us change our ways. This process is called Sanctification.

Sanctification is a process, not immediate, but continual throughout your life. 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. It is the  work of God in your life to mold you into a better person, a person closer to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Sanctification is spoken of twice in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor. This was always a huge struggle for me and in today’s society it is a large struggle for many. But Sanctification is not only in related to sex, but our speech, actions, and thoughts on a daily basis. When God begins to stir in your soul, it is His way of working through the sin in your life, through the conviction of that sin. The Spirit is strong enough to change you like you can’t, if you let Him.

 
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Posted by on July 1, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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