The Word of God for wisdom:
Proverbs 24:5-6 (HCSB)
5 A wise warrior is better than a strong one, and a man of knowledge than one of strength;
6 for you should wage war with sound guidance— victory comes with many counselors.
The Word of God for inspiration:
Psalm 69:16 (HCSB)
16 Answer me, LORD, for Your faithful love is good; in keeping with Your great compassion, turn to me.
The Word of God for encouragement:
Ephesians 4:1-6 (HCSB)
1 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love,
3 diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds [us].
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
My observation:
God has made each of us who are "in Christ" one. However, there is an enemy of our soul whose scheme is to divide and destroy us.
Galatians 3:28 (HCSB)
28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Luke 22:31 (HCSB)
31 "Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat.
In our focal passage for today the Apostle Paul calls the people of the church at Ephesus to be the people that God had remade them to be.
God, in Christ, has made us one people. However, we must endeavor to make that oneness a practical reality in our daily lives.
God wants to have his will and way in our lives, but the enemy of our souls, Satan, wants to divide and destroy us. The enemy uses people who want to have their own way; so we need to be alert to his schemes. Paul's shows us how later in this letter.
Ephesians 6:11 (HCSB)
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.
My prayer:
Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray this prayer knowing that I can ask it in agreement with the prayer that Jesus prayed for us; that we would be one.
Father, would you form and fix in our hearts a burning desire to love one another, and that spiritual unity would be a reality in our lives. Father, I repeat the words that Jesus prayed for us. In Jesus name, Amen.
John 17:11 (HCSB)
11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
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Ephesians 1:1-2 (HCSB)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am so thankful for the prayer that Jesus prays for us:
ReplyDeleteJohn 17:11 (NLT)
Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.