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The hope to which he has called you…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 1:15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,  

Yesterday at the grocery store, I turned to the lady behind me in the checkout line and asked if she was doing ok. She wasn’t. She’d spent the day at the hospital with her son who just had his foot amputated. There was paperwork that needed signing, that she’d taken to this person, then that, then that, still trying to find the right one to sign. She was frustrated, tired, hopeless. I tried to give her what encouragement I could.

Ephesians 1:16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

I felt like I wasn’t able to offer much comfort or encouragement to her at all. But I have continued to lift her and her family up. Verse 18 of today’s scripture is what I hope she was able to take from our brief exchange: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you….”

Ephesians 1:17 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.  

Precious Savior, My heart hurts for the pain of Your people. I feel so inadequate to counteract any of that pain, but I know You created me as an encourager for a reason. Help me to reflect and project You–Your love, Your grace, Your hope–as I try to encourage Your people. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.

Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

Have a blessed day.

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No matter what our past look like…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,  

Paul, the author of Ephiesians, began life as Saul of Tarsus, who persecuted and murdered Christians. Yet he had a conversion on his way to Damascus which changed everything.

Ephesians 1:12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

What strikes me in today’s verses is that even though Paul began life as Saul the murdering zealot, in verse 12, he still confidently counts himself as among “the first to put our hope in Christ”. If he can claim it, we can too, no matter what our past look like. Thank You, Jesus.

Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

Lord, In You we are new creations. The old is gone. Thank You. Help us, as those who put our hope in You, to live lives that shine Your light and Your hope into this world. Amen.

Ephesians 1:14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Have a blessed day.

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Prepositions…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 1: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 

What strikes me in today’s scripture are the propositions: in, through, in accordance with, with. Prepositions show the relationship between two nouns “to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object”. For instance, “the shirt in the sink” shows the locational relationship between the shirt and the sink.

Ephesians 1:8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

In today’s scripture, the propositions in, through, in accordance with, and with show the relationship between us and “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v3). “In him…in accordance with….With….With” these are prepositions of unity, of togetherness, of belonging. That is balm to my soul.

Ephesians 1:9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

Precious Savior, Thank You for reminding me that You are with me, that through You, with You, and in You, I am Your deeply loved child. Without You, I am nothing. Help me to root myself firmly in Your truth and love daily. Amen.

Ephesians 1:10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 

Have a blessed day.

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We are deeply, fully, fiercely, completely, gracefully loved by our Creator…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 

At the beginning of last school year, a colleague shared his class motto with me: “It just doesn’t matter.” I immediately perceived it as a rather fatalistic view. However, the longer I sit with it, the more I agree with it, and the more I think it applies to EVERYTHING, not just school. God loves us. Jesus died for us. As Ephesians 1:4 reminds us, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”

Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 

We ARE going to mess up sometimes. We ARE going to get it wrong sometimes. We ARE going to get it exactly right sometimes, too. In the end, it just doesn’t matter because we are deeply, fully, fiercely, completely, gracefully loved by our Creator.

Ephesians 1:5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 

Precious Savior, Help me to remember, always, that no matter how good I am, no matter how badly I mess up, it just doesn’t matter because You’ve got me covered with You amazing grace and unending love. Thank You. Amen.

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 

Have a blessed day.

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I am not qualified to judge…. (devo reflection)

Luke 12:57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 

I am not qualified to judge. I am human. I make mistakes. I get it wrong repeatedly. I misunderstand situations and people all the time. I have biases–that I understand and that I am totally unaware of. There is so much that I don’t know, and I honestly don’t even know what I don’t know.

Luke 12:58a As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way,

I am not qualified to judge. But I don’t have to. Jesus paid the price for my sins. I didn’t earn that gift. I don’t deserve that gift. But I am His deeply loved child, and He freely died so I could live. He took my place. He died for you, too.

Luke 12:58b …or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

Lord, I am not qualified to judge. And yet, I judge every single day. Forgive me. Help me to see others and to love others as You see me and love me. Help me not to judge but to love. Thank You for doing that for me. Amen.

Luke 12:59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

Have a blessed day.

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This present time…. (devo reflection)

Luke 12:54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.   

Jesus’s tone in Luke 12 seems to be one of frustration bordering on anger. Perhaps it is because He knows His time is running short and the people–disciples and others–still don’t get it, still aren’t hearing, aren’t paying attention to what He’s been preaching.

Luke 12:55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.

And it’s not that He’s dealing with idiots, incapable of putting two thoughts together. These are competent people. They can interpret the weather. They are capable of thought. They just refuse to see, to understand “this present time.”

Luke 12:56a Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky…

Precious Savior, Thank You for loving us even when we are obtuse. Forgive us when we can’t see, won’t see what’s right in front of us. Help us to both look and see, hear and listen. Draw us closer to You always. Amen.

Luke 12:56b …How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

Have a blessed day.

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The Jesus I know and love…. (devo reflection)

Luke 12:49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!    

Today’s scripture, at face value, is very disconcerting. Jesus came to bring fire? He came to bring division? That’s not the Jesus I know and love. But I think that if we look at His words in the context of His time, we can better understand what Jesus meant.

Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!

The Pharisees and Sadducees embodied the prevailing religious attitudes of the day, neither of which is anything close to what Jesus stands for. The fire Jesus has come to bring, then, is a fire for God, for Christ. In order to bring that fire, Jesus has to wake people up to the errors of their ways. That type of awakening is always going to bring division. It’s unavoidable.

Luke 12:51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.

Precious Savior, Thank You for allowing me wisdom to understand when I am baffled by Your words. Help me not to create You in my image, but to more fully understand who You are in God and who I am in You. Help me to see Your love and be Your love everywhere I go. Amen.

Luke 12:52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.

Have a blessed day.

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Do a little better each day…. (devo reflection)

Luke 12:47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 

Today’s scripture is about willful disobedience versus unknowing disobedience. The servant who knows the master’s will and doesn’t do it is punished more severely than the servant who does not do the master’s will and yet does things deserving punishment. And while I have a lot of issues with this analogy, the concept makes sense.

Luke 12:48a But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows…. 

It reminds me of a quote by Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” As Christians who faithfully read and study the Bible, we know better, so we are expected to do better. I struggle with where the punishment fits in, though, because my God isn’t a vengeful God, standing by with a whip, ready to strike when I get out of line.

Luke 12:48b …From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your love, mercy, and kindness. Thank You that I *do* know better because I read and study Your word daily. Help me to do a little better each day than the day before when it comes to showing others Your love and living according to Your will. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Luke 12:48c …and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Have a blessed day.

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Staying focused…. (devo reflection)

Luke 12:42-43 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.

In verse 41, Peter asks Jesus whether this parable is for the disciples or for everyone. Jesus answers with the rest of the parable. But when you look at the content of His response, I think the answer is both.

Luke 12:44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 

Jesus is instructing the disciples so that they can instruct others after Jesus’s death, before the second coming. In Mark 16:15 NCV, Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.” As followers of Jesus, we are to do the same.

Luke 12:45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 

Lord, Forgive us that we get distracted as we wait for You. Help us not to forget that we are to tell everyone the Good News of Your love, Your mercy, Your grace. Help us to stay focused, even when the world tries to steal our attention. Amen.

Luke 12:46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

Have a blessed day.

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When I don’t have clear answers…. (devo reflection)

Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

I must admit that I am a bit baffled by Peter’s question in verse 41. It feels to me a bit “out of nowhere.” Did it feel like that to Jesus? And what was Peter’s purpose for asking? Is he diligently taking notes on this parable, ready to scribble “intended audience” in the margins? Did he catch himself daydreaming during the telling and now he’s trying to catch up?

Luke 12:41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”  

And why doesn’t Jesus answer Peter directly? Jesus’s answer is another question, a question that goes back to his parable, a question that does not answer Peter’s question, but it’s Jesus, so there has to be a good reason behind the tactic, right?

Luke 12:42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?

Lord, Thank You that I can read, study, struggle with, question, and seek answers in Your word. Thank You that when I don’t have clear answers, You prompt me to continue to read, study, and seek. And maybe that’s Your point. Not to give us easy answers but to send us always back to You, Your word, as we seek. Thank You. Amen.

Luke 12:43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.

Have a blessed day.