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My goal is to glorify God. Always…. (devo reflection)

John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.    

I am agitated this morning about a situation. I feel like I need to defend myself and my actions. I have to keep reminding myself that my goal is to glorify God. Always. I have to take to heart that Jesus is talking about me in this scripture.

John 17:6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.

Jesus, His life, His truth, reveals God to me. I am His. I have obeyed His word….OK, I’m trying to obey His word. Sometimes, like today as I try to stay focused, I keep straying and have to remind myself to stay true to who I am and who I am in Christ. Thankfully, my Savior gets that.

John 17:7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.

Precious Savior, Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. Thank You for who I am to You and in You. When life gets loud, chaotic, and unfair, help me to cling to You, to trust You, to glorify You. Always. Amen.

John 17:8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

Have a blessed day.

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Now this is eternal life…. (devo reflection)

John 17:1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.    

Verse 3 is what catches my attention this morning: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” The verse doesn’t say, “Now this is the SECRET to eternal life” or “Now this is the KEY to eternal life….” “Now THIS is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

John 17:2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

My morning reading, prayer, and devotional time is spent daily trying to know God, to know Jesus better. I feel like every day I know Him a little bit more. I think the nature of this relationship is that there is always more to know, more to understand. With every year of experience I gain, I am able to understand His word that much better.

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Precious Savior, I think of eternal life as something that happens after this life on earth, but your word says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Does that mean that eternal life is something that we can have on earth as well as in heaven? Help me to understand the implications, Lord. Help me to glorify You. Amen.

John 17:4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

Have a blessed day.

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The power of Christ…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 1:18-19a 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, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Not only is Paul praying for the Ephesians to know the hope of Christ, but also he is praying that they know the power of Christ, “his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Does that mean that Christ holds no power for those who don’t believe? I don’t think so. I think that as a believer, I know that I can bring all of my worries, doubts, fears, hopes to Him and lay them at His feet.

Ephesians 1:19b-21 That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  

As a believer I know that He has a plan for my life, a plan that doesn’t always mean He will say yes to every desire of my heart. But when He says no or not yet, as a believer, I know that He has a perfect plan for me and it was created with His perfect love. Being a believer doesn’t make that no any less painful, but I have hope that the God of all creation has an even better plan in mind.

Ephesians 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 

Precious Savior, Thank You for your fierce, all-encompassing love and Your unfathomable grace. Thank You that I know beyond a doubt that You want what is best for me. Help me to bring all my heart to You. Give me peace and hope no matter Your plan. Amen.

Ephesians 1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Have a blessed day.

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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.