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A heart for Jesus and His people…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 5:1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children….

For me, this chapter is a vivid reminder that Paul’s letters are just that—letters to specific groups of people struggling with specific issues in a specific time. We can learn a lot about the cultural mores of the time from these letters. For me, Paul’s legalistic rhetoric also belies his past as a Pharisee.

Ephesians 5:2 …and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

John 13:34 sums up Jesus’s biblical ideology pretty succinctly: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Love God. Love others. Period. Paul had a heart for Jesus and His people. The tone of Paul’s letters seems to indicate that he felt the faithful in Ephesus needed more structure as they grew in faith.

Ephesians 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

Lord, Your command seems at times deceptively simply: Love God; love others. Thank You for those who try to provide extra structure for those who are struggling in their faith, yet help us never lose sight of the simple truth of Your words: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Amen.

Ephesians 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Have a blessed day.

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Growth, not perfection…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

If I were grading myself on the basis of these verses, I would not score very well. I fail, daily, in Every. Single. Category. But I sincerely think that God doesn’t expect perfection. He KNOWS me, knows my faults and shortcomings, knows my struggles. He doesn’t expect perfection, He expects growth.

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Commentary says God not only wants us to grow old in Him. He also wants us to grow more mature in Him, getting just a little bit better, stronger, more mature in Christ every day. With effort and attention, I think I can do that.

Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Dear Lord, Being perfect as You are perfect seems absolutely out of my abilities. Thank You for the understanding that You don’t expect perfection, You expect growth, maturity. Help me grow and mature in You a little more each day. Amen.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Have a blessed day.

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The love of Christ…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being….

This prayer from Paul, found in verses 16-19, is beautiful. He prays that through Christ’s power, our inner being will be strengthened by His Holy Spirit, so that Christ is and remains firmly in our hearts, established and rooted there through faith in Him.

Ephesians 3:17 …so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love….

He prays that because we have such a firm foundation in Him, that we may more fully understand how all encompassing is His love, more fully understand that His love is so grand, so amazing that it surpasses anything we can truly comprehend, and he prays that even though Christ’s love surpasses our knowledge, that we may be filled with that love, filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:18 …may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ….

Lord, Thank You for Your great love of us. Thank You for people like Paul, who went to great lengths to ensure everyone had access to the Good News of Christ. Help me to live Paul’s prayer and to share its truth, Your truth and love, with everyone I encounter today. Amen.

Ephesians 3:19 …and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Have a blessed day.

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Because of his great love for us…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

When thinking about God’s undeserved grace, I remember an incident from when my boys were little. Many of the specifics had faded: We had planned some treat for them for the afternoon, but their behavior had been less than ideal that morning. I remember distinctly saying to the hubs, “These boys do NOT deserve….”

Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Even at the time, I remember thinking how ironic my words were, how much I didn’t, don’t, deserve God’s grace but receive it lavishly nonetheless. I have no memory of whether the boys got their treat that day, but I always think of that incident when I think how undeserving I am of God’s grace, yet He lavishes it upon me regardless.

Ephesians 2:6-7 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Lord, Thank You for Your all-encompassing grace. Help me to extend that same grace to all I encounter. I don’t deserve it, I can’t earn it, but I am eternally grateful for it. Thank You. Amen.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Have a blessed day.

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A manifestation of our love of God…. (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….

Commentary says of verse 15, “The real evidence of God’s work in us is not the love we claim to have for Him, but our love for His people that others can see.” What if the way we visibly love, care for, and edify others is how God measures our love for Him? Let that idea sink in a minute.

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

I have all kinds of complicated feelings about this idea. “If I can’t earn God’s love, why am I being judged on my love for others?” Loving others is not a means to earn His love. If they’ll know we are Christians by our love, then said love of others is a manifestation of our love of God, not a means of earning His love.

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.

Lord, I want to know You better. I want to love You well. And You tell me again and again that the way to love You well is to love, care for, and build up Your children. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Ephesians 1:18-19 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.

Have a blessed day.

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A life of meaning and value…. (devo reflection)

Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Lord, There is much in this last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians that is so applicable to my life today. Thank You for the reminders that we are to carry each other’s burdens, help walk each other home, under Your strength, in Your power, not boasting except in You.

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Lord, When I work in my own strength, for my own glory, it is easy to become weary and exhausted. Help those emotions to remind me that my focus is on myself and not You. Help me, when I’m weary and exhausted, to refocus on You and Your people.

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Lord, I want to live a life of meaning and value. Help me to want that for You and not for my own sake. Help me to glorify You as I comfort Your people. Amen.

Galatians 6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Have a blessed day.

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The discomfort of loving…. (devo reflection)

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Living under the law is pretty easy, pretty cut and dried: Do this. Don’t do that. End of discussion. Living under the law of love is much more difficult. Love reacts to individual people, to where they are, to what they need. There is no cut and dried behavior, though there are certainly guidelines. Loving can be messy and contentious and just plain difficult. Following the law carries none of these challenges.

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

But God didn’t create us for mindless law abiding, for taking the easy way. He didn’t gift us with His grace to make us automatons of law. He made us wonderfully, uniquely, messily individual, and He calls us to love as He loves us: completely, wholeheartedly.

Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Precious Lord, Thank You that You didn’t create us to be mindless slaves to the law. Forgive me that sometimes I long for the ease of law-abiding instead of the discomfort of loving. Remove my heart of stone and replace it with a heart of fierce love for You, a heart like Yours. Draw me closer. Amen.

Galatians 5:14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Have a blessed day.

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What it means to be adopted…. (devo reflection)

Galatians 4:4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law….

My niece is a beautiful reminder of what it means to be adopted into a family. She is not physically blood of our blood, but she is so definitely our family. She looks like her daddy, with whom she shares no genetic markers, and she is soooo much like me in her need for a plan. She is absolutely family.

Galatians 4:5 …to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

There is no distinction between her kinship and any of my other nieces and nephews. This relationship helps me understand these verses in Galatians better because I understand on a gut level that distinctions are erased when someone is adopted into a family. Family is family, adopted or biological. God’s family is no different.

Galatians 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

Lord, Thank You for my precious niece and for the lessons she has helped me learn about what it means to be adopted. Thank You for adopting me into Your family, erasing any distinctions. Family means love, compassion, lots of chaos and grace. Help me to treat all my brothers and sisters in Christ as family. Amen.

Galatians 4:7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Have a blessed day.

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A beautiful gift meant to be shared…. (devo reflection)

Galatians 3:26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith….

One line of commentary jumped out at me: “The Holy Spirit is not a prize earned through the works of the law.” Aren’t Christians often guilty of an elitist attitude in Christ? I’ve seen it many times, that snide derision of, “I am one of God’s chosen. Too bad you’re not” attitude.

Galatians 3:27 …for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

But Christ isn’t a prize to be won; He is a gift given freely. He’s not a commodity to be hoarded (I have Him and you don’t); He’s a treasure to be freely shared.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Lord, Thank You for these continued lessons on sharing. Thank You for the reminder that Your love is a beautiful gift meant to be shared with all of Your creation. Help me to shine Your light so that all may know Your goodness. Amen.

Galatians 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Have a blessed day.

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“…not I, but Christ….” (devo reflection)

Galatians 2:19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.

The King James Version of Gal 2:20 contains the phrase “not I, but Christ.” Some time ago I came across commentary about this version of this verse that stuck with me. Honestly, I remember nothing of the commentary except the strength and appropriateness of the phrase “not I, but Christ.”

Galatians 2:20a I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me….

There is so much I cannot do, so many ways I fall short again and again. But I’m not tasked with saving myself. I can’t. Thankfully, “not I, but Christ.” Sometimes I get awfully judgy about other people, what they say and do or fail to say and do, “yet not I, but Christ.” Sometimes I label people as too far gone, unworthy of Christ’s grace, “yet not I, but Christ.”

Galatians 2:20b …The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the truth of Galatians 2:20. Thank You that You live in me, that You are an intricate part of my being. When I feel overwhelmed or judgmental, when I doubt or condemn, every moment of every day, help me remember, “not I, but Christ.” Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Have a blessed day.