"Honor you father and mother" is the first commandment with a promise. God wants us to be an example and testimony if His love to our children and the generations to come.
Paul asks for prayers, as we should do, that whenever we open our mouths, words may be given to us so that we may fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. It is all about God and not about us. If we follow the Lord's commands in the words of Paul in Philippians 3:13 "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead" we will be richly blessed. "Our citizenship is in heaven" Philippians 3:20. We belong to Him and he wants us to be with Him forever. Praise our Lord!
Armando Perdomo
May 1
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Ephesians 2-5
One of the key verses for me in this text is Paul’s admonition to, “Live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (4:1). In light of all that Christ has done for us shouldn’t this be our goal?
The privilege of being one of God’s people comes with responsibility. God has created one new and holy community that He calls to honor Him in all things. The essence of Paul’s writing address day to day living -24/7 worship of God. I don’t know about you, but I tend to struggle when life is mundane, methodical and normal. Paul says, “we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe” (3:14 NLT). On this day or that Houston is a ‘daddy’s boy’. But on other days it’s Mom he wants. You and I belong to Jesus every moment of every day and forever. In our faith we are to be like children, but in our living for God and following His example we are to be grown-ups.
And because we belong to God, we belong to one another. God acted in pure unselfishness and love in giving us His Son. We should also act unselfishly in our love for all others. Paul refers to this as a great mystery, “it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one” (5:32 NLT). It is not within our grasp to treat others less than the love shown to us by God through Christ.
The simplicity of Ephesians strikes me as I strive today to “live a life worthy” of my calling. May God bless you as you do the same.
Nathan Tillotson
April 30
The privilege of being one of God’s people comes with responsibility. God has created one new and holy community that He calls to honor Him in all things. The essence of Paul’s writing address day to day living -24/7 worship of God. I don’t know about you, but I tend to struggle when life is mundane, methodical and normal. Paul says, “we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe” (3:14 NLT). On this day or that Houston is a ‘daddy’s boy’. But on other days it’s Mom he wants. You and I belong to Jesus every moment of every day and forever. In our faith we are to be like children, but in our living for God and following His example we are to be grown-ups.
And because we belong to God, we belong to one another. God acted in pure unselfishness and love in giving us His Son. We should also act unselfishly in our love for all others. Paul refers to this as a great mystery, “it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one” (5:32 NLT). It is not within our grasp to treat others less than the love shown to us by God through Christ.
The simplicity of Ephesians strikes me as I strive today to “live a life worthy” of my calling. May God bless you as you do the same.
Nathan Tillotson
April 30
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Galatians 4 - Ephesians 1
I am sitting in a waiting room, having just dealt with a stressful situation, and I’ve decided to “knock out” my BLOG for the week rather than pay $10 (the financial penalty we all agreed to in the beginning of the 99 days to hold ourselves accountable to blog on time.) Bottom line---I’m compliant and cheap! So, I pulled out my list and I realized I got...Ephesians chapter one. Holy Guacamole! God continues to amaze me, and I’m ashamed of it. Just when I needed it most-God reminds me that, “He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Ephesians 1.
Why is this sooooo significant for me today? Well, Ephesians chapter one has been my “go to” passage for a long time. I’m an adopted kid that is proud to be twice adopted; once by fantastic earthly parents and once by the living God. When I was younger I stumbled across this scripture from Paul and it helped me see that being “adopted” is not strange or different or weird. Well, maybe it is---but at least WE’RE ALL strange and different and weird together...and loved and saved and filled by GOD! Hallelujah! Just for that---I might just pay the $10 for grins!
Jim Bales
April 29
Why is this sooooo significant for me today? Well, Ephesians chapter one has been my “go to” passage for a long time. I’m an adopted kid that is proud to be twice adopted; once by fantastic earthly parents and once by the living God. When I was younger I stumbled across this scripture from Paul and it helped me see that being “adopted” is not strange or different or weird. Well, maybe it is---but at least WE’RE ALL strange and different and weird together...and loved and saved and filled by GOD! Hallelujah! Just for that---I might just pay the $10 for grins!
Jim Bales
April 29
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