Skip to main content

A Call to Carry On


But God...


A Journey Through Ephesians – A Call to Carry On

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a call to carry on with the undying love for our Lord. Paul knew some strange ideas about God would soon perforate the faith of new believers. He knew the message of grace would be challenged. He knew the believers would be tempted to forget their First Love. With every dip of hi quill in ink, the metal links of his chains clanked and clattered. Affixed to a Roman guard, Paul understood the reality of his likely execution, so the letter we call Ephesians reads like a farewell address. These were his final, parting words, his last chance to impart what was most important to him, for it succinctly summarizes God’s plan for salvation and the practices believers in Christ should follow.

Are we focused more on church-as-a-way-of-life or Christ-as-a-way-of-life?

Paul, a man once filled with murderous hatred for believers was transformed by God’s grace (see Acts 9:1-25). And the same saving grace that changed Paul’s life continues to change lives today. This is true in every believer’s life. We were heading down a certain road, maybe not Damascus like Paul, but down a path that would eventually lead to our own destruction. But God had other plans.

So, now let’s begin our Journey Through Ephesians!

Read Ephesians 1:1-2

The journey of growing in spiritual maturity – becoming more like Christ in thought and deed – begins the moment we surrender our lives to God. Even Paul, knowing the Scriptures as well as he did, had some growing to do. This is the overarching theme in his letter to the Ephesians. We’ve been saved by grace. Yes. But we still have some growing to do. Paul’s letter is a call to carry on in our growth and understanding of who God is and how we are to live as His children.

Diving Deeper

Who determined Paul would be an apostle?


To whom did Paul explicitly write his letter?



Not everyone has a dramatic conversion like Paul’s. but every believer, as some point along life’s journey, has encountered the risen Christ. We were heading in a certain direction. But God had other plans. Take a few moments and write down you own “But God” story. Who can you share your “But God” story with today?



Write the Word…Okay, this is where the rubber meets the road – or where the pen meets the paper! On a piece of paper, journal or notebook; write out Ephesians 1:1-2


Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the work You have begun in my life. As I begin this new journey through the book of Ephesians, I pray that You will open the eyes of my hear to the kingdom purpose for which You have called me. And with each word from Scripture I write, I pray the Holy Spirit will continue to teach me the truth of Your Word. Amen.

Related posts


Be blessed and be a blessing!






From “Word Writers Ephesians” by Denise Hughes

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Canva

Created 2 Create Twitter Cover Image Design Canva - One of My Favorite Design Programs and Apps With Canva , you don’t have to be a design pro, it makes designing easy. You can use your own photos or you can you upload images from sites like Unsplash or Pexels  and download them on your computer totally FREE. Canva also offers an app for you phone. Canva lets you Create designs for Web or print: blog graphics, presentations, Facebook & social media covers, flyers, posters, invitations and many more.  The design options are endless, and the site is very user-friendly – you can modify one the their designs or create your own using one of the templates. Unsplash offers professional images that you can modify, edit and use as you desire. Again, totally free! Pexels ’ site is just like Upsplash , these are royalty-free photographs for you to use as you wish. These are some of the designs I created using Canva … Click on l...
7 comments
Read more

All That is Within Me

If you are like me and have an iPhone, you've probably spent the last couple days trying to figure out all the updates. If you have more than one Apple device, such as an iPad, you've spent even more time updating it as well. Or maybe that's on your to-do list for today (or tomorrow). It's not a quick update, it takes a fair amount of time; then once you update, you've got to reset a few things. So, that got me to thinking, have I spent the same amount of time alone with God, reading His Word, reaching out to other believers, or witnessing to the lost? I must confess, my answer would have to be "no." God loves us so much, He rejoices when we call on Him, when we reach out to Him in prayer, and when we meditate on His Word. He's so patient and so full of grace. I keep thinking back to the scripture: Deuteronomy 6:5 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. All means completely, entirely; for ...
4 comments
Read more

Good Friday

  Happy Good Friday   This is the day that we remember what Jesus did for us --- enduring beating, mocking, and being crucified.   I imagine his disciples did not consider it to be a “good” Friday at the time. But what makes it GOOD is what happened on Sunday --- when Jesus did the impossible and rose from the dead.    Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.  ~ 1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV   One of the best ways of celebrating Jesus and His Resurrection…is through family traditions.    Family traditions can be as simple as attending  ️  church and having lunch or brunch together.    Jesus was a story-teller. I believe he knew the power of a story to capture hearts and bring joy while effectively delivering a specific message. He often used parables to tea...
Post a Comment
Read more