But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved[.]

Ephesians 1

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved[.] Ephesians 2:4-5

I pause my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series, to study Ephesians for 3 days per week as I participate in a Discipleship (D) Group that is part of my church. This morning, my focus is Ephesians 1 in its entirety, with a specific focus as well on v1-14.  Chuck Swindoll provides this excellent overview of the book, and he describes how Paul writes this letter to the church in Ephesus from prison in Rome and how unlike other letters he has authored where he seeks to address a specific problem in a local church, here Paul is laying down foundational truths of the gospel with an eye towards encouraging growth and maturity of believers in Ephesus. In v1-14, Paul shares with us the spiritual blessings believers experience in Christ, including:

• how "he chose us in him before the foundation of the world" (v4)
• that He sees us as "holy and blameless before him" (v4)
• that "he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ" (v5)
• ..."In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses" (v7)
• ..."In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it[.]" v13-14

We must grab hold of these blessings and drive towards maturity, never forgetting them.  Chuck Swindoll reminds us also that fellowship with other believers in daily living is key towards achieving maturity. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who blesses us as believers with a rich inheritance You give us faith and salvation, You seal us with the Holy Spirit and guarantee our inheritance - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great...and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus...and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.

Luke 6

Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. v46-48

Two takeaways this morning:
1. Build your faith during the good times such that when the difficult times arrive, you have a strong enough faith that you can persevere through the difficult times.  Of course, the difficult times will further sanctify and mold you into more of who Jesus intends you to be. 
2. That our time spent with Jesus in study and prayer is meant to be "spring board" for action, not just words on paper.

During the good times, we can draw upon our growing knowledge of the Bible, the increasing power of prayer in our life, and a deepening well of gratitude of what God has done for us and continues to do for us.

John Piper and DesiringGod.com on building faith during the good times and how trusting the sanctification process can help us: 
How can I have faith in times of crisis?
Trust the Process: God's at Work in Your Lowest Times

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who has done much in my heart and life - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth all of the rich blessings You pour out for me - I am undeserving.  I daily miss the mark - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.

Matthew 13

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches. v31

In Matthew 17:14-21, Jesus also refers to the mustard seed and having faith, even a little faith, produces significant fruit.  Of course, He wants our faith to grow and mature.  All of us must start somewhere...start with a little faith.

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:2-21

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who has given me faith and grown my faith - - thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love and blessings as I often miss the mark.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!...But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

Psalm 81

If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!...But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. v13-14,16

A great promise for us...that God will protect us from our enemies (Satan) and that we will be fed (physically, etc.) and satisfied.  We need both protection and provision.  All of us do....We also need a Savior.

Key here is to listen to God...to listen and obey.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

That is why corporate worship and living hand in hand with other believers is important.  So that we can support and encourage one another...to press forward towards maturity.

But most importantly I believe is to have a hunger and thirst for righteousness so that we may be transformed through the renewing of the mind.


My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me, even though You know everything about me.  You provide and protect me....and You have saved me from the sting of sin and death.  Thank You Jesus. I am not worth such love and blessings.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

1 Kings 17

Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.” v24

The Lord is in control (Colossians 1:16-17) and everything He allows or does is for a reason - that He be glorified and His children are rescued.  Israel is deep in sin (King Ahab has been worse than those before him (1 Kings 16:30) and God causes a drought (v1).  Out of this drought, the Lord brings Elijah to a widow and her son for food.  She has little but gives what she has and learns how God provides.  This is reinforced as God uses Elijah to heal the widow's son (v19-23).

This process of how people know who God is and how He works is a lifelong process. I don't know what happened to the widow and her son but I suspect that they sought God and God continued to reveal Himself to them as they grew in maturity in their love of God.

This interaction with Elijah reminds me of Jesus' interaction with the woman the well where a Samaritan woman encounters the promised Messiah.

We must all move beyond knowing that God is real to truly seeking Him and growing in Christ.

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God[.] Hebrews 6:1

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who continues to reveal Himself...daily!  Thank You Jesus for always being there and providing for me, guiding me, healing me, protecting me, etc.  I am not worth such love.  I am often harsh with my words and actions. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness.

Judges 9

Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. v56-57

Sin separates us from God - and we face other consequences...not only in this world but also in Heaven when we meet Jesus face to face.

We should all be thankful that we have Jesus Christ who provides reconciliation to God through the cross.

God does not want us to be without Him - just like He did for Adam and Eve, He provides second chances (although not always).

Although we have these second chances, God wants us to repent which means to turn to Him and away from sin.  This means growing in our relationship with Him.

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God[.] Hebrews 6:1

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God, full of love and compassion for me - slow to anger and abounding in love...indeed!  I am grateful for the second chances You provide through Your Son.  Yet I am undeserving as my worry continues.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. v5-8

I pray daily to grow in my faith.  This is not optional - God calls us to grow in our faith.

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God[.] Hebrews 6:1

 

As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up...1 Thessalonians 5:11

 

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation[.] 1 Peter 2:2 

 

 I struggle with my own thoughts - whether I am growing in my faith or not.  Of course I am my own worst critic. Proverbs 27:17 is the key reminder for me to be in relationship with other men to ensure I can grow in my faith.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God - You saved me and You have transformed my heart and my life, helping me become a better father, husband, son, employee, etc.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such blessings - I am harsh with others.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The Battlefield of Coasting
Proverbs 16

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. v18

The key sentence for me in this morning's devotional is the following: "If there is one aspect of spiritual battle that remains more hidden than others among Christians, it’s coasting."

Coasting not only implies arrogance as the devotional suggests, but also being passive about what God calls you to do and then not doing it because you simply are not in action about God's call.  Coasting comes into play for me because I procrastinate.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are always in action...acting on behalf of all Your children and calling them to You...dispensing grace, compassion, love, etc.  What a great God You are....You provide the Holy Spirit, Your Word, my brothers and sisters in Christ, the church, all as weapons in my battle against coasting...Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love and blessing Jesus as I do worry and procrastinate.  Please forgive me and help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me be in action (according to Your will!) and avoid coasting!  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer and relieve her of the side effects of chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

1 Peter 2

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. v1-3

I pray daily that I can grow in my faith as this what Jesus desires for me.  He says in not just here in 1 Peter but also in Hebrews:

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity Hebrews 6:1

The other point of Peter's message is to "rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."  I must be careful of the influences in my life as they may contain such things...and in particular I think of the TV and movies that are available...

My Prayer: Lord, You are good...pure, holy, and blameless.  And You came for me and chose me...knowing everything about me, including my sin...Thank You Jesus for Your love and mercy...and Your patience....and so much more beyond what I can describe.  I love You Jesus.  Help me overcome slander and gossip in my life, and hypocrisy, deceit, malice, etc.  Help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me mature and grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal her of this cancer and make these side effects go away!  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. v14

We are encouraged by the author to push ourselves in our relationship with Jesus...to go beyond our comfort zone....to grow.

In the larger context the author says:

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. v11-14

It continues in Hebrews 6:

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity....v1 

A key way for us to grow is to be active and to take on roles in our church, in the house, and in the community that stretch us to beyond our comfort zone.  We are to be active:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25

My Prayer: Lord You are an awesome God full of love and compassion for Your children, me specifically - I am not worth such love and compassion - I am full of anger and rage.  Please forgive me!  Help me overcome such sin and turn towards You Jesus.  Thank You Jesus for all of the many blessings You provide - a job, a home, my health, Lisa's progress with her treatments, my family, my church, etc.  I am blessed beyond what I deserve.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow and mature in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength, comfort, and freedom from pain.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

1 Corinthians 14

In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. v20

In this chapter, there are several themes with the primary theme being use of our speech with an emphasis on prophecy vs speaking in tongues - the latter being something that does not do much if anything to build up the church as Paul desires (see v26).  

The primary theme of this chapter is best summarized I feel in the below verse:

But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.  v19

Yet verse 20 speaks to me in the sense that God desires both the church to be built up (towards maturity) and each believer.  In Romans 12:2, Paul seeks for us to have a trajectory of growth driven by our focus on God:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2

 Hebrews 6:1 (as posted here) also speaks to this.

My Prayer: Jesus, You indeed are a great God full of love, compassion, healing, kindness and above all love.  You are full of love above how any person can love.  And I know You love me...You chose me and then suffered and died for me...knowing everything about me including my sin.  I am not worth such a love.  I am selfish, uncaring, I worry too much , I am lazy, etc.  Thank You that You love me anyway but please forgive me Jesus!  Help me turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3

The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. v8-9

I've been praying regularly that I grow in Christ.  God wants us to be good stewards of what He places in our care, whether these are money, skills, children, etc.  

Paul writes to the church in Corinth:

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. v2

The implication is that we NEED to be ready...we should be growing.  I am also thinking of the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25:14-30.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God in that You give all of Your children an abundance of provision so that we may grow.  This provision comes in many forms, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, the church, brothers and sisters in Christ, etc.  What a great God that You provide in such abundance!  I am not worth such abundance...I am selfish, harsh with my thoughts, words and actions.  I am quick to anger and slow to listen...I am impatient, prideful, etc.  The list goes on and on.  Thank You that You love me anyway Jesus but please forgive me...help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

Acts 18

When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. v26

God desires us to grow in our faith.  He places people in our lives to encourage and disciple us.  He expects us to grow and mature in our faith to more significant roles of service and mission for His glory.  

In verse 27-28 we see the fruits of discipling Apollos:

When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah

Additional scriptural references that reinforce God's desire for us to disciple others and to grow in our faith:

And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. Genesis 9:5

...

As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

...

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up...1 Thessalonians 5:11 

...

 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity...Hebrews 6:1

My Prayer:  Lord, You are a great God...You have provided many examples of Christians who discipled to me and built me up in my maturity and I am deeply thankful for these people and the blessings they have been to me.  I am not deserving of such love and blessing Jesus for I am sinful...I am lazy, disobedient, harsh with my thoughts, words, actions, selfish, impatient, quick to anger and slow to listen, etc.  Thank You that You love me anyway but please forgive me Jesus!  Help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do and help me grow in my faith.  Help me understand Your message for me today and help me be obedient to and apply Your message.