What points you to assurance?
How can you be sure of your future?
What in the world is hardest for you?
Sometimes things just fall into place easily, though this is not always the case. By faith, life for us in Christ offers hope, wellness, and forgiveness of trespasses.
- Sin—we missed the bullseye: God’s target of being perfect.
- Transgression—we took the dare to cross the line.
- Iniquity—unevenness; we’re good sometimes and sometimes we’re bad.
Clinging to Jesus, He carries us through what we cannot get through alone.
He makes a Way out of fiery trials of body, mind and spirit—hardships, disharmony and death. It’s no surprise difficulties are happening to us. We’ve had to expect them ever since Eve and Adam wanted more than what had been given them and they took the dare to break the law. Though we may try to do the right thing, we’re fully aware that, at times, we either haven’t tried or haven’t succeeded. No degree of determination seems to reach the high standards we want to achieve. Perfectly meeting the goals we set and others expect, isn’t happening. Honestly, we aren’t always loving the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind and soul; nor are we loving our neighbor as ourselves.
A few examples of things to repent of, perhaps often…
- Lack of being a blessing to others by offering nourishing care and honor
- Holding grudges
- Attempts to control situations and manipulate people
- Close ears to others’ concerns and desires
- Harshly lord over people
- Even after releasing, repenting and receiving forgiveness—allowing resentment to creep up and resurface
- Lack of refraining from corrupting talk that causes people to sin
- Claiming to love someone, yet regarding them as an object to satisfy own desires
- Ignorance and ingratitude for all that God supplies
- Halfhearted persistence of prayer and devotion to God’s Word
- Apathy or considering participation in the faith irrelevant
What is the good pleasure of God’s will?
To the praise of His glorious grace, it pleases God to save us. The Bible reveals everything! The sum of God’s plan and timing is Jesus, His beloved Son.
Ephesians 2:4-6
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| 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— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:4-6 |
It’s not on us.
It’s on Jesus who took the punishment for our guilt at the cross. The Holy Spirit lavishes us with wisdom and understanding of the
mystery of His will according to the eternal purpose in Christ. Suffering leads us to sift, refine and focus on Jesus who withstood every temptation without failing. Relational harmonious coexistence flows from the
Gospel’s compassion which promises that God’s peace is for everyone who willingly receives it!
All of God’s wrath, which we deserve, is put on Christ for us because our Creator loved us before he made us! He designed the Way to keep us His own! Poured out with the touch of water and sound of His Word in Baptism, the faith itself is given to us in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By nature, apart from Jesus, every single human inherited rebellious selfishness that wants to embrace sin of body, mind and spirit. God wants us to inherit His incorruptible plan since our corruption has no hope; no decision or effort of our own can work out a way to save ourselves.
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. Ephesians 2:8-9
We are God’s workmanship. His love is made alive in us through Christ. By faith, we pray to do the good opportunities He planned for each of us to do. He wants us to discover and carry out His beautiful works of art He placed within us to bring us joy we can spread!
Ephesians 2:19-20
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| So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, Ephesians 2:19-20 |
Filled with hope at God’s house, we grow, care and look forward to life together forever with our Savior.
When Jesus died and rose, the New Testament of Christ’s Body and Blood in the gift of The Lord’s Supper is ready for us to forgive us. Rather than remaining in the wrath of God, we’re consistently renewed in Christ so that we may, to the praise of His glory, be strengthened in faith to enjoy the inheritance He has prepared for us.
Ephesians 3:14-21
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| When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT |
Gifts you can’t choose—you can only receive or refuse, then keep or lose.
Amazing grace means the cross Jesus willingly bore for us declares us right and perfect in our Heavenly Father’s eyes! God be praised! The wonderful part of our Creator’s good gift for us is that the Holy Spirit puts things into the hearts of people who open up to listen and do not block Him out of their lives. He provides wellness for individual souls and collectively in our life together. He’s constantly revealing the Truth of what’s in the Bible for us to know relating to our personal reconciliation with God and between each other. Minds gradually mature to be generous in love when frequently renewed by faith. Knowledge of Christ’s mercy and humble gentleness equips us to patiently build each other up in merciful gentle love.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Ephesians 4:1-7
Trusting the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and direction brings contentment and joy! Ephesians 4:24 instructs to “put on the new self” created in the form of God’s righteousness by Jesus’s work on the cross. Christ is present in the Word for us and in us at His Table. Love won’t fade or wither which springs up from the Spirit’s strength and forgiveness; it seeks and shares Truth of our one Lord and Savior in one Baptism forever. Even when we choose to walk away and intentionally lose God, He does not lose sight of us; He wants us back. The power of being covered and clean in Christ’s saving work for us allows that we always, until we die or Christ returns, can repent and return to our Baptism by the faith sealed in the promise of the Word. God tells His children to be honest, share and talk with anyone who hears; not block people from the powerful love we have within us.
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:25-32
Do you see the Bible as a lamp on the path to take, an actual Light given for us?
While the Law exposes darkness, disobedience, and lack of trust in God, the Gospel of Jesus forgives and guides our walk. Children of the Light take what God supplies and aim to please Him along the way. Fully clothed in the whole armor designed to attain the trust that keeps repenting—even when grace seems hard to understand, unreasonable by worldly standards, and too good to be true—we praise the Giver of Light!
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:10-20
Schemes of the devil are no match for us on our own.
They thrive on negativity, division, and all that leads to death. Sinful desires of rebellion act as flaming darts in attempt to steal our inheritance Christ has won for us.
We need God’s armor to guard our hearts and minds. Thankfully, He delights in filling us with His encouraging Spirit. By the means of grace Christ provides to protect and preserve the faith through every trial and test. In the peace of His Truth, forgiven believers discern, through the Word, what positively pleases the Lord. Determined to reflect God’s self-giving love, we are equipped to repent, grow, forgive, and uplift others in prayer to our loving Father. Others may or may not choose to forgive and live in harmony with us; yet, shining in Christ who intercedes our repentant prayers, we are reconciled to God, forgiven for our own confessed failures and imperfection. We enjoy the fruits of Christ’s compassion. In gratitude for His mercy, we worship the Lord our King.
Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. Ephesians 6:23
Jesus is assurance of God’s love for us right here and now.
Certain hope for believers is that when our Savior returns, the dead will be raised to see His glory which will surround all who praise Him in an eternal place with no more sorrow or pain.
More goodies on Ephesians
- Read or listen to the book (about 15 minutes)
- Insight on the details
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