Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Summary: There is a relationship between our suffering and our faith. As we look at Paul’s suffering and his attitude towards it, we can learn a lot about what it means to walk in faith.
Continue reading “Ephesians 3:13 – The Glory of Suffering”… which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Summary: Paul points out that our God can keep secrets. The biggest secret was how he planned to set the world right through his Son, Jesus Christ.
Continue reading “Ephesians 3:9b – Breadcrumbs”… by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.
Summary: Paul wasn’t just sitting on the side of the road when God met up with him. He was on his way to change the world. God stopped him, changed him, and then set him off again in a different direction.
Continue reading “Ephesians 3:7b – Redirection”And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Summary: Following Paul through the twists and turns of his metaphor can be exhausting. With his building metaphor Christ is the reason for the building, the cornerstone of the building, and the place where the building resides.
Continue reading “Ephesians 2:22 – The Impossible”For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Summary: Paul’s sentence describes how we can gain access to God. To do so we need to reach out through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Continue reading “Ephesians 2:18 – Access to God”… he made known to us the mystery of his will …
Summary: Some mysteries can be solved with good detective work. Others, like the mystery of God’s will, is beyond us, until God, in his timing, decides to explain.
Continue reading “Ephesians 1:9a – More Mystery”… in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.
Summary: Paul has a detailed way of conveying his thoughts. Sometimes his meanings can be lost in the words. It is worth stopping to ponder what Paul is saying and think about the story behind the words.
Continue reading “Ephesians 1:7c – The Pardon”… through his blood, the forgiveness of sins …
Summary: Blood holds a unique place in Scripture and life. We cannot live without it. In the salvation narrative, blood is both the price of salvation and the symbol of salvation.
Continue reading “Ephesians 1:7b – The Big Death”… to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Summary: Being holy and blameless is not something we can achieve on our own. We need help! Fortunately for us, God has a plan. The plan is Jesus.
Continue reading “Ephesians 1:4b – The Plan is Jesus”We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
Summary: If life is like a football game, everyone on the field is getting pushed around.
Continue reading “1 John 5:19 – A Messy Business”