Ephesians 1:20

Ephesians 1:20

he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

So picture the scene. The eternal throne room of the Almighty. The Son of God, our hero, our savior The Lord Jesus is seated at the right hand of The Father. Also on the scene is the accuser of the Brethren the enemy of our souls, the devil himself. The topic of conversation? You and your sinful dalliances as you wrestle with the flesh and the world down here. The enemy points to your failures accusingly and haughtily with relish. Yet Jesus resolutely confirms that you are one of His as He intercedes for you extending His covering over your shortcomings. This is what you can count on, the enemy accuses, the Son covers and the Father forgives. How then should we reflect this awesome dynamic that is continually played out in heaven? When our words are accusatory with who are we rhyming? When our words consider the best in others and focus on what is good about others and not their shortcomings, who are we imitating? As His children we ought to resemble the One we are named after...Christian.

application

I will be more conscious of my words today, seeking to be a vessel of grace for others. Today I choose to rhyme with Heaven and not hell.

Ephesians 1:19

Ephesians 1:19

and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength

So what is it that makes this divine power incomparable to all other powers?

Divine Power alone can forgive sin.

Divine Power alone is how our spirit communicates with God’s Spirit.

Divine Power alone removes the sting of death.

Divine Power alone reveals truth.

Divine Power alone reveals the God of all Comfort.

Divine Power alone engages the provision of God.

Divine Power alone gives us access to grace through which we learn to say no to sin.

Divine Power alone convicts us of sin.

Divine Power alone grants repentance where we turn from sin and turn to God.

Divine Power alone sets the captives free.

Divine Power alone is our redemption.

Divine Power alone is where we find our peace.

Divine Power alone is the fuel for our love of the unlovable.

Divine Power alone qualifies us to be children of God.

Divine Power alone is faithful, when we are not.

Divine Power alone is stable while all else is prone to be shaken.

Divine Power alone is the wellspring of all that is good.

Divine Power alone the only hope of this world.

No other source of power in the spirit realm or on the earth can claim any of these attributes reserved for Divine Power alone. Anything close is a cheap trick, facade, or decoy of the enemy whose power is not worthy of comparing to this truly incomparable Power.

application

To be rooted and conscious of the influence of Divine Power available to me and to allow that Power to flow through me to others today.

See my wife Margaret's insights on this very same verse here:
Margaret's Blog -Just So You Know-

Ephesians 1:18

Ephesians 1:18

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

This area of Scripture is renown for the way that it gives us a front row seat to witness how Paul discipled these Ephesian believers.

How awesome it is to peer into the heart of Paul as he is cultivating these beloved children. What a model he sets forth in seeking the Lord on their behalf in this way. What a glorious prayer to pray for the dear ones this Apostle is nurturing into maturity in Christ. His great concern for their souls and the furthering of their knowledge and understanding of all that is theirs in Christ.

application

I am inspired by Paul as I am nurturing new potential disciples always I am physically away from those who I have poured out my life and developed into maturity. I have been praying for them but according to this verse I will recommit to pray even more fervently for their continued enlightenment and growth in Him.

Check out Margaret's take on this same verse

http://mrsd4him.blogspot.com/2014/04/ephesians-118.html

Ephesians 1:17

Ephesians 1:17

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Like Solomon before him, Paul is seeking after God by requesting wisdom. The desire for wisdom springs from the heart of maturity. Among the many requisite elements that surely accompany this noble desire the heart of humility will be found, along with the realization that without God we cannot accomplish God’s plans for us. You see it takes a humble character to recognize that one is not capable of functioning effectively in Kingdom business on ones own strength.

Paul, as a learned scholar of the Scripture surely recalled this verse from the Prophet Jerhamiah

Jeremiah 17:5

This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

And furthermore Paul would go on the scribe this passage eventually to the church at Philipi

Philippians 3:3

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh--

So we learn that humility comes before honor. Paul sought after the Lord to bestow His wisdom on his dearly loved disciples in Ephesus. No longer able to be there with them in person He beseeched the Father to pour out His Spirit of Wisdom on them for the task at hand was indeed great.

application

Today I will seek the Lord for wisdom.

Check out Margaret's take on this same verse Ephesians 1:17

Ephesians 1:16

Ephesians 1:16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

It appears that Paul is overjoyed at the knowledge of his group of new believers have been further cultivated and are thriving in Ephesus. Paul was the co-founder of this church and dearly loved by the congregation and the elders there. Paul lived in Ephesus for three years nurturing the believers and discipling the elders. This group was most near and dear to Pauls missionary heart.Though he was away from them in body he was with them constantly in prayer.

application

I need to consider my prayer life for the friends and believers I have nurtured over the years.

Ephesians 1:15

Ephesians 1:15

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,

These two principles are inseparable. When we put our faith in the Lord Jesus our lives will reflect an outpouring of love for others. It is not always automatic nor is it in any way easy. However as we grow in our faith and realize the depth of love that has been shown us and the forgiveness we have been given and the grace that has been extended toward us our capacity to love others will grow. That capacity is like an indicator on our dashboard measuring how much fuel is left in our fuel tank. It rises and falls in conjunction to our faith. Our faith will rise and fall in conjunction to our level of input of the Word into our hearts. We are vessels that contain the Holy Spirit yet we are made of clay and as any potter will assert clay pots leak. This is why the disciples needed their feet to be washed by the master as depicted in that glorious 13th chapter of the gospel of John. We are in constant need of filling, cleansing, checking and rectifying again and again. This is the journey, this is our lot. We are holy beings in our innermost part yet our spirits are draped over with the corpse of our flesh which is corrupt. Oh until we are translated on that magnificent day of the Lord where our spirit is fully emancipated and set free from this body of death, we will struggle to be filled with the spirit, be renewed in the mind, be enlightened by the word and to be finally and fittingly as is His will be loved by one another.

application

I will deliberately seek ways to love others today that I have never done before.

Ephesians 1:14

Ephesians 1:14

who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

It is almost like we are in one of those “in between” periods. We are His posession, and in the heavenly realm we are redeemed. But we wait for the fullness of that redemption. Our Lord has paid the price for our redemption. The blood of Christ paid in full the price of our souls to be completely restored back to the original state. However in the meantime we are still here on the earth with all of it’s brokenness and sin. Waiting for our Redeemer to come for us. The key is to occupy the land and to be busy about the work of ministry in anticipation of His imminent return. It is a transition period. And all transition periods are problematic. Like adolescence or any other “in between” stage when we are about to be “there” but we are still “here” we are not quite adults but we are no longer children, in adolescence we yearn to be fully grown yet we sometimes act like we are not ready at all, and so the age old problems of that awkward “in between” stage persists. Our souls are holy and we yearn for heaven yet we are vexed with the sin and corruption of this world. We are bound to this earth yet we belong to eternity.

application

today I will meditate on this verse:

Colossians 3:2-4

New International Version (NIV)

2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Consider reading my wife Margaret's devo on this verse as well -

http://mrsd4him.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:13

Ephesians 1:13

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

Let us not forget that at the time of this writing in the first century AD the indwelling Holy Spirit was something altogether brand new. Through out the history of mankind the Holy Spirit would visit upon a person for a time usually to perform a particular task. Now with the new covenant a new era of the operation of the Holy Spirit has dawned on the history of man, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Put another way the physical body of the believer is now the container of the actual Spirit of the Living God. This was radical and revolutionary, unprecedented and for the most part inconceivable. Remember up until this point there existed an ongoing debate over where to worship? In Jerusalem or Samaria? On this mountain or that? Where? In what physical place is the real temple to be located? However the new covenant changed all of that, God henceforth would not abide in a temple made with the hands of men but instead would reside in men. We now in this modern age take this concept for granted but not so for these first century believers. Let us also not forget that this was a new age of communication with God as the preceding 400 years were absent the voice of the Almighty. There is something about not having something and then finally getting it that causes it to be more highly regarded and much more valuable.

application

I need to not take the indwelling Holy Spirit for granted today. I need to cherish His presence, in order for this to take place I must decrease so that He may increase.

Consider reading my wife Margaret's devo on this verse as well - http://mrsd4him.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:12

Ephesians 1:12

12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

So the “we” in this verse would refer to the Jewish believers namely the leaders who were charged with making disciples and spreading the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Paul is saying that their purpose in fulfilling their mission is ultimately to bring glory to God. Whenever we succeed at doing the thing that God has designed us to do it will end in glorifying Him who sent us. That does not guarantee us a particular pleasant journey necessarily. It does guarantee a “well done thy good and faithful servant, enter into your fathers rest” at the end of this earthly existence. Sometimes we get blessed along the way but not always, we serve because of who it is that is inviting us to the banquet table, not because of what He has on the table for us. Be careful not to compare the "highlight reel" of other people's lives to the simplicity of the "behind the scene" activity of yours.

application

I need to freshly cultivate my moment by moment sense of being led by the Spirit in my small and mundane tasks today. To walk in simple obedience, and my success to be measured in willingness to obey and not in the measurable material blessings that may or may not ultimately arrive as a result.

Ephesians 1:11

Ephesians 1:11

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

I find it interesting that Paul states that we have obtained an inheritance in the past tense. Meaning it is something we already are in possession of. However an inheritance is something that one receives as a legal promise of a future endowment, typically triggered by some sort of future event like upon the death of someone. So we are currently like a lotto winner who has the winning ticket but has yet to redeem the winnings from the official state office. It is also like the child who has lived in an orphanage in a difficult country for all of his life and as the legal paperwork is completed and the family who has decided to adopt this child into their family make their way to finally unite this child to the rest of his siblings, legally he is a son, a brother and possesses a full share of the inheritance just like all the other siblings, yet he is completely unaware of all of this for all he knows is what he has been accustomed to all of his life as an orphan. In the same way we are these oblivious orphans. In Christ we have this great inheritance but many times we continue to live as though we are not His. Especially since this great favor is unmerited we naturally do not accept the reality of the fullness of the legal promise of things to come.

application

I need to put my faith in the Scriptures and not in my feelings, as my feelings are not trustworthy. I will believe that I indeed am an inheritor of the great riches which are found in Christ.

Ephesians 1:10

Ephesians 1:10

as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.  

I look forward to the fulfillment of this verse where all things on earth and in heaven are united. Given that we will still posses our free will yet all be unified causes me to wonder at the enormity of the project. It will have to be due to an overwhelming and earth shattering event to command all attention in unison. Consider the moment at the appearance of Christ as the sky is ripped open like a curtain and the angelic trumpets sound full on audibly so that all the creatures of the earth will fully hear it and see with their own eyes all at the same time. Every knee will bow for there will be nothing else any one can do. Like the appearance of a mushroom cloud on the horizon we will all be stunned and at the same time immobilized in our gaze, frightened yet mesmerized at the same time as our brains try to catch up to what our eyes are actually seeing. We will all be standing unified in a bewildered and dazed moment of fascination, astonishment, joy and terror all at once, an experience unlike anything we on earth have ever seen or heard before.

That will be in the truest sense of the word -awesome.

application

To walk today in anticipation of the eminent return of Christ.

Ephesians 1:9

Ephesians 1:9  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

As a believer we are on the inside circle of all of humanity. We are held in high esteem of the Creator. We are considered sons and daughters of the King of Kings. We are invited to the banquets and are informed to the intimacy of the plans of our Great God. We have been given His Spirit to guide us and to comfort us. We also receive special personal instruction and knowledge to act on His behalf. We are given the keys to the kingdom, the unfathomable truths that explain all of the big questions of life. Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Where do we go when we die?... These are the questions that have baffled the learned and philosophers down through the ages.

All that plus we get to live for eternity in paradise, in a mansion custom made by the ultimate Creator for us personally.

That is what being a believer entails, plus so much more we could go on and on as it will take eternity to experience. It cannot be contained on the pages of all the books ever written.

application

To bask in the knowledge of my place in the Kingdom.

Ephesians 1:8

Ephesians 1:8

that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

What is it that He lavished on us? It is the forgiveness of our sins through the abundant grace of God. as we see here in the preceding verse:

Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

Grace is the unmerited favor of God. As sinners our pardon from a life of sin is completely unmerited but through God’s grace we are not only just sufficiently pardoned like a criminal who gets out of an indictment because of a technicality, we are fully exonerated and brought into the family of the judge himself and made one of his sons with all of the rights of inheritance and sonship. That is lavish. When we walk in the knowledge of this great grace it rightfully causes us to reflexively repent of our sins and humbly bend our knee in gratitude.

application

I want to be mindful of the great grace I have been given therefore I will meditate on the following verse:

Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

Ephesians 1:7

Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Here is a fabulous reason why I adore the Noah Websters 1828 Dictionary

REDEMP'TION, noun [Latin redemptio. See Redeem.]

1. Repurchase of captured goods or prisoners; the act of procuring the deliverance of persons or things from the possession and power of captors by the payment of an equivalent; ransom; release; as the redemption of prisoners taken in war; the redemption of a ship and cargo.

2. Deliverance from bondage, distress, or from liability to any evil or forfeiture, either by money, labor or other means.

3. Repurchase, as of lands alienated. Leviticus 25:24. Jeremiah 32:7.

4. The liberation of an estate from a mortgage; or the purchase of the right to re-enter upon it by paying the principal sum for which it was mortgaged with interest and cost; also, the right of redeeming and re-entering.

5. Repurchase of notes, bills or other evidence of debt by paying their value in specie to their holders.

6. In theology, the purchase of God's favor by the death and sufferings of Christ; the ransom or deliverance of sinners from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God's violated law by the atonement of Christ.

In whom we have redemption through his blood. Ephesians 1:7.

Meditate on that for a while and you are bound to recognize the value Christ has placed on your very soul. Which was forfeited to evil and in distress yet in Christ we have been delivered. Now that we have been delivered let us walk in the holiness that is available to us through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit upon our lives.

application

I will pray today for a fresh baptism of His Holy Spirit to empower me to walk worthy of the calling I have received, by His grace.

Ephesians 1:6

Ephesians 1:6

to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One He loves.  

Just as sin entered the world through the one man Adam and consequently affected us all, so also grace has entered the world through the Holy One Jesus, that has the potential to affect us all as well. The love of the Father is so great for His Son that it overflows to lavish us all who are found to be in Christ. So what does it mean to be “in Christ”? In spiritual terms it is a position we are freely given at the moment of our salvation called justification. It is done for us, with nothing we can do to add to or detract from as it is an exclusive work of God. In practical terms it is our responsibility to continually test ourselves to make sure we are indeed “in the faith” as Paul urges us in:

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

So the way to know that we are in Christ is for us to continually open our hearts to allow Christ to be in us.

application

I need to cultivate the Holy Spirit of Christ to abide in me today, beginning with my thoughts, my attitude, my motivations, and then my emotions, as I do this it will work out to control, temper and guide my words and then finally my deeds.