Ephesians 2:19-22

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Encouraging Words

What is the holy temple in the Lord? Is it a building or a tabernacle built by human hands? It is not. The holy temple is the Church of Christ that is built from the people of His adopted family. Jesus is the cornerstone of this holy structure. Upon this cornerstone, the foundation was built by the apostles and prophets who new Jesus personally and learned directly from His teachings. Upon this foundation, the church is built by the lives of the saints that have gone before us and continues to be built by each new believer in Christ. We are not strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens in the building of this holy structure, the Church of Christ. the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Glory be to God.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Encouraging Words

Our salvation from death has been given to us by God. There is nothing that we can do. to earn it, but there are many good works that we can do out of our gratefulness for His love and mercy. It works this way because we can only boast in Jesus and His works and not in ourselves. Glory be to God!

Ephesians 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Encouraging Words

We are blessed…by God! He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places through Jesus Christ. He knew before the beginning of time that we would be His and that through His Son we would be holy and without blame before Him in His love. In this love we are adopted as sons and daughters of God by the work of Jesus. Glory be to God!

Galatians 6:14

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Personal Challenged

It is very easy to slip into the mode of boasting about what we have done and leaving God out of the conversation. This often happens in our lives outside of the church, which is still boasting in ourselves and not about God. We should always give God the praise for our accomplishments. But when we do this in the church, boast about what we have done, then we are thumbing our noses as God. I have started a new ministry at my church. I am the lead singer in our choir. I set up a video ministry for those who can’t be there. I, I, I, is where we make the mistake. It is God who has done these things and He was merciful enough to use me in this process. Something to think about in this age of personal expression and glorification. To God be the glory, not me!

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Encouraging Words

God cares about us. He promises in another verse that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and that He will provide us a way to escape the temptation. Here, He promises that if we are doing His good work, striving to Glorify Him, and that if we do not grow weary doing that work, then in due season, we will reap the fruit of our labor, a labor of love for our God. Glory be to God!

Galatians 6:1-5

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

Personal Challenge

If we practice our Christianity in a church that has formal traditions and rubrics, it is easy to get caught up in the concept that the more that we do these things, the better a Christian we are. While it is important to participate in the activities of our church, it is also important how we the live out our relationships with others, both inside and outside of the church. Do we strive to restore a brother or sister who has been overtaken in a trespass in a spirit of gentleness? Do we bear one another’s burdens without grumbling and complaining? Do we truly consider ourselves as nothing in the eyes of God and others and humble ourselves? Do we examine our own work to determine our motives in order to keep them pure? This is living the godly, righteous Christian life. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Galatians 5:24-26

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Personal Challenge

It is possible to be very active in our church or parish of choice, following all the traditions, speaking the right language, and appearing to be a devout follower of Christ, and yet not be living in the Spirit. If we are doing all these things on our own power and yet living conceited lives in what we are “doing”, provoking one another for our own preferences, and envying one another, then we have not crucified the flesh of our passions and desires. We are not living and walking in the Spirit. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Personal Challenge

A question that we must ask ourselves as we go through our journey of life is, “Am I seeing this promised fruit of the spirit evidenced in my life?” If the answer is anywhere close to, “No”. then we need to do some real soul searching. Either we have been quenching the spirit or we never really gave our lives over to Him. If Christ is living and growing within us, then we will see these fruit: love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control happening in our lives. This is a promise from our Lord that we will be given this fruit when we receive Him and let His Spirit lead us on our journey. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Galatians 5:16

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Personal Challenge

When the scriptures talk about us being crucified with Christ, they are not talking about us being physically hung on a cross. They are talking about putting our fleshly desires and passions to death on His cross so that we can be free to walk in the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is a daily, even moment by moment, action of submitting our will, our desires, our passions, to Him so that He can replace them with godly and righteous thoughts and actions. Lord Jesus Christ son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!