Ephesians 4
===Lord Jesus,
Please take away any thoughts or cares that aren't pleasing to You that I might better see You and better fellowship with You and better worship You. Give me concentration that I may pay attention to all You have for me today. I love You Lord!
Amen===
Here's where Paul really gets down to it. In this chapter he first challenges and then exhorts:
"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bear with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (v. 1-3)
Both of these were not to say that he was better them. Essentially Paul exudes the love of Christ. His sternness cannot be construed as selfish or bossy or anything like that. Paul was simply building His kingdom.
God knows what He wants me to do, and He's already equipped me to do it. The only question is, is it my desire to do His will or is my will still in the way?
"And he gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (v. 11 & 12)
In order to do that work some change has to take place. There has to be a newness about me. There has to be something different about me:
"if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (v. 21-24)
Then, here is more proof that Word is power. In Paul's exhortation he uses scripture. In verse 25 he reminds them of Zechariah 8:16. In verse 26 he brings up Psalm 4:4. Note that he did not go back to things that Jesus said. He went back to the Old Testament. The Old Testament is just as profitable as the New Testament. A lot of times I spend reading the New Testament, quoting the New Testament, but at the same time the Old is just as readable and just as quotable. Paul said it best in his letter to Timothy:
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16)
It seems like it's hard to find times to use scripture to help situations like that, but just look at how Paul did it. Paul only learned from watching how his Lord and Saviour did it. That's essentially how it should be for me. It pretty well starts with knowing the scripture.
"Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11)
===Dear Lord,
-Thank You for always being so good to me. Thank You so much for the blessings You continue to bestow. Thank You for my ability to lift up ear-pleasing praise to You. Thank You for giving me a heart that beats just for You.-
-I just want You to take away any sins form my heart that would keep me from living up to the potential You have for me. Whether it be sins of omission or sins of commission, please just take them all away that I may better serve You.-
-Please help Daphnee as her year comes to a close. Help her to finish strong and have the time of her life getting there. Help her to daily seek You and constantly be mindful of You. Bless her and keep her on her trip to Orlando. Help her to have some fun and make some memories. I thank you so much for bringing her to me!-
-Lord God, help Shaun as he starts a new relationship with Shelly. Keep them focussed on pleasing You with their relationship. Help them to avoid the pitfalls that many young couples fall into. Bless their relationship that if it is Your will they will grow closer and closer and you'll be right there connecting their hearts. Also I lift up Shaun on his job search. You know his needs. I just ask that You bless him in meeting those needs.-
-I lift up my family. Praise be to You because, while we all have our fatal flaws, we are still a family with love still holding together most of our ties. I pray for my sister that she will seek you. I pray for her and my mom that one day they will be able to reconcile themselves. I pray for Jay that he might get off the bottle and remember that it's Your kingdom that he's supposed to be building. I pray also that he's got his future in motion that he's getting his money together and enrolling in school that he might be able to reach a future. Help my dad to be strong as there are some tough trials that come his way a lot.-
-I pray for all those girls at Daphnee's school that got in that fight. Please give them a second chance at making things right. Help them to one day realize that all that time they flexed their hatred they were only hating their sisters. Keep them safe and keep their scarring minimal.-
-I also pray that you console Virginia Tech even still as they mourn the loss of friends, family, peers, faculty, mentors, and lives. Help the nation to see the preciousness of life that they may believe that it is precious and it is to be protected not snuffed out on a whim.-
-Prepare us all for camp: counsellors, other faculty, and campers. Help us all to build Your kingdom and to grow in You-
-Keep Shelly safe as she vacations in England-
-Keep Rachel safe as she vacations also-
-I love You Lord-
Amen===
Please take away any thoughts or cares that aren't pleasing to You that I might better see You and better fellowship with You and better worship You. Give me concentration that I may pay attention to all You have for me today. I love You Lord!
Amen===
Here's where Paul really gets down to it. In this chapter he first challenges and then exhorts:
"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bear with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (v. 1-3)
Both of these were not to say that he was better them. Essentially Paul exudes the love of Christ. His sternness cannot be construed as selfish or bossy or anything like that. Paul was simply building His kingdom.
God knows what He wants me to do, and He's already equipped me to do it. The only question is, is it my desire to do His will or is my will still in the way?
"And he gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (v. 11 & 12)
In order to do that work some change has to take place. There has to be a newness about me. There has to be something different about me:
"if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (v. 21-24)
Then, here is more proof that Word is power. In Paul's exhortation he uses scripture. In verse 25 he reminds them of Zechariah 8:16. In verse 26 he brings up Psalm 4:4. Note that he did not go back to things that Jesus said. He went back to the Old Testament. The Old Testament is just as profitable as the New Testament. A lot of times I spend reading the New Testament, quoting the New Testament, but at the same time the Old is just as readable and just as quotable. Paul said it best in his letter to Timothy:
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16)
It seems like it's hard to find times to use scripture to help situations like that, but just look at how Paul did it. Paul only learned from watching how his Lord and Saviour did it. That's essentially how it should be for me. It pretty well starts with knowing the scripture.
"Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11)
===Dear Lord,
-Thank You for always being so good to me. Thank You so much for the blessings You continue to bestow. Thank You for my ability to lift up ear-pleasing praise to You. Thank You for giving me a heart that beats just for You.-
-I just want You to take away any sins form my heart that would keep me from living up to the potential You have for me. Whether it be sins of omission or sins of commission, please just take them all away that I may better serve You.-
-Please help Daphnee as her year comes to a close. Help her to finish strong and have the time of her life getting there. Help her to daily seek You and constantly be mindful of You. Bless her and keep her on her trip to Orlando. Help her to have some fun and make some memories. I thank you so much for bringing her to me!-
-Lord God, help Shaun as he starts a new relationship with Shelly. Keep them focussed on pleasing You with their relationship. Help them to avoid the pitfalls that many young couples fall into. Bless their relationship that if it is Your will they will grow closer and closer and you'll be right there connecting their hearts. Also I lift up Shaun on his job search. You know his needs. I just ask that You bless him in meeting those needs.-
-I lift up my family. Praise be to You because, while we all have our fatal flaws, we are still a family with love still holding together most of our ties. I pray for my sister that she will seek you. I pray for her and my mom that one day they will be able to reconcile themselves. I pray for Jay that he might get off the bottle and remember that it's Your kingdom that he's supposed to be building. I pray also that he's got his future in motion that he's getting his money together and enrolling in school that he might be able to reach a future. Help my dad to be strong as there are some tough trials that come his way a lot.-
-I pray for all those girls at Daphnee's school that got in that fight. Please give them a second chance at making things right. Help them to one day realize that all that time they flexed their hatred they were only hating their sisters. Keep them safe and keep their scarring minimal.-
-I also pray that you console Virginia Tech even still as they mourn the loss of friends, family, peers, faculty, mentors, and lives. Help the nation to see the preciousness of life that they may believe that it is precious and it is to be protected not snuffed out on a whim.-
-Prepare us all for camp: counsellors, other faculty, and campers. Help us all to build Your kingdom and to grow in You-
-Keep Shelly safe as she vacations in England-
-Keep Rachel safe as she vacations also-
-I love You Lord-
Amen===