How to Live Your New Life

Verses:  Ephesians 4: 25-5:2

My thoughts about the verses:

It is easy to say take on a new life.  Yet, do we really know how to live this new life we have been given?  Do we know how to treat others as true heirs of Realm of God?  We have to first understand that we have to completely change our old ways of thinking.  It is our thoughts that often lead to our deeds.  Therefor changing the way you think and putting on the new life in those thoughts will help your life a true Christian Life.

See we cannot do the things that we use to do.  We have to show others through our deeds that we have a life that is based on the saving grace of Jesus.  The first thing that we have to do is respect others.  Even though they may not respect us we have to treat them with kindness and allow the Spirit of God to change their lives.  We cannot hold anger towards others because as new beings in Christ we come to see that it is not the person that we dislike but their actions.

This is a hard thing to swallow.  We want to blame people for the anger we have.  Yet, we have to understand that we as Christians have to stop being angry and start being compassionate.  We have to accept that those that are not Christians will never live up to the expectations that we have established.  In fact, Christians themselves will never live up to all the expectations that we have placed on their life.

We want to think that the person that steals deserves punishment.  We want to hurt people that have talked ill against us.  Yet, we need to understand that we as Christians need to turn the other cheek.  Not that we accept what they are doing to us.  Rather we accept that God lives within us and will help us overcome what is happening. 

We have to learn forgiveness.  Forgiving people is often a very hard thing to do.  We are mad at people for what they have done to us in the past.  We hold resentment toward those that have maliciously attacked us.  Yet, God tells us that we need to forgive these things just as God has forgiven us.

We are a new spirit.  We are one with all Christians in the world.  Jesus died for all so that we may have the gift of everlasting life.  How can we hold onto our bitterness and anger when God is so willing to forgive us? 

Yet, we need to take it one step further we need to forget the harms that has been done to us.  This is one of the hardest things as humans have to do.  It is easier to say I have forgiven you for what you have done to me.  Yet, when it comes to forgetting what has happened we often find that this seems merely impossible.  There is this deep side that even though we have forgiven someone we no longer trust them.  We build up a defense wall because we do not want to be hurt again.

I know that I have done this in my own life.  I have forgiven past deeds.  Yet, if you hurt me once I am prepared for you to do it again.  I have a hard time of forgetting all the bad things that people have done in my life.  I know deep down inside that there are certain people that I distrust because of the hurt they have caused me.  Yet, is the way that I need to live.

We need to remember that God does not only forgive us.  God forgets what we do and will do.  The blood of the perfect lamb covers our sins.  The next time someone does something that hurts you forgive them.  Then try will all of your heart to forget what has happened.  We are not perfect and we will struggle with this.  Yet, we need to remember that we who are Christians are one body united in loving God. 

God has forgiven our trespasses and forgotten our transgressions.  We as the children of God need to do the same thing.  No we may ever achieve this fully but, with all of our heart, mind and spirit we must try to forget so that we can live a happier life with Jesus our Beloved Savior.

Prayer:

We praise you O Holy God for your love.  We praise you for covering our sins with the blood of the Perfect Lamb.  Help us Dear God forgive those that have done us wrong.  We ask that you move within us helping us to forget the past deeds of others so that we may live free in you.  In the name of the Lamb of God we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted the love of God?  Are you living a life that pleases God?  Are you able to forgive those that have hurt you?  Is it time to forget those things that have caused you harm so that you can live with peace of mind and spirit?

Taking on the New Spirit of Life

Verses:  Ephesians 4: 17-24

My thoughts about the verses:

How many of us want to say we are Christians yet live our old life?  We go to church on Sunday and we act like that we are the perfect Christian.  Yet, for the next 6 weeks we live outside the lines of a Christian.  In fact, the only people that know of our proclamation of Christianity are those that attend Church with us those days that we go.

Yet, the question comes is this truly the life that God wants Christians to live?  Are we not supposed to live our life the same every day of the week.  Putting on the new Spirit of God and walking into the world a new creation.  Then when people see us they know something is different in us.  They are willing to accept that God has changed our life.  This happens not because we say it but because we are living it.

Now you might be thinking does this mean I can’t have fun anymore?  The people that I know that are having the most fun out of life are Christians.  They have an inner peace and can enjoy life to its fullest.  Have you ever seen a Christian just walking around smiling when the world around them is falling apart?  This happens because they are not afraid of what happens here on Earth.  They are set and content that they will have a place of eternal life when they leave this life.

Christians need to take on the New Spirit and walk with their heads high.  God wants us to be a beacon of light to others.  We should be living our life in a way that others want to come to know our Risen Savor.  When you take on the New You Jesus lives within you and guides you through life in such a way as to allow others a chance to see Jesus in you.  Sometimes the greatest gift that we can give someone is a smile or an inspiration thought.

We need to put away our Old lives.  If we try to cling onto the old we are constantly living an internal battle.  Our Christian soul filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit is fighting with the old self.  We cannot live in contentment when we are fighting ourselves inside.  People will actually see this and will shun away from the thought of asking Jesus in their life.  How many of us would have come to know Christ as our Savior if the people we saw as Christians were not happy in their life? 

In this world of chaos there is hope.  We can be the hope for someone today.  By living as Jesus would desire us to live we are allowing God to work through us.  We are learning to understand that God isn’t against us.  Yet, when we are struggling with the old self it is our own conscience that is in battle.  Put down the Old self and walk in the New Spirit of God.

Prayer:

Holy God we thank you for your enduring love.  We thank you for giving us hope.  We thank you for giving us peace and salvation.  Help us today put away the old self and live with the New Spirit of our life.  In the name of the Resurrected Christ we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?  Are you living within the New Spirit of life?  Are you still living in the old self?  How can you change your life so others can see Jesus everyday of your life?

One Body Through Christ

Verses:  Ephesians 4: 1-16

My thoughts about the verses:

We have to remember that Jesus is the unification of the Church.  We are united as one body through the love of the Messiah.  Each part of the body of Church is led to do certain things to edify the Creator of the Church.

We look at others that claim to be Christian and try to decide if their life shows Christ.  We want to judge others because their way of doing things is much different that the way we serve God.  We come to the conclusion that they are not serving God in the right way.

Paul makes it very clear that we are all given gifts that we need to use.  Certain people are called to go into pastoral membership.  Others are called into laity ministry.  No group is better than the other.  We have to remember that whatever God calls you to do you must do with all of your heart.  When you do what you are called to do you bring glory to God?

We need to work together instead against each other.  The body of Christ can only grow stronger and reach more of the world if it is united.  People are often pushed away from Go because they see churches that have internal fighting.  Others run away from God because of the different teachings that denominations teach.

We have to be united in the mystery of Jesus.  We have to share love above all things.  We need to tell people the good news.  We might not agree on other issues yet, we must believe in the love of the Most High.

If you feel that you are not able to get along with other Christians you need to evaluate your life.  Is there something that you hold higher than the Church?  Are you living the ministry is calling you to do.  Are you living a non-Christian life?  We have to evaluate our hearts and ask God what you are called to do.

We need to break the walls between denominations.  God did not cause this split it was humankind that decided that there were differences between one group and another.  God had created one Church.  One theology, one hope yet we have to understand that it is up to us to try our best to unite people that have different theologies. 

We are the body.  We are Jesus to the world.  Stand united so that we are able to bring more people to the beloved Savior.  Reach outside the walls unite with other groups.  Put you differences aside and join in the calling of sharing the story of Christ life, death and resurrection.

Prayer:

O Holy God we praise you.  We thank you God for giving us the hope of eternal life.  Help us reach out to people that are different to us.  Help us not judge.  Help us accept the ministry calling that you have placed in our life.  In the name of the Almighty God we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted Christ in your life?  Have you accepted the ministry that God has placed on your heart?  Have you tried to reach out to people that are different from you to reunite the Church body under the Love and peace of Jesus.

Go to God in Prayer for the Unity of Church Through Christ Jesus

Verses:  Ephesians 3: 14-21

My thoughts about the verses:

God is to be praised for the gift of love.  God has created and united the Church forever through the blood of Christ Jesus.  It is through this blood that we are able to become saved.  Those that are saved through the love of God are united forever.  Therefor in all unity we need to praise the God on high.

We need to praise God for the strength that each and every one of has been given by God.   God’s spirit within each of us is strengthened on a daily basis.  As the individual’s spirit is strengthened the Church body is strengthened.  As the Church body is strengthened we are able to spread the love to others.  This in turn brings glory to God and continues the cycle of strength and growth.  In this we need to praise the one on High.

We need to ask Jesus to come into our lives.  We only need faith in the one who died for us.  This faith helps us accept the love which Jesus bestows on us.  It is through faith and love that we grow closer to God.  Each time we reaffirm our faith in love for God our foundation grows stronger.  We need to praise God for giving us the gift freely of salvation.  God does not ask anything of us other than to have faith in Jesus.  Therefor lift up your voices in praise to the God that loves us unconditionally and accepts us for who we are.

Thank God for all of the strength that has been given to us.  Praise God for dwelling within us.  Thank God for the knowledge that is given to us to understand the mystery of eternal life.  Praise God for love and peace.  Praise be to God for all that has happened and all that will come.  

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for your abundant love.  We praise you for your peace.  We thank you for the gift of eternal life.  Help us to share the good news of salvation to the world.  Help us accept your love.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you praised God for all that has been done in your life?  Are you willing to accept the gift of love and peace God has for you?  Are you willing to walk in the wisdom that comes from knowing the mystery of salvation?  Who can you share the Good News to this very day?

The Mystery of God Is Now Revealed

Verses:  Ephesians 3:1-13

My thoughts about the verses:

We have to understand that there was a separation between the Jews and Gentiles that went back as far as the day of Abraham.  At that time God called Abram out into the desert to start a new nation.  Yet, what we often miss is that Abram wasn’t just the father of one Nation but many.  It was in this that we begin to see the mystery unfold.

The mystery was not for one nation but for many nations.  Not for one people but for all people.  The mystery is that God loves us all equally.  The Messiah promised want for one group but for all that would accept.

Paul is a strange person to have shared the story to the gentiles.  We have to look at his story.  Paul was a leader of the Jewish community.  He was a persecutor of those that worshipped Jesus.   All of a sudden a light blinds him and God speaks to him.  He through this miracle comes to accept Jesus as his savior.  Yet, he feels called to go to the gentiles to lead them to Christ’s love.

Think of this a moment Paul reunites the Jews with the Gentiles.  Abram led the new nation into the promise land.  Paul then leads the Gentiles into the promise land.   The same mystery was there for both Abram and Paul.  The promise of God’s enduring love.  The mystery was for both Jew and Gentile.  The promise of God’s enduring love.

We have to accept that no matter where we are in our life God is there.  No matter our struggles God is there to help us.  No matter our fears God is there to guide us.  God will always be there in our life showing us love and compassion.  We only have to accept God’s gift of salvation to receive it.

This is the mystery that was revealed to Paul.  Paul was sharing the good news of salvation with the world that needed redemption.  Paul was sharing the gift of love and peace.  The mystery has been revealed to us and we have the same promise that God gave Paul.  We all are free to accept the grace.

We are part of the many nations that Abram fathered.  We are all one in the same.  We are a people that are united in love and faith.  We only have to trust in the living God to find the mystery revealed to us.  We are the next to share God’s mystery if only we will listen to God and follow. 

We need to share God with the world just like Paul.  We need to unite the people of the world under the mystery of reconciliation.  We are the chosen people who were in the wilderness waiting for an answer.  We are called now to spread the word and to live the mystery of love and peace.

Prayer:

We thank you God for your love and grace.  We praise you for revealing your mystery through Christ Jesus.  Help us be the people that you need each and every day.  Help us share your love with others.  Let us praise God and prepare for the mission God has for us.  In the name of Jesus Christ we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted the mystery God has for you?  Have you shared the mystery to others?  Do you need to help people feel God’s love and peace?  What can you do to share the mystery of God’s love?

Jesus is the Cornerstone of the Church

Verses:  Ephesians 2:11-22

My thoughts about the verses:

We have to think back to this moment and time and one of the great debates of Christianity.  Did a person have to be circumcised to be a Christian?  Many felt that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews.  That felt the gentiles who came to believe Jesus had to take on the outward sign of circumcision like the Jewish followers.  Yet, others believed that this was not the case.

Paul addresses this by placing Jesus as the cornerstone of the Church.  See Jesus had come and fulfilled all of the prophets of old.  Jesus was a new beginning not just for the Jewish followers but also for the gentile followers.  There was no true division between them because Jesus was their salvation.

Jesus had come into the world a broke down any walls that had separated the Jew from the gentile.  No longer did the covenant of the past need to be recognized.  There was no reason to continue circumcision because the Holy Spirit lived within those that had accepted Christ.  The outward signs were not needed because the heart and soul now had the Living Spirit within them.

How many times through history do we have to question who is a Christian?  How many times do we have to build wall to separate this group from this group?  Jesus did not come so that we would build walls between ourselves and other Christians.  Jesus came to break down the very foundation of sin so that we could be made whole.  Yet, humankind does not accept this at face value.

We have established rules that we believe we must follow.  We have taken the simple gift of salvation and turned into a world of legalism.  Do what we think you should do and then you are right in the eyes of God?  Live outside the rules and you are a nonbeliever even a heretic.  We have through our own ignorance built up walls that Jesus tore down upon his death and resurrection.

There was only one cornerstone.  That cornerstone was Jesus.  The church didn’t need multiple cornerstones because there was only one Church to be built.  One that stood in unity and opened its arms just like Jesus did on the cross.  Yet, we have broken away so many times that we have attempted to take a piece of the cornerstone to our new religious homes.

We have split over things that have no basis.  We have split over who we think can be Christian.  We have split so many times that it is hard to see the Church as ever being one united front.  Yet, that is what Paul wanted us to see.  We did not need to split to get what we thought was the best Church.  Instead, we need to unite so that we will become the best church possible.

Prayer:

We praise you God for your love.  Jesus we thank you for giving your life so we may be whole.  Help us to break down the walls between us and other Christians.  Help us to see that the Church will be stronger when it is united.  In the name of the Cornerstone of Life we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted Christ in your life?  Are you willing to accept that there is no other requirement to be saved?  Are you ready to break down the walls that have split the Church and Christians from each other?

Website up and running

If you are looking for a way to find more information about church traditions, People who Shaped Christianity or Other Ancient Manuscripts.  If you are looking for a certain Book, chapter and verse that has had a devotion printed.  You can find it on:

http://godlovesallpeople.wix.com/godlovesallpeople

We are Saved by Grace Not by Works

Verses:  Ephesians 2:1-10

My thoughts about the verses:

Two simple words changed history Jesus Saves.  Yet, we have a hard time believing that these words are enough.  We think I have to do this or that.  We feel that we must earn our salvation.

Yet, Jesus has already done all that is needed for us to be free.  We do not have to do anything except Jesus as our Savior.  Yet, we hear these word and question how this simple task is enough to get rid of what all we have done wrong.  We feel that there must be more.  We must do something to show Jesus our love.

Yet, Jesus says simply come to me.  Accept me and you will have salvation.  Give me your heart and I will give you the love that will fill it.  Give me your soul and you shall find rest.

We hear this but we are a very stubborn people.  We believe that these are only words.  That God wants to see action.  God wants us to work to receive the gift of salvation.  We cannot accept that we can have freedom from our transgressions by handing them over to God.

It is through our stubbornness that we endure years of pain and separation from our God.  Yet, Jesus continues to offer us salvation.  We who finally accept come to realize we did not need anything else.  Our hearts is filled with love.  Our souls are redeemed.

Those that accept God do not have to do anything to earn their salvation.  Yet, there is something that we should do once we have given our lives over to God.  We are to spread the good news to all that will listen.  We need to understand that this doesn’t make us more worthy of God’s grace.  We are just showing God our love. 

Our spreading of good news is a way of sharing our salvation to others.  God is our grace and through us others will come to accept God.  Yet, it is not our words that lead them to God.  Instead it is God working through us.  God can reach the world without us.  Yet, God uses us as vessels to spread the good news.  Glory is to God who saves those that will accept. 

Prayer:

We praise you God for your love.  We worship you for your gift of salvation.  We thank you for giving your life so that we will be made whole.  Help us accept your gift of salvation.  Help us share your love with others.  Use us as a vessel to reach out to those that need salvation, hope and love.  In the name of the Risen Messiah we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted Jesus in your life?  Have you accepted that it is by faith that you are set free from the wrongs that you have committed?  Are you willing to share the story of God’s salvation not for your gain but for the gain OF God?

God placed Jesus over the Church

Verses:  Ephesians 1:15-23

My thoughts about the verses:

Many of us assume that Jesus was the creator of the Church.  This s true yet, the authority came from the Creator.  See what we have to understand is that Jesus who was the Messiah come to give hope to a world that was dying.  He came to give relief to those in pain.  He came to save those that were lost.

All of this was done because the God wanted to reestablish the connection between the created and the Creator.  Jesus did not die to only take away sin.  Jesus died so that we may come closer to God.  Jesus became the missing piece of our life.  The piece that had denied God and walked away from the one that loved us first.

We have to understand that Jesus is the ruler of everything that we see.  The entire creation should bow down to the Beloved Son.  Yet, many of us walk away from God not listening to the loving voice of our Savior.  We go out in the world trying to do it on our own without leaning on the power of our Creator.

The church over time has also slipped from its responsibilities.  We are to reach out into the world.  We are to open our arms and hearts to allow people to come in.  Yet, so much of the Church has established rules that separate people from God instead of uniting them.  It is up to the Church to turn back to God.  The Church must work for God instead of against God.

There are many things that God wants to give the Church.  Yet, it is up to the Church to accept it.  We are able to receive the gift of knowledge and discernment.   We need to understand as we walk closer to God that we will receive the inheritance that God desires for the Church.  God wants to give glorious grace and hope to the world.

We as members of the Church have to accept our role in the relationship between the Church and God.  We have to accept that we are the body of the Church and in so much we have to strive to reach out to the lost and hurting.  We must ask God to guide us to where we need to go to reach those that are lost.  We have to be willing to work with the other members of the Church Body to bring salvation to the world.

The only way that the Church will ever accomplish its goal is to work together.  We have to stop fighting between denominations.  We have to stop fighting within the local Church.  We have to unite so that the world will see a beacon of light.  As long as we are fighting each other we are pushing people away from the very inheritance that we have received. 

The Church must decide if it is ready to accept God’s gift of grace.  If so then we need to reach out beyond our walls.  We need to reach out into the community and teach people about God’s saving grace.  We have to reach across denominations and heal broken bonds.  We have to reach across the aisles of our own faith families and heal wounds.  We have to realize that God has made Jesus the head of the Church.  Yet, we who are the Church are the eyes, legs, hands and heart of the body.  We must start the healing process within so that we may bring healing to those in the world.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for all that you have done for us.  We offer up praise to you for you are worthy of honor.  Help us God accept the gifts that you offer.  Help us become the people that you want us to be.  In the name of the Holy Messiah we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you willing to reach those that are alienated from the Church?  Are you willing to break down the barriers that have kept denominations away from the same table?  Are you ready to receive the gifts of God?