Ephesians 1-2
Bible Passage: Ephesians 1-2
Do we live with an attitude of gratitude?
Many times we might be too caught up with worldy affairs that we feel exhausted or upset with God when things don’t go our way. (Prov 23:4)
Even though majority of us grew up in church or have been attending church services for some time, our faith may waver and wane when we lose sight of God.
Sometimes our faith can be so strong, but other times we might even doubt the Lord’s existence.
Have you felt this way before? It might seem ridiculous since we are in the true church, but to ebb and flow like waves is a common occurrence.
In the situation of ebb we must be thankful to the Lord for increasing our faith. In recession it is a test of our faith, whether we could remain steadfast on the right path.
Ephesians was an epistle written by Paul when he was a prisoner in Rome.
Take some time to put yourself in Paul’s shoes… stuck in the cold and unfeeling dungeon with barred doors.. each wall carefully designed to hold him back from freedom..rats for company.
Yet despite such conditions his burning passion and fervor for God did not diminish one bit; through his epistle he encouraged the Ephesians to remain strong in their faith.
Indeed he was a rejoicing captive.
There will be times when our faith will waver, not because something bad happened, but simply because we are swept away by the current trends of the world, overwhelmed with our careers and a desire to finish first in the rat race. (Mark 4:19, Rom 12:2)
God’s place in our hearts gradually dwindle, giving way to desires of the flesh.
Paul was a free man despite being imprisoned. On the other hand, while we are not physically imprisoned, are we prisoners of a materialistic society? (Matt 6:24)
Could we break free from the chains of the world and devote our lives to our Lord?
May the Lord strengthen our faith and guide us to always put Him first in everything.
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PS
Eph 1:17-19 is the verses which lift me out of my inferiority complex.
The Holy Spirit abides in my heart and prays for me to assure me that Lord Jesus calls me to give me eternal life.
The Holy Spirit abides in me, i m not poor anymore. God who created the world is in me! He has added value on me. Diamonds or branded staff can boast confidence. Then the riches of His glory definitely adds tremendous value beyond comparison. Yes, i m the little beggar whom Lord Jesus picks up from the street, i m now also a child of God!
The hope in eternal life is built on the death, burial and resecurrection with Lord Jesus. It is God who builds, i m the recipent of His mercy and power.
Eph 2:8-9 helps me grounded:
For by grace i have been saved through faith.
God builds me to do the good works which He prepares for me to do.
Eph 1:23 helps me see others better than myself:
The Church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
（教会是他的身体，是那充满万有者所充满的。）
All in all. In u, in me, in us.
biblereadingcompanion
I just read Ephesians 1-2 once again and I am overcomed with emotions. It was as though I was reading the letter for the very first time.
I mean… I must have read through this letter hundreds of times but it was somehow different today.
Why?
I was talking to a fellow Bible blog writer before Fri evening service and I was saying that although the subtheme for this month was “It’s About the Church” – not many of the Bible writers focused on this in our impressions.
So I thought that perhaps this time when I read Ephesians (since we are still on the subtheme of Church), I would think about how the words of Paul relate to the Church.
The Church…
* is faithful in Christ Jesus
* has God as our Heavenly Father
* is blessed with every spiritual blessing
* is chosen before the foundation of the world
* is holy and blameless
* is predestined to be adopted as His son
* in God’s good pleasure
* is accepted by Jesus
….
Whew! And I am only on the 1st 6 verses of chapter 1. And as I noted down what the Church is as I read through the whole passage… I gave up counting what the Church is all about. In fact… it got a little overwhelming that I broke down ….
I admit this…. I tend to take the Church for granted.
I am not sure that is the way to phrase it or whether you understand how I felt. I mean… when I started adding up all the things the Church is to God … it is so wonderfully uncomprehensible that God would do such a thing for us… for me…
And that God Himself would want us to be His body and live in us….
Paul understood this completely and that is why in his letter to the Ephesians, he could express this so clearly to the members. But I wonder how many of the Ephesians were like me… hearing the words but missing the full impact of what it means.
So my challenge to myself and all of us is this…. as we read Ephesians, and other subsequent books in our Bible reading this year… let us take our time to reflect and think about the messages in line with the subthemes and main theme.
Maybe we discover more of the Word of God.