In Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul gives thanks for the Ephesian church and prays that they may be made conscious of the hope to which God has called them. Hope is a central theme in Paul’s letters, and it informs much of the theology of the New...
As a twenty-something, the pressure to develop your own identity, to stand out of the crowd, seems to keep growing. The entire concept behind Facebook hinges on how you want to be perceived by others. You choose your profile picture, update your status, control what...
1 I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! 2 When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. 3 I think of God, and I...
Paul praises God for the faithfulness that marked Christ followers in the city of Ephesus. He prays that the church will gain deep insight into the Lord’s powerful working and rich gifts in Christ....
3 A poor person who oppresses the poor is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops. 4 To reject the law is to praise the wicked; to obey the law is to fight them. 5 Evil people don’t understand justice, but those who follow the Lord understand completely. 6 Better...
Mentoring- it can seem almost too simple. You may wonder if it can make an impact at all. This letter from one child's teacher to his mentor tells a different story. Dear John, Thank you so much for your dedication to Michael each week. I know that it must at...
1 Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. 2 No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 3 “Stop acting...
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the...
Band-Aids are magical, at least to my children they were. When my kids were little, any booboo from a fall could be cured with a band-aid. To them, the application of a band-aid cured their ailment and allowed them to move on. In many ways...
1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. 2 You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. 3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of...
The “Me” series was a lot to process, bringing much conviction of my sinful bent to love myself more than God. But in the midst of all that conviction, Bill’s message on “Vanity: I Love/Hate My Body” brought an unexpected word of comfort to this...
44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And...
“With each swing of the hammer, you are serving a bigger purpose.” I heard these words from Kristen, an adult woman who moved into a Habitat for Humanity home when she was seven years old. She was encouraging the 100+ volunteers who were in the...
1 Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! 2 For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. 3 He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet. 4 He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance, the...
God loved you, chose you, created you, adopted you, purchased you, redeemed you, forgave you, and sealed you. You are His. There is nothing you did to earn these spiritual blessings. They are solely rooted in His character, desire, and good pleasure. ...
“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” CS Lewis, Mere Christianity CS Lewis's definition of humility keeps coming back to my mind as I think through and process what we learned in the "Me" series. In some ways, it goes...
1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. 2 We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God...
15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus...
1 Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. 2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” 3 The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! 4 Troubles multiply for...
When Dan and Amy Johnson married and started attending Grace Church about five years ago, they knew that they wanted to become members and get connected. At that time, however, they had no idea the impact that community would have on their marriage and their...
I never realized how much I have in common with a proud, hard to love hunter in Greek mythology until walking through our previous series. I never would have put Narcissus and myself in the same sentence, but now I frequently do. Just like him, I...
24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to...
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4...
One of the great questions of the Bible is how God will bring all things back under His authority and direction without destroying everyone and everything. In the book of Ephesians, Paul will bring some light to this great question in the writing of his...
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to...