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Ephesians 4 

Scripture: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)

Paul’s words in Ephesians 4 remind us that the Christian life is not just about believing, but about living worthy of the calling we have received. Our unity in Christ is grounded in humility, patience, and love. These aren’t easy qualities; they go against our natural instincts to push forward, defend ourselves, or hold grudges. Yet, they reflect the very heart of Christ.

The chapter also reminds us that God has given each believer unique gifts—not for personal recognition, but for building up the body of Christ. When we serve each other with our gifts, the Church grows stronger, more mature, and more rooted in truth.

Paul calls us to put off the “old self” and put on the “new self.” This daily renewal is about aligning our hearts and actions with God’s holiness. Our speech, our work, and even our attitudes are opportunities to reflect Christ. Instead of bitterness or anger, we are called to forgiveness and compassion, just as God forgave us in Christ.

Reflection Questions:

• Where in my life do I need to practice humility, patience, or forgiveness today?
• How am I using my gifts to serve and build up others in Christ?
• Am I living more like the “old self,” or am I allowing God to continually renew me into His likeness?

Prayer:
Lord, help me to live in a way worthy of Your calling. Teach me humility, patience, and love. Show me how to use the gifts You’ve given me to build others up, and help me to put on the new self daily, reflecting Your holiness in all I do. Amen.

Ephesians 1

Paul wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus. Not only did he write this letter to the church at Ephesus, but he discipled their first pastor, Timothy. Paul had a dear relationship with this church as well. He stayed in Ephesus for three years, the longest amount of time that Paul stayed anywhere on his missionary journeys. He is now writing this letter to them during his imprisonment in Rome.

As we read chapter 1 of Ephesians, we see it is dripping with foundational truths of Jesus’ love for you and for me. It is rich in theology and is the cause of much debate in the church today. Some topics we see are eternal security (v. 14), predestination (v. 5,11), and Jesus’ atonement (v. 7). The Bible teaches both predestination and man’s responsibility of free will by putting his/her trust in Christ for salvation. If we simply read verses 11-14 (NLT), we see the tension between God’s adoption of us (before the foundation of the world) and our responsibility to receive the free gift of salvation that he offers us:

“Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”

By reading this text, we see that God both predestined us and gave us the ability to choose him or not. The evidence of our choice is that the Holy Spirit indwells us when we surrender our lives and trust in Chirst. So how do we reconcile these truths? Peter calls believers the “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Peter 1:2). God the Father is omniscient, and He predestined those who would believe based on His knowing who would put their faith in Him. Now you may ask, how do I know if God predestined me? I heard Pastor Chuck Smith answer this question in a sermon saying something of this sort, “repent of your sins and turn to Christ and boom you were predestined!” God does not call us to reconcile every theological tension in the Bible; He calls us to believe and trust in Him.

I wanted to leave you with three ways God displays His love for you in this one chapter.

1. He Chose You (v. 4-5)
2. He Shed His Blood for You (v. 7)
3. He Sealed you With the Holy Spirit (v. 13-14)

Believer, rest in these three foundational truths that God chose you before the foundation of the world, He hung on a cross so you might be saved, and He sealed you with the Holy Spirit which is the guarantee of your inheritance. Rest in His love.

Today’s Reading : Psalms 55

Give ear to my prayer, O God,
    and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
    I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
3 because of the noise of the enemy,
    because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
    and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;
    the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
    and horror overwhelms me.

6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest;
7 yes, I would wander far away;
    I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
    from the raging wind and tempest.”

If we are able to use the psalms as guides, we can see the different evolutions of David from his beginnings to departure. In this current psalms, we are witnessing David in the latter parts of his life.

Throughout David’s entire life, David showed a sense of perseverance. In the beginning of his life, he was the youngest of his father‘s sons. He was given the most difficult and mundane duties, being a shepherd and watching over the flock and being errand runner. 

In his adolescence and young adult life, was a warrior and a musician and found favor in the Kings court. During this same time he was also pursued by the king and made many attempts to kill him. 

In his adult life, he had to flee and run for his life. He also had questionable items in his life where he betrayed and killed some of his close friends. 

In the later periods of his life, he had some peace, but he was usurped by his son and his best friend. 

In the end of his life, he was still king, and he remembered God‘s grace and God‘s mercy.

In this particular psalms, you can see the maturity of David in his writings. He is understanding where he is in his life. The scholars say that David wrote this during his 62nd year of life. At this point in time, David is in exile from his kingdom. Unlike the previous songs, there is a sense of patience and expectation of God‘s intervention. David is remembering his friends love and his friends betrayal. David is able to be more at peace during this period of time then in previous years. David is able to wait and see the glory of God in all situations.

But I call to God and the Lord will save me.

17 Evening and morning and at noon

    I utter my complaint and moan,

    and he hears my voice.

18 He redeems my soul in safety

    from the battle that I wage,

    for many are arrayed against me.

19 God will give ear and humble them,

    he who is enthroned from of old, Selah

because they do not change

    and do not fear God.

Many times we have different situations and different scenarios throughout our lives. Sometimes there is a recurring theme that happens to these. When we are first introduced to these situations, we are anxious and troubled. When we see these situations or scenarios later on, we can have a better understanding of it, but we still have some anxiety. But when we allow God to use us in each of these situations, we are able to see the fullness of the situation. We can wait and see what God has planned for us. We are able to have a piece that transcends all understanding.

What are the things that we are experiencing this week that we’ve seen before? What are the things that we are seeing for the uncountable time, what are the ways that we can show others? God’s grace in a miss of the situation?

Be blessed.

Psalm 52

Doeg the Edomite was down-right the opposite of what we know as a good person.  He was essentially an antagonist.  Has anyone ever run into one of those in your life??  The answer is probably yes, but have any of us ever run into one like Doeg?  That may be a different answer.  Doeg was extremely proud of doing wrong.  It wasn’t just mere sinning, he was boastful about it.  He highly indulged in the telling of lies way more than the truth.

Then there is the complete opposite of Doeg, and that is David.  He believes in truth over lies all day long.  He reminds us that God will always expose the lies and remove those that act in such a deceitful manner.  God always sees the truth and will bring justice.  David knows that the righteous will always see God’s justice and learn the lesson to be given.  So many times lies can lead to more money, power, and wealth, but only true trust in God is what is most real and right.

Doeg was the epitome of a bad man.  He was a true example of the bad guy in the movies who wanted no part of being good or righteous.  God always sees his type of injustice, but remember God will respond in His time.  Evil people may seem powerful for a while, but it won’t last.  Trust in God and stay rooted in His love.  Remain faithful even when evil seems to be winning.

Psalm 50 offers a clear warning against relying on outward religious actions or self-righteousness instead of genuine relationship with God. God speaks through the psalmist to confront His people—not for lack of sacrifice, but because their worship had become empty ritual. He reminds them that He doesn’t need their offerings; what He desires is a heart of gratitude and obedience.

This message speaks directly to Christians today who may rely on good works or a moral checklist to feel spiritually secure. While good deeds matter, Psalm 50 reminds us that they are meaningless if disconnected from authentic faith. God values thankfulness, humility, and a surrendered heart over religious performance.

The psalm also rebukes those who claim to follow God while being judgmental and hypocritical. God condemns those who speak His Word but live in contradiction—committing sin while condemning others. This reflects a modern temptation: Christians who speak truth but do not live it with grace and integrity, thus damaging their witness.

In verse 23, God clarifies what honors Him: “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” True worship is not about perfection or performance—it’s about a posture of thankfulness and trust.

Psalm 50 reminds believers that God sees beyond outward actions. He looks at the heart. Good works and moral behavior must flow from love for God, not pride or obligation. And when it comes to others, we are called to witness with humility, not condemnation. Our lives should reflect the grace we’ve received—not just in word, but in deed and attitude.

Written with the assistance of ChatGPT

Galatians 4

The book of Galatians is a letter. When we keep that in mind, we should not be stumbled by the chapters and verses that were placed into this letter. It is a fluid writing and when we go from chapter 3 to chapter 4 and then on to chapter 5, Paul continues speaking about a main point and that is Grace v. the Law.
In chapter 3 Paul is sure to point out that the Law brings a curse on individuals and that we are justified by faith and not by the law. He also states that the Spirit of God came to men not by the law, but by faith. Paul is combatting an issue he has seen crop up in the Galatian church and that is that they are falling back into their old ways.

In chapter 4 Paul makes two declarative statements about the believer in Jesus Christ. First, he states, “we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free” (verse 31). He also states that we are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (verse 7). The only reason one could be called this is by faith, not by following the law because we can never be perfect. James, in his letter, mentions that if we break one part of the law, we are guilty of breaking the whole thing. The reason the Galatians are children of God is because they were given grace on account of their faith.

Paul’s fear is that the Galatians are “turning again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire to be in bondage?” (verse 9). The Galatians had been known by God, experienced His grace and were in danger of referring back to their old ways. I am not one to point fingers at them because how often do we fall back into trusting in our traditions? How often do we forget that our Salvation hangs on what Jesus did on the cross? How often do we want to say that Jesus + something = salvation? Paul could very well be writing the same thing to our church here in the United States.

So, what is the takeaway? The most important thing, when it comes to our Christian doctrine, is that our salvation is by grace alone in faith alone. Jesus + nothing = everything. We don’t add good deeds to our salvation. We don’t add baptism to our salvation. We don’t add confession or penance to our salvation. We stick to Ephesians 2:8-9, “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.”

Now I will add that good works play a role in the believer’s life by means of sanctification, but that is a completely different doctrine. The believer should be baptized and should confess and repent of their sins individually or with another believer. But we must remember that our salvation is by our turning from sin and submission to Jesus.