6/23 Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes — Jews first and also Gentiles.
POWER
The Gospel is the power of God to change an evil world to a place that is in tune with the Lord. With it we destroy the power of evil. Under God’s control we become the kind of person that we were created to be and participate in changing the world. To change the world we must first change our self.
6/22 Romans 1:12-15
I’m eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other. I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see good results, just as I have done among other Gentiles. For I have a great sense of obligation to people in our culture and to people in other cultures, to the educated and uneducated alike. So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach God’s Good News.
TELL
We love Jesus and therefore we spend time with Him. The more time we spend with Jesus the greater the need we have to tell others about Him. He is and answer of how to deal with life’s obstacles. He is the way we change the way we are to what we want to be. Jesus is our future. Go and tell everyone you meet that Jesus is Lord and He loves you.
6/21 Romans 1:10-11
One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can share a spiritual blessing with you that will help you grow strong in the Lord.
FRIENDSHIP
We need each other. Together we can worship the Lord and encourage each other in doing good. Together we can study the Word of God. Together we can serve. Alone we often fall by the wayside discouraged by the world and disappointed by our actions. Together we can defeat the enemy, rebuild our strength and return to the work. We are not as easily defeated in community as we are by ourselves. Thank you Lord for friendships and good friends.
6/20 Romans 1:8-9
Let me say first of all that your faith in God is becoming known throughout the world. How I thank God through Jesus Christ for each one of you. God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by telling others the Good News about his Son.
SERVE
When we are obedient to the Lord we will serve Him. We praise His name, His kingdom and His will for the Lord is worthy of all praise, honor and glory. What a wonderful Lord we have. Lord help us to be faithful to serve you.
6/19 Romans 1:6-7
You are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ, dear friends in Rome. God loves you dearly, and he has called you to be his very own people. May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
CALLED
Jesus would that none be lost. He called you and me and calls each one of us. The difference is that we listened and answered His call. Therefore we are members of His family and have fellowship with God. He gives us His grace and peace and we can live with confidence that we have it and receive it.
6/18 Romans 1:4-5
And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
OBEY
Obey God. This is a critical missing element in too many Christians walk. Do the next right thing-obey. It is simple-do what God says but obfuscated and overlooked by too many everyday Christians. People look for a sign but God says “do this.”
6/01 Ephesians 6:1-2
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise.
RESPONSIBILITY
When we follow Christ we accept the responsibility to live like Jesus. Jesus always followed the will of His Father. We are called to obey our parents. This is an important responsibility in our life that we cannot take lightly.
6/02 Ephesians 6:3
And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, “you will live a long life, full of blessing.”
PROMISE
This is a promise from the Lord to us. Live long and prosper. Simple, direct, and complete without qualifiers that is from the Lord and deals with our life here on Earth. Not pie in the sky bye and bye but right now.
6/03 Ephesians 6:4
And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.
LOVE
Love endures. Love cares. Love is gentle. Be kind and gentle with your children. Bring them up in the Lord. Guide them in the way that they should go.
6/04 Ephesians 6:5-6
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.
OBEDIENCE
Obedience is critical for us to grow. Out of our obedience to the Lord and to those in positions of authority over us we will develop understanding and wisdom. We want to live joyous and fruitful lives. Do what is required of you and you will develop the ability to lead a fruitful life. The Lord will give you joy.
6/05 Ephesians 6:7-8
Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
WORK
I have a job I can do. No one else can do what the Lord has called me to do. I will do it knowing that the Lord is with me and watching over me. The Lord will not forsake me. I can do what I am called to do. Jesus is Lord.
6/06 Ephesians 6:9-10
And in the same way, you masters must treat your slaves right. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites. A final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power.
STRENGTH
I am weak and often heavy laden. The Lord is strong and is seeking to carry my load for me. Help me Lord today to give my burden to You and walk with confidence that You have my best interests at heart. Jesus loves me.
6/07 Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
BATTLE
We are in a battle for our walk. If you have asked Christ into your life and believe in Jesus you will face a constant battle from the powers of darkness. They cannot defeat you and they know that. Instead they are trying to bump you off of the right way and cause you to stumble becoming ineffective with the claims of the Lord. Be careful how you life. Pay attention to the Lord. Be faithful in praying and spending time with Jesus so that you will know HIM.
6/08 Ephesians 6:13
Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm.
RESIST
Victory is won. All we have to do is resist. The enemy cannot overcome you unless you give into its wiles. Stand firm in Jesus claiming His promises and believing that He will be with you in you time of struggle and difficulty.
6/09 Ephesians 6:14
Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
JESUS
Jesus is the truth. He loves you and in Him we have eternal life. It is a free gift so that no one may boast. Jesus loves you. He bestows upon you the righteousness of God so that we can have fellowship with the Lord.
6/10 Ephesians 6:15
For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared.
GOOD NEWS
Once you come into the Family of God there is no more bad news. There are setbacks and disappointments but the victory has been won. We have peace. Jesus is our peace. We are encouraged and directed by His presence, promises and power. Jesus is Lord and we walk in Him. Know that you can stand in Christ and nothing can separate you from Jesus.
6/11 Ephesians 6:16
In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.
FAITH
The Lord made you a promise. If you asked Jesus to save you He has. Therefore, you can depend on Him. Do not let the slings and arrows of daily life get you down have faith in Christ. Spend time with Jesus. Read the Word. He will see you through whatever you are facing.
6/12 Ephesians 6:17
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
WORD
God’s Word is your direction for living. It is a detailed living message to you with instructions for dealing with your daily life. It is personal. It is powerful. It speaks to your heart and equips you to attack life and all of its difficulties.
6/13 Ephesians 6:18
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
WHEN
We need the Lord. We need to be in constant contact with the Lord. It is prudent to develop an attitude of conversation with the Lord about everything in our life. It will purge us of evil. This constancy of conversation with the Lord will change the way we think.
6/14 Ephesians 6:19
And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God’s secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too.
PROCLAIM
We tell everyone about what is going on in our life. When we are constantly in conversation with the Lord we will be consistent in telling about Jesus. If we are sold out to the Lord we will be quick to tell others about what the Lord is doing in our life.
6/15 Ephesians 6:20-22
I am in chains now for preaching this message as God’s ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should. Tychicus, a much loved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work, will tell you all about how I am getting along. I am sending him to you for just this purpose. He will let you know how we are, and he will encourage you.
COURAGE
It takes courage to deal with the day-to-day Christian life. My faith is the platform that my courage rests upon. By faith I live as Christ calls me to live. By faith I believe He has a plan for my life and that I can accomplish His plan. It takes courage for my to accept what the Lord has laid out for me and to live that way.
6/16 Ephesians 6:23-24
May God give you peace, dear brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s grace be upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
PEACE
Life is valuable. We can recognize our value in Christ and have peace all the days of our life if we will accept it from the Father. He will give us His peace and we can live His life day by day in Christ Jesus. The choice is ours. We count with Christ and our life is in His hands. He will be with us and enable us. Choose today to follow Jesus.
6/17 Romans 1:1-3
This letter is from Paul, Jesus Christ’s slave, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. This Good News was promised long ago by God through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. It is the Good News about his Son, Jesus, who came as a man, born into King David’s royal family line.
GOOD NEWS
JESUS has come to mankind. He gives us a choice in life. Will I live my way and perish or will I surrender my life to Jesus and live? Choose carefully and do not fool yourself because the Lord knows our heart.
05/01 Ephesians 4:1-2
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
HUMILITY
Humility is difficult to balance. We know that the Lord gives us all that we need. Even when we are extremely successful we need to cultivate an awareness that God is in control and but for the grace of God failure could be our constant companion. Our life is a gift. We exercise that gift day by day as a child of God that is always aware of the Creator’s presence, priority and love.
05/02 Ephesians 4:3-4
Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future.
ONE
We are one in Christ. He is the bonding agent. Jesus created us and keeps us. We have access to the Father through Him and in Him we have peace. We can share our peace with each other in Christ. Jesus loves you.
05/03 Ephesians 4:5-6
There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all.
ONE
God, Holy Spirit and Jesus are one. We are always speaking to the totality of God. Amazingly His love is total. Everything we need for real life is found in Jesus Christ. Trust Jesus. Let Christ have your heart and mind so that He might equip you for active service day by day.
05/04 Ephesians 4:7-8
However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
GIFT
Christ gave to us His forgiveness. It is covered by His grace and protected by His promise of eternal life. Jesus has given us the His gift of family membership in God’s family. We now belong to Him. He is our and we are His. Jesus is the Lord.
05/05 Ephesians 4:9
Notice that it says “he ascended.” This means that Christ first came down to the lowly world in which we live.
JESUS
Jesus came into our world and lived the way we live. He suffered and yet never disobeyed the Father. Jesus came to show us that we could do it with His help. Whatever we face we can do it with Jesus. Whenever we hurt we can survive the pain with Christ. Jesus is God’s everything.
05/06 Ephesians 4:10-11
The same one who came down is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that his rule might fill the entire universe. He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
JESUS
The church is the Bride of Christ. Jesus gave us the church so that we might be equipped to fight the battle of daily life and to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus Christ knows the things that we need and He has given us His church to help us bridge the gap from His hand to the individual in the local church.
05/07 Ephesians 4:12-13
Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.
JESUS
We have everything we need for Christ like living in Jesus. When we come to the Lord we get it all in Christ. However, because we are so foolish and mere babes in Christ we are to approach the Christ life diligently so that just like a baby growing up we too will grow up in Christ. Be faithful for Jesus is Lord.
05/08 Ephesians 4:14-15
Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
CHOICE
What will I be like? I have that choice. Will I surrender my life to Jesus and let Him live in me or will I seek to be strong person refusing to bend the knee to Jesus as I seek to grow in Christ. Too many people think that the strength must be something they summon up. The truth is that there is nothing in us that will enable us to lead a Christ like life. Only in surrender will one find the power of Christ to live and grow in Him. Speak to Jesus today and let Him do with you as He will.
05/09 Ephesians 4:16
Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
JESUS
Jesus knows all about us and all about the future. When we are under His authority and control He is constantly leading us step by step in life. The Christ life is a life that is under the control of the Christ. Pray, ask and do in Jesus. He is worthy of all of our attention and resources. An easy check for us to know if we are under His control is to look at how we spend our money. If our money is spent totally on self we are under our own control. If it is spent, as Jesus would have us to spend it we are under His control.
05/10 Ephesians 4:17-18
With the Lord’s authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
CHANGE
We choose how we do what we do. Once we are new creatures in Christ and members of the family of God we must learn to change. The normal way we live is not the normal way we are called to live as children of God. Change is a constant. The way I am today is not the way that the Lord expects me to be tomorrow or next week or a year from now. I control my hands and feet therefore follow Jesus.
05/11 Ephesians 4:19-20
They don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. But that isn’t what you were taught when you learned about Christ.
TAUGHT
We are taught to model the life of Christ. Therefore we have to know what kind of life that was. We discover the life of Christ in the Bible. Read God’s Word. Search for wisdom as it deals with your life. If you are searching the Word you will be searched by the Word and given marching instructions about life change.
05/12 Ephesians 4:21-22
Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception.
CHANGE
Change is an act of the will whereby we renounce the old ways and accept the guidance of Jesus so that we can walk in the new ways. Christ is the center of our life or we are on our own in a scary world. Bend the knee to Jesus so that Christ can live in you.
05/13 Ephesians 4:23-24
Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness — righteous, holy, and true.
NEW
When we come to Jesus He gives us a new heart and a new life. We choose to follow Jesus and we choose whether or not we will follow Him every day. Today, this moment, choose the right way and walk in it. Jesus WILL show you the right way but you have to choose to accept it and walk it. Be about the master’s work, do what Jesus says.
05/14 Ephesians 4:25
So put away all falsehood and “tell your neighbor the truth” because we belong to each other.
STOP
Quit telling lies. Consider the life you are living. Does the way you live life disappoint you? Do not fear. In Christ we have forgiveness, camaraderie and new life. Read God’s Word. Quit lying.
05/15 Ephesians 4:26-27
And “don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.
CONTROL
We are called to lead a simple life. Turn you covetousness over to Jesus. Ask Him to search your soul and guide you to rid yourself of these character flaws. You are responsible for your actions including accepting Jesus.
05/16 Ephesians 4:28
If you are a thief, stop stealing. Begin using your hands for honest work, and then give generously to others in need.
CHANGE
Christ in our life will change the way we act. We will stop living the way we were and live as Christ directs. Jesus is Lord and He will be Lord of our life if we will surrender our will to him.
05/17 Ephesians 4:29
Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
CHANGE
What we say and do will change when we come to Jesus. He will give us a new heart and a new mind. In Christ we will speak differently for we will be filled with him. Jesus is Lord.
05/18 Ephesians 4:30
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
RESPONSIBILITY
When we come to Christ we are given a new heart and a new life. We are no longer in bondage to sin. We can change and we can do as the Lord dictates. The problem is that we are the only one that can perform the actions of a Godly life. No one can live it for us. Therefore we are called to live a new life in surrender to Jesus and do what He says day by day. Anything less than that will wind up causing us a great deal of spiritual struggle.
05/19 Ephesians 4:31-32
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
OVER
Am I willing to cut my ties with sin? This is a choice. I choose to do the next right thing. Only in Jesus do I have the freedom to refuse sin. It whispers in our ear, nudging us to do our own thing, calling into question God’s power and only when we refuse will sin release its hold on us.
5/20 Ephesians 5:1-2
Follow God’s example in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him.
JESUS
Jesus knew us better than we know ourselves and went to the cross and died for us. His perfect life was the price required to take away our sin. He agonized for me and for you. He knew our pain and it was the only way to break the bonds that sin places on us. Jesus died for each one of us so that we might have life in Him.
5/21 Ephesians 5:3-4
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes — these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.
MORALS
Morals count. Morality is significant. Today we want to control God and do our own thing. That is no different than in Biblical Times. The truth is that what we say and do counts and we don’t have the power to say how it counts. God’s standard of morality gives us the standards we are to live by.
5/22 Ephesians 5:5-6
You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey him.
EXCUSE
Be careful what you excuse in your life. We can fool ourselves but we cannot fool God. There will be a day of accounting when we will give an account for our life. In that day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Jesus loves you.
5/23 Ephesians 5:7-9
Don’t participate in the things these people do. For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
ACTIONS
Our hands and feet are no longer controlled by our emotions-the Lord is in control. We have an inner voice of the right path-Christ’s way. We automatically evaluate everything we do in the light of our Savior Jesus Christ. We know his way and we walk in it. By his strength we stand and go.
5/24 Ephesians 5:10-12
Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
SECRET
There is no secret. All that we do and say is before God. We now know this. Darkness is to be rebuked. Secret is to be disdained. We are His children and are called to walk and live in His light. Our life is an open book to the Lord. Make sure we realize this and always are aware that we hide nothing from the Lord.
5/25 Ephesians 5:13-14
But when the light shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are. And where your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
CHOICE
The life we lead is a choice. Will I live a life destined for failure and destruction following my own lead or will I surrender my life to Jesus and walk in the light? I can make the right choice if I will surrender my will to His will. Choose carefully. Your walk depends on it.
5/26 Ephesians 5:15-16
So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.
ACTIONS
We can be foolish and live by our emotions. Jesus delivers us from slavery to sin and we can choose in His strength to train ourselves to do the next right thing. We want to be wise to activity of the evil one. We want our actions to bring honor and glory to the Lord. Be careful how you live and take time to let Jesus guide your actions.
5/27 Ephesians 5:17-19
Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts.
CONTROL
We choose to let the Lord control us. We need His indwelling to maintain our Godward attitude. The spiritual life is impossible without the indwelling guidance of the Lord. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we will be under God’s control.
5/28 Ephesians 5:20-24
And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything.
SUBMISSION
Submission is a learned trait. I must choose to be in submission and it is an act of the will. It is part of the Christ life. Submission is important for my spiritual growth. Jesus is Lord and He will give us what we need for daily living.
5/29 Ephesians 5:25-27
And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.
CHURCH
The Church is the body of Christ. We come together as 1 and 1 that equals 3. We are in the body of Christ and are a part of what the Lord is doing in the world. He seeks to accomplish His purpose in the world through us. Victory is won on our knees in sacrifice and not through military conquering. Jesus is Lord.
5/30 Ephesians 5:28-30
In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. And we are his body.
CHRIST
Jesus Christ is all and in all. He is alive and He has chosen to promote and accomplish His work in the world through us. Surrender to Jesus and He will put you to work accomplishing His goals in this world. One day we will stand face to face before Him today we will stand with Him when we are serving.
5/31 Ephesians 5:31-33
As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
LOVE
Love is an action. What we do for and towards others is how we show our love. Service, service, service is the perfect way for us to accomplish the mission that the Lord has given us. “If you love me,” Jesus said, “feed my sheep.”
04/14 Ephesians 2:17-18
He has brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and to us Jews who were near. Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. He has brought us exactly what we need wherever we are. Do not fear for the Lord comes looking for the lost. When you ask Him to save you He will. Jesus is the only way to the Father and He is faithful to save us from our sin if we will ask.
04/15 Ephesians 2:19-20
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
JESUS
Everything we do affects the way the world sees us. When we act like Jesus it is for His honor and glory. When we act like the world it degrades the name of Jesus. We are responsible for what we do. We are responsible in a way that outsiders are not-the world will always act like the world-they are dead in their trespasses and sin. We are God’s children and members of His household and as such are called to act like His children.
04/16 Ephesians 2:21-22
We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
TEMPLE
We belong to Jesus and indeed we are physically His dwelling place here on earth. We are charged with the responsibility of being His temple. Amazing that the Lord would use us. Where we are yet new in Christ and His righteousness indwells us. We have to go along with this and therefore it is required that for this to happen we must surrender ourselves to His control. Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow.
04/17 Ephesians 3:1-2
I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus because of my preaching to you Gentiles. As you already know, God has given me this special ministry of announcing his favor to you Gentiles.
JESUS
Jesus is in control. When we surrender our life to Christ we are no longer at the mercy of the world. Jesus is Lord and Savior and we live in Him. He is Lord and He is in charge. Forget the circumstances of your life: Jesus has you in His hand. Do not fear what mankind can do to you, you serve the Lord.
04/18 Ephesians 3:3
As I briefly mentioned earlier in this letter, God himself revealed his secret plan to me.
PLAN
God’s plan includes you. It was developed with you and your exact needs in mind. The Lord hasn’t forgotten you. His plan was put into place before the foundation of existence was formed. God created you in His image and you are valuable. Rejoice!
04/19 Ephesians 3:4-6
As you read what I have written, you will understand what I know about this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God’s children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus.
EVERYONE
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But God in His infinite wisdom provided a way for anyone and everyone to come to Him. If we don’t have all of God we need it is simply because we do not want to.
04/20 Ephesians 3:7
By God’s special favor and mighty power, I have been given the wonderful privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
GOOD NEWS
God loves you and provided a way for you to become a part of His family. It will change us right now. We will no longer be slaves to sin but instead we will become a member of God’s household. Eternity becomes a part of our inheritance. Life like God’s becomes a part of our daily existence.
04/21 Ephesians 3:8
Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.
JOY
It brings great joy to talk about Jesus. When we share what Christ is doing in our life it encourages and strengthens our daily walk. Stay close to Jesus. Talk about Christ and tell others about Him. Make Jesus the center of your life.
04/22 Ephesians 3:9
I was chosen to explain to everyone this plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
GOD
The world thinks that God’s plan is foolish for it is out of touch with reality. The truth is that God’s plan has always been and until Christ returns will always be. He is in touch with His creation and is seeking creations best good. We have the privilege of sharing what God has done in Christ. That is a powerful message that brings life to its recipients.
04/23 Ephesians 3:10-11
God’s purpose was to show his wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. They will see this when Jews and Gentiles are joined together in his church. This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
WISDOM
The Lord offers His wisdom to you. As you grow in Christ you will grow in wisdom. No longer in bondage to the world you will be able to make plans and live a life that is undergirded by His abundance.
04/24 Ephesians 3:12
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome.
WELCOME
Christ died for us. The righteous died for the unrighteous. We want to know Him and we need Him to grow. Christ is our mediator between mankind and God the Father. He is our righteousness. Jesus is the only one we can trust in who can change us and outfit us for eternity. In Christ we are totally reconciled with the Father. I don’t feel fearless as I live my life in Christ but in fact we are for we come into the presence of the Lord God Almighty because of what Jesus has done for us.
04/25 Ephesians 3:13
So please don’t despair because of what they are doing to me here. It is for you that I am suffering, so you should feel honored and encouraged.
SUFFERING
We hate suffering. We seek to avoid suffering whatever the cost. The world will seek to make Jesus followers suffer. The god of this world hates our Lord God and everything He does. Be of good cheer for Jesus is risen and He is Lord. Christ has already made a way for us and we can live and trust Him.
04/26 Ephesians 3:14-15
When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.
PLAN
God has a plan for each one of us. If we will bend the knee to Christ we will discover God’s plan for our life. I can testify from my own experience that if you will surrender you will to Jesus and let Him have control of you the Lord will reveal His plan for your life.
04/27 Ephesians 3:16
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.
RESOURCES
God has the resources to make His plan in your life victorious. We should seek His guidance, His glorious presence to accomplish His plan in our life. Rich or poor, free or incarcerated, wise or foolish the Lord has a unique, one of a kind plan for your life.
04/28 Ephesians 3:17
And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.
KNOW HIM
We want to know Jesus. As we live our life under His direction we will grow and know Him. Surrender yourself. Spend time in prayer with Jesus and go forth each day seeking to glorify Him and you will know Him better each day. Do not take counsel of your fears. Surrender your life to Him. Accept His love and live with confidence in His power.
04/29 Ephesians 3:18-19
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
POWER
Believe in Jesus. He can give you exactly what you are looking for in life. Each of us wants to be valuable and to live a worthy and worthwhile life. Let Jesus have control of you. Believe in Jesus and He will change you into Christ likeness.
04/30 Ephesians 3:20-21
Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.
VICTORY
When we begin in Christ we begin with victory. Our life becomes a victorious life filled with the presence of the Lord Jesus. We only see and know a little bit about our life, time and the future. Jesus knows all things and He will guide us day by day so that we will experience His victory in all that we do.
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03/01 John 21:1-3
Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there — Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin ), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
JESUS
They didn’t understand. They thought that the new kingdom was like the Roman Kingdom and would prevail by earthly means. Their misconception had no impact on what God was planning. We need to get with the Lord. It takes time and persistence in prayer for us to grow in Christ. The Lord is willing. The question is do you want to develop an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus?
03/02 John 21:4-5
At dawn the disciples saw Jesus standing on the beach, but they couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Friends, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied.
JESUS
They didn’t recognize Jesus. They were frustrated, heart-broken and blind to spiritual reality. Jesus was alive and He was standing before them. He is standing before you right now. Ask Him into your life and let Jesus guide you today.
03/03 John 21:6
Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get plenty of fish!” So they did, and they couldn’t draw in the net because there were so many fish in it.
ACTIVE
God is active in our world. The Disciples didn’t know that it was Jesus nor did they know what He was going to do. The Lord was actively revealing Himself to them. Interesting point is so often today people think they can limit God’s activity. We cannot limit the activity of God. God is sovereign. Thankfully the Lord is always looking for us. Has He found you? Ask Him into your heart and He will come.
03/04 John 21:7
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and swam ashore.
SEEING
Seeing is believing. Bless those that do not see and yet believe. Peter was anxious to see the Lord, He knew He had sinned and He was aching for forgiveness and restoration. He didn’t know how it would happen he just knew he needed it. We need forgiveness and restoration and we don’t know how it will happen we just know we need it. Jesus is Lord.
03/05 John 21:8-9
The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only out about three hundred feet. When they got there, they saw that a charcoal fire was burning and fish were frying over it, and there was bread.
LIFE
We experience our interaction with the Lord in the everyday events of our life. We may even have significant conversations with the Holy One when we are doing mundane things like preparing a meal, working at our job or relaxing from a hard day of work. The thing to REMEMBER is that the Lord wants to be involved in all that we do and will do what is necessary to get our attention. Our choice is whether we respond to the movement of the Lord in our life.
03/06 John 21:10-11
“Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
JESUS
Nothing escapes the notice of the Lord. He knows everything. We are important to Him. Everything we do is noticed by Him. Spend time with Jesus and He will spend time with you.
03/07 John 21:12
“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. And no one dared ask him if he really was the Lord because they were sure of it.
JESUS
You know what the Lord wants us to do. He is willing to give us what we need to do it. Let the Lord have your heart and mind. Focus your life on Jesus and you will do the things that you must do to accomplish His plan for your life. Obedience is necessary.
03/08 John 21:13-14
Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
REALITY
One or two people could control a lie. Here are the disciples meeting with Jesus for the third time. It would be hard for that many people to keep their story straight unless it was the truth. The truth is Jesus really died on the cross and was raised by the power of God and is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for us right now. He is Lord of all things and everything and He loves you.
03/09 John 21:15
After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
RESPONSIBLE
We are responsible for the people the Lord puts us with. We are each responsible for the other making a redundant coverage of concern and care for each person. Who are you looking after? Are you actively seeking the good of those around you? Look at Jesus and do things the way He did.
03/10 John 21:16
Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
ACTION
Love requires that we take action. We are to defend, assist, care for and other things as needed for those we live with in this world. We are our brother’s keeper. We must learn to sacrifice. The world can be a difficult place and we can make it less difficult by caring for those we know. Love isn’t a spectator sport and it isn’t about us. It’s all about Jesus.
03/11 John 21:17
Once more he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
FOCUS
What is the focus of our life? Is it the things of the Lord Jesus or are we focused on ourselves? How we act makes a difference. What we do day by day reveals who we love.
03/12 John 21:18-19
The truth is, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked and go wherever you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will direct you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know what kind of death he would die to glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
FOLLOW ME
We follow Jesus. We don’t follow man’s ideas, we focus on the Word of God, filled with the Spirit of God we seek to follow the Son of God. We cannot follow Jesus if our hearts are not surrendered and we are focused on ourselves. The only way we can follow Jesus is as a servant.
03/13 John 21:20
Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them — the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who among us will betray you?”
WHO
This is an interesting idea and obviously was true. John was special in the eyes of Jesus. But the truth is that He loves each one of us as if there were no other of us. The Lord Jesus Christ died for sin that we might have real life. There is no great love than this. Jesus loves me.
03/14 John 21:21-22
Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You follow me.”
FOLLOW ME
Follow me is an imperative with individual implications that simply states that you, me, each one of us is called to follow Jesus. We do not follow Him based on a comparison with others. We are to follow Jesus based on His command: You follow Jesus at the level that is the best that you can follow. Follow Jesus.
03/15 John 21:23
So the rumor spread among the community of believers that that disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
MYSTERY
The mystery of Scripture is that Jesus would put His power and relevance in us. We are imbued with the power of God and therefore are called to serve Him to the best of our abilities all of the days of our life. Follow Him.
03/16 John 21:24-25
This is that disciple who saw these events and recorded them here. And we all know that his account of these things is accurate. And I suppose that if all the other things Jesus did were written down, the whole world could not contain the books.
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. Everything we need for the Christ like life is found in Jesus. He is able to take the person we are and make us the person He would have us to be. The victory is won now we are living as Jesus would have us to live so that the Lord might gain great honor and glory from our Christ like life. We cannot do it without Jesus and we don’t need anything other than Jesus to participate in His glorious victory.
03/17 Ephesians 1:1
This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. It is written to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
CHOSEN, HOLY
The Lord would that no one be lost. Yet a person has the choice of refusing God. Tragically many do. But you have not refused God and you have asked Christ into your heart. He is Lord and He will be Lord of you life. His gift of life is also a gift of His holiness making you holy. Jesus brings to us exactly what we need.
03/18 Ephesians 1:2
May grace and peace be yours, sent to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
GRACE, PEACE
God gives me what I need and cannot earn, His Grace, in an environment that He is in control of called Peace. I can know Him and know His direction. As I live under His control no matter what is happening around me I will be filled with His peace.
03/19 Ephesians 1:3
How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. When we have Christ we have what we need to live a successful, victorious life. We can know what we should be doing and how to do it. As we actively do those things we can know that the Lord is on our side and therefore we have victory. Do not be discouraged. Jesus died on the cross for you and was raised from the dead by the Father and is this moment interceding for you with the Father. Alive in Christ dead to sin, we cannot fail for all things are possible through Christ.
03/20 Ephesians 1:4
Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
CHOSEN
I can choose Jesus. I can choose to follow Him. I can choose to let Him mold me and make me into Christ likeness. The Lord would that everyone be saved but He gives us the freedom of choice therefore we can ignore Him to our own peril or we can bend our knee in submission to Him and let Him live in us.
03/21 Ephesians 1:5-6
His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son.
JESUS
We belong to Jesus. When we come into the family of God we belong to a real person. Christ is and in Him we are. It is an eternal relationship that God has chosen us in His Son to be a part of His family.
03/22 Ephesians 1:7
He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven.
JESUS
Jesus is our righteousness. He is the ONE that brings us into the family of God. My freedom is a result of His shed blood. The cost of my forgiveness was paid by Jesus. He knew what I needed and could not earn therefore He paid the price for me. In Jesus I am forgiven.
03/23 Ephesians 1:8
He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
VALUE
When Christ brought us into the Family of God He gave us wisdom and understanding. We are filled with His grace and overflowing with His peace. Jesus makes us valuable. We have His victory in our life today.
03/24 Ephesians 1:9
God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure.
PLAN
YOU are God’s property. His plan in Christ uses us to accomplish His work here on Earth. He has reached into our fragile state and given us eternity. It was His free gift of forgiveness in Christ that gives us life and light.
03/25 Ephesians 1:10
And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ — everything in heaven and on earth.
ONE DAY
One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Is that hard for you to believe? The truth is that Jesus is coming back and He is coming back for you and me. His life was given as a ransom for our restoration and forgiveness. He is our perfection. In Jesus we have all things for He is Lord.
03/26 Ephesians 1:11-12
Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. God’s purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God.
BELONG
We belong to Jesus. We don’t see it but by faith we know it. We can praise the Father whatever our situation. Christ Jesus is Lord and we are part of His family.
03/27 Ephesians 1:13
And now you also have 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.
GOOD NEWS
Jesus gives us the Good News. He provides a free gift from the Father: salvation. We will no longer be slaves to sin and destruction. By faith we have come into the Family of God and He has given us the Holy Spirit who indwells us and gives us the presence of God. Rejoice in Jesus for He is the Holy ONE.
03/28 Ephesians 1:14
The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.
PROMISED
God promised to bring us into His Family. He has made good on that promise in Jesus Christ who saves us from our sin and gives us eternal life. Now we walk by faith filled with the Holy Spirit of God who gives us God’s presence. The Father has given us His guarantee about life here and now and life eternal by giving us His Holy Spirit.
03/29 Ephesians 1:15-17
Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
SPIRITUAL WISDOM
Spiritual wisdom comes from God. He equips use to live an abundant life and we cannot live that kind of life without wisdom from the Lord. To know Him we must rely on His revelation of spiritual wisdom to us so that we can grow in Him.
03/30 Ephesians 1:18-20
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
LIGHT
We serve a glorious, wondrous, loving God. He raised Jesus from the dead and has offered us His free gift of salvation. He beams His light upon us as we have need. Praise God in good and bad days. Praise God when the blessings have ceased. In all things praise the Lord.
03/31 Ephesians 1:21-23
Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come. And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.
CHURCH
The church is the body of Christ active in our world. It is perfect in Christ and is His the primary instrument Jesus uses to bring His kingdom to life in the lives of the people who are members of the church. We do not have to worry whether or not Christ will conquer for the Lord has already ordained it and Jesus has already won the victory.