Read the Bible in a Year (10DEC19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, December 10’s Bible reading is Ephesians 4-6.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, December 11’s Bible reading is Philippians 1-4. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

EPHESIANS MOMENT – (10DEC19) “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). In the second half of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he gave them insight into the way that followers of Christ were to behave and live their lives. At the time of this letter, Paul was imprisoned in Rome, but as a good shepherd, he had a heart for the sheep that God had given to him to oversee. Even though he was not with them in person, Paul’s heart was no less apart from them, so he gave them instructions as to how they could please Jesus in their daily lives and their interactions with others. Paul instructed the church to put away all falsehood and to be truthful with one another and in their dealings with others. They were to guard their mouths and watch what they say even if it was in a joking manner as to not displease the Holy Spirit. The Christians were told to live in peace with one another and to not stir up quarrels, be angry and bitter, but they were to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving.

As believers in Christ, the church was to not have any part with sexual immorality, impurity, drunkenness, or greed because they were children of the Light and no longer residents of darkness. They were to live their lives as representatives of Christ – always thanking Him for everything that He had done. Paul continued his letter with instructions to families and how husbands and wives were to reverence, love, and respect one another. Children were to honor their parents for in doing so, a promise of longevity was given. Those who were masters over slaves were to treat them as fellow brothers and slaves were to honor their masters as they honored Christ because God has no respect of person.

Paul closed his letter with telling the church that they needed to be strong for their fight was not against mere mortals but against the forces of evil. They were to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the enemy because they could not protect themselves against him if they were not properly armed. Paul wrote: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17).

Although Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesian church, every part of this letter is applicable to us today. We are children of the Light for which Jesus came and gave His life. We are His body and He is the Head, so we are to operate in love, honor, and respect towards one another. The Word of God serves as our training manual to effectively live as Christ’s ambassadors. Therefore, we do not have to navigate blindly for the Bible is our sword, and if properly used, will be our weapon of spiritual defense. In it, we are able to know truth, so that we can wear His righteousness. After which, our feet can take the Gospel to the world for them to be saved. Our shield of faith helps us to fight against the enemy’s darts that are sure to come, but we have salvation through grace by faith as we rely on the sword of the Spirit. In addition to all of that, Jesus did not leave us defenseless but gave the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip His people for service until that glorious day when He returns to take His children home. Something to ponder….