Friday Devo
Scripture:
Ephesians 1
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
Commentary:
1:3 Blessed be. The blessing that opens Paul’s prayer is similar to those that began first-century Jewish prayers that were commonly recited throughout the day (cf. 2 Cor. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3). in Christ. Paul’s praise emphasizes the mediation of Christ for all God’s blessings by repeating that these good things are ours “in Christ” (Eph. 1:3, 9), “in the Beloved” (v. 6), or “in him” (vv. 4, 7, 11, 13). Spiritual (Gk. pneumatikos) here communicates that the saving gifts of God are conveyed by the Holy Spirit (Gk. Pneuma), whose personal presence throughout this age is the guarantee of future heavenly blessings (see “spiritual songs” in 5:19; Col. 3:16). Hence, these blessings are in heavenly places, since that is the Christian’s future abode in imperishable glory when he is resurrected in a spiritual body through the “last Adam,” the “life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:40, 44–50).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2262.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2262.
Questions:
- The ungodly COMPLAIN because the cross ISN'T enough. But the godly are the opposite; they are CONTENT because the cross IS enough. We must realize, like Paul said in Ephesians 1, that we are already blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing. Even if we feel like things can't get any worse, we must remember we have been rescued, redeemed and forgiven, and we have been given the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and a church family. We can live our lives looking FORWARD to the promise of a fully restored and eternal life in a new body, in a new city, on a new earth. Are you going though a difficulty that threatens to obscure all of this truth? How can we praise Him and be thankful regardless of our circumstances?
- What has God been speaking to you this week? What needs to change? How can you choose to grow?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would trust Him through your difficulty.
- That you would learn to choose to praise through the trial.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
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