Month: July 2022

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:6-13‬.

“Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them.”

Jesus warned that the world would try to tempt us away from our connection with God. He was tested Himself as the devil offered Him power and riches, but Jesus resisted it all. Paul writes “Don’t participate in the things these people do” ( v. 7), encouraging us to respond in faith as Jesus did.

Once we have accepted Christ, we are washed clean and made right again with God. As humans, we are exposed to sin every day but we are given the strength to endure the trial through the presence of the Holy Spirit. When the day of reckoning arrives “their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them” (v. 13).

God wants us to avoid the evil we once practiced, but when we fail He stands ready to forgive us if we repent. Peter denied even knowing Jesus (Luke 22:55-62) but he received Christ’s forgiveness and restoration to lead the early church (John 21). Staying in connection with our Heavenly Father through what Jesus taught is the only way we can be saved. 

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we have fallen away, but we are blessed to receive Your mercy and reconciliation. Send us to share Your love with everyone everywhere, that all the world may return to You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:6-12‬.

“And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.”

Paul writes that we are all one in God’s love. Our location, heritage, appearance and status don’t matter to our Heavenly Father, only that we love Him and one another. Jesus taught this in His interaction with the woman at the well (John 4) and the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10).

How we respond to those “who aren’t like us” is a hallmark of Christian behavior. Jesus treated everyone equally, from the Roman governor and Jewish leaders to blind beggars and lepers. No one was above or below His attention and love. He calls us to do the same for everyone we encounter in our daily lives.

Paul reminds us that “because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence” (v. 12). The only thing that can separate us from God is us. Through our acceptance of Christ as our savior, we can be born again and live in Him.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for Jesus coming to be with us, to show us Your love and forgiveness. May we treat each other as Jesus did, loving all Your children because of His love for us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:21-27.

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”

We have heard the Good News and seen the difference it makes, in our lives and in eternity. Why then do we continue our former patterns of behavior toward each other? The chaos and raised voices we experience every day are not the way God calls us to live.

Paul tells us “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (v. 23). If we live as Jesus showed us, we can be made new, part of His ministry to all the earth. Paul says we can have a “new nature” (v. 24), but it is really the original nature in which we were created.

Perhaps the most important guidance in this passage, and the hardest for us to obey, is “not letting anger control you” (v. 26). Anger is a divisive and nonproductive emotion. Jesus taught us the way of peace, and we can all do better every day following His example.

Loving Lord, we have been shown what is right and good, but we still fall back into our old ways when we face opposition. Help us to speak and act with Your love, sharing a better way of living with all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:7-10.

“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”

We seem to think that if no one sees it, it didn’t happen. Paul tells us plainly that our Heavenly Father sees everything and “you cannot mock the justice of God” (v. 7). He isn’t hovering over our shoulders waiting for us to mess up, but because He is always with us, nothing escapes His notice.

There are consequences for sin, not always immediately apparent, but we are responsible for what we do. We are told that “those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life” (v. 8), which is the blessing of seeking God and obeying His will. However, there is help and forgiveness when we fall if we repent.

Paul sums it up well in verse 9, saying “let’s not get tired of doing what is good”. God is always there, reaching out to each of us. If we accept God’s love through Christ’s sacrifice for us, we are called to be like Jesus ourselves, sharing the blessing of our relationship with Him with the world. 

Loving Lord, we are sorry for our failure to love as You have shown us. Help us to be Your people, carrying the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:4-7‬.

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”

Paul uses an example from his time to describe Jesus coming to buy our freedom from slavery to sin. God loved us so much He was willing to come to be one of us in order to break the hold of evil in our lives. He writes that the law which was meant to guide and protect us had been manipulated by people and had taken the place of an honest, loving connection to the Father.

You may have heard me use the phrase “love God, love neighbor, make disciples”. It’s a combination of the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:37) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). Jesus said these things to show us what is most important in our lives and the task we are given to carry on His ministry. We don’t really need a rule for every situation that occurs if we believe and obey these.

Jesus wants us to choose a relationship with God, loving Him above all things, loving our brothers and sisters in the same way and going into the world to share that joy. It sounds so simple, that we can be connected to God and each other through the only covenant that matters – His love for us. If we repent and accept God’s promise, we can be free from sin, free to do what He calls us to accomplish, and free to live with Him eternally.

Loving Lord, we are rule-based creatures, but we don’t follow them faithfully and we twist them to our own advantage. Free us from captivity to sin and send us to share the Good News. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 2:18-23.

“You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth. Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.”

Paul pulls no punches in telling us that our knowledge of what God wants of us is not the same as doing what God wants of us. We are sadly capable of pointing out the faults of others while ignoring our own. Jesus cautioned us about this kind of behavior, saying “Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).

We are called to a sincere and honest relationship with God. This means being aware and correcting our own behavior before we worry about that of others. While we are called to share the Good News and watch over our brothers and sisters in love, our lives must be right first.

We can make a difference in the world when people see that we strive for right because of our connection to God. While we are not perfect as Jesus is, we can repent of our sins, ask God’s forgiveness and earnestly work to do better. We must want to improve ourselves more than worrying about improving others.

Loving Lord, You have taught us what is right, but through our selfishness we have chosen wrongly. Help us to turn from evil and accept Your mercy. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:3-6.

“We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.”

Paul tells those who read this letter that he and his companions pray for them. Prayer is such an awesome gift from God and such an important part of our faith. It is the means for us individually and collectively to share our hopes and fears with Him.

Jesus demonstrated how essential prayer is for us through His practice of going off alone to talk to God. The last thing He does before His arrest is to pray, it is also the last thing He does before His death on the cross. No matter what is going on in our lives, we know God hears our prayers.

How we pray, where we pray or when we pray are not as important as being in touch with God. We aren’t telling Him anything He doesn’t already know, but when we pray we become part of the healing process, for ourselves and others. Make the time regularly to go to God in prayer.

Loving Lord, we are thankful to be able to come to you in prayer. Bless us to share the Good News and the joy of being in contact with You. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:9.

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”

In this passage Paul gives us strong encouragement in every area of Christian life. However, all of what he tells us is fueled by love. Anything we do in faith is inspired by God’s love for us and our desire to return it to Him by loving others.

Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians that doing anything without love is a waste of time (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). We need God’s love to live and we need to share it with everyone to fulfill the promise we have made to bring all people to Him. It doesn’t matter what we do, love is a necessary part of everything.

We may find it difficult to love those who oppose us. Jesus tells us to love them anyway. There is no acceptable excuse we can give for not loving others. God’s love is given to us even though we don’t deserve it; we can do no less for our brothers and sisters.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we fail to share the love You have given us with others. Help us to show Your love in all we say and do. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:11-16.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit 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.”

Paul writes of the spiritual gifts that are given to build up the church. He also speaks about our spiritual gifts in Romans 12, and 1 Corinthians 12-13. Paul is encouraging us to understand what we are called to do and the skills we must use together to spread God’s love to all people.

While each of us are given a gift, it is only when we join in sharing them that they are completely effective. Jesus brought together a ragtag group of people who were largely unskilled and showed them what was inside each of them to be able to carry on His ministry. We have the same gifts and the same responsibility to continue Christ’s work to bring all nations back into a relationship with God.

What gift has God given you and how do you use it to help build up the church? It is up to each of us to discover our gifts and put them into action for the good of God’s children. Ask Him to help you find ways to share your gift, that the Good News may be heard by everyone.

Loving Lord, You equip us and call us into service to share the blessing of Your love and mercy. Strengthen us in faith and send us to do Your will, bringing the light to a dark and needy world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:2-7.

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.”

Paul encourages us to “be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love” (v. 2). We have heard this teaching in a variety of different ways, and we must remember that others are making allowance for our faults as well. God calls us to live together in harmony, caring for each other and lifting each other up.

We are all in this together, and God expects us to use the gifts we have been given in unity for the good of all people. Each of us has a gift that is needed to accomplish our Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. Jesus showed us how to reach out to others and share God’s love in word and action.

Paul stresses our “oneness” throughout this passage, reminding us there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (v. 5). He tries to make us see that the differences we think exist between us are all of our own creation, not from God. May we see each other as unique brothers and sisters, all made in the image of our loving Father.

Gracious God, we are grateful for the diversity we see in creation, as all things work together according to Your will. Help us to learn how much more alike we are, loving our brothers and sisters because we are all Yours. Amen.