Feasting on God's Word (One Year Bible)

"Every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3) Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Every spiritual blessing – in Christ: Come to Him and receive His blessing.

"Sit, Walk, Stand" - This is a useful summary of the message of Ephesians: "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6); "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Ephesians 4:1); "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11). "Sit, Walk, Stand" - We also find these words in the first Psalm: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful" (Psalm 1:1). Concerning those who persist in walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the way of sinners and sitting in the set of the scornful, the first Psalm says this: "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous...

Ephesians 4:7-5:14 God wants us to ‘grow up in every way into Christ’ (15). We are to ‘walk in love’ (2), a life which is ‘pleasing to the Lord’ (5:10). It is so easy for us to settle for something less than God’s very best. We settle down into a state of spiritual complacency. What does God have to say about this? - ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God’ (30). He gives us His wake-up call: ‘Awake, O sleeper…’ (5:14). God says to us, ‘Awake, awake, put on your strength… Shake yourself from the dust, arise’ (Isaiah 52:1-2). Have you become ‘lukewarm’? - ‘Be zealous and repent’. Christ says, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him’ (Revelation 3:16,19-20).

"Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us" (Ephesians 3:20). The power comes from God. The glory goes to God.

Ephesians 1:1-2:10 Lord, You call us to live a holy life. We cannot do this in our own strength. True holiness does not come from ourselves. It comes from You. It comes from Your love. Your love reaches us. Your love changes us. Your love is stronger than our sin. May Your love inspire us to live a holy life. May Your love enable us to live a holy life – a life that brings glory to You, the God of our salvation. Ephesians 2:11-4:6 When You, Lord, are at work in us, everything changes. You save us. You sanctify us. You strengthen us. Help us to serve You. Ephesians 4:7-5:14 Lord, You want us to “grow up in every way into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). You want us to “walk in love” (Ephesians 5:2). You want us to live a life that is “pleasing to You” (Ephesians 5:10). Why do we settle for something less than Your very best? Help us, Lord, not to “grieve Your Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:14). When we hear Your wake-up call – “Awake, O sleeper … ” (Ephesians 5:14), help us to...

Christ loves us. He has given Himself for us. He calls us His ‘Bride’ (Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Corinthians 11:2 ; Revelation 21:2 , 9 ).

"Husbands, love your wives, just as also Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25). Human love is grounded in divine love. "I love you" is grounded in "God loves you." We look to Jesus Christ. We see the love of God. His love for us inspires our love for one another.

"Be strong in the Lord ... " (Ephesians 6:10). “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” ( Ephesians 6:10 ). As we consider the war which is going on in our lives – between God and Satan, we will see that this is the greatest war of all. The cruellest war ever fought by men is child’s play compared with this spiritual war, in which we battle against Satan, the enemy of our souls. To win a battle – even one as bloody as the two World Wars of the twentieth century, and lose the war against Satan is to be  defeated. What about our world today? Are we winning the battle, and losing the war? We dare not take pride in the fact that we have known more peace than in the years of the two World Wars. God is asking us, “Are you winning the real war, the most important war, the war against Satan?” We need not lose the war. We can be “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” – our Lord Jesus Christ ( Romans 8:37 ). Is this w...