October 7-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:1-2, As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Observe what it is saying.
Paul speaks to the Ephesian believers (and to us) reminding them of their spiritual plight before they trusted in Christ Jesus. Everyone is spiritually dead and alienated from God. Let that sink in. We were the walking dead. The original language not only speaks of the cause of our pitiful condition but also highlights that instead of being located “in Christ,” we were “in our transgressions and sins.” How dark and severe our rebellion against God’s good and holy way is. Paul, also, gives us the disturbing news that unbelievers are oriented to this present evil age where Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the unseen realm, where evil spirits dwell. We need to understand that where God is rejected, it’s there Satan and his minions are at work. However, we can, also, be encouraged that the Spirit of God who brings life is far greater than the darkness that leads to death.
Relate it to your life.
The darkness may appear to be winning, but I know the rest of the story.
Do something.
“Father, I ask that You will give us the hope of victory in the midst of our ongoing spiritual battle. Amen.”
October 8-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:3, All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Observe what it is saying.
Paul, as a high-ranking religious leader in his previous life, admits that he, too, is included in the previous description of the spiritually dead who followed the cravings of the evil kingdom. In his pride as a Pharisee, he would’ve never owned up to this. He was climbing his way to the top of his religious tradition. However, now that he is on the other side of belief, he realizes he was no more righteous than the Gentiles of his day. As did the most pagan among them, Paul says he also lived to gratify his own sinful nature’s desires to be angry, lustful, proud, greedy, and hateful. He realized that his so-called religious righteousness didn’t give him any advantage over anyone. He had a religious persona without a changed heart. He, too, stood under the wrath of God as much as anyone. We need to be honest and admit the same about our situation to fully appreciate and access God’s grace offered in Jesus.
Relate it to your life.
As hard as it is to consider, I must confess that without Christ, I, too, am deserving of God’s judgment.
Do something.
“Father, it’s difficult to consider what my status was before I met Jesus. Thank you for grace. Amen.”
October 9-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:4-5, But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Observe what it is saying.
In contrast to our terrible status of deserving God’s wrath, we find here what God did to reverse the curse of judgment. Look at how Paul describes God toward those deserving of punishment: “His great love for us. Rich in mercy.” This is our God! God acted first before we ever knew how desperate our situation was. Even while we were dead in the water because of sin, God jumped in to save us. God pulled us out and resuscitated us back to life. This was all accomplished by the glorious work of Christ on the cross. This is God’s grace, and as we will see later, coupled with our faith delivers us out of the throes of spiritual and eternal death and into a brand-new way of living for all eternity. The reality of the bad news of yesterday makes us appreciate the good news of today all the more!
Relate it to your life.
In light of what our status was, God’s grace is the best news we could ever receive.
Do something.
“Father, words aren’t adequate to tell what you have done to make me alive again! Thank You! Amen.”
October 10-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:6-7, And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Observe what it is saying.
What an unfathomable description of our new status as forgiven followers of Jesus! We have been raised from the dead. We have been resurrected with Christ. And there is even more unbelievable news. We have ascended with Christ into the realms of heaven and are seated with Him on His throne. How is this possible? What does this mean? We have such a higher position than we could ever conceive. If you’re looking for a higher status, you have it! It is the highest standing possible. We don’t need to be concerned about improving our earthly prestige because nothing can compare to what has been declared here. This spiritual ascension shows us the wealth of God’s kingdom is measured in grace and offered to us in kindness that Jesus so lovingly has demonstrated to each of us.
Relate it to your life.
I don’t need to settle for a lowly earthly status when I’ve already been elevated into the heavenly heights.
Do something.
“Father, I don’t fully understand all this means, but I sure like how it sounds! Praise to You. Amen.”
October 11-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Observe what it is saying.
These verses, along with tomorrow’s verse, give us the simple description of how to be saved from wrath and the overall purpose of our Christian faith. Paul reiterates what he’s already said that grace is the loving gift God has offered to redeem and restore our divine relationship and eternal destination. It doesn’t originate with us. It doesn’t come from our exhaustive efforts. It takes away all opportunity for bragging about our works of goodness. It is the gift of God with no strings attached, but for a gift to be enjoyed, it must be received. Believing faith tells God that we appreciate and want to accept His provision of salvation. Faith understands that without this gift of grace, we are deserving of wrath. When we are enlightened to the truth, faith reaches out with our hearts and lovingly embraces this gift with all that we are. We know we have truly accepted the gift because we are flooded with amazing peace, joy, and hope that sustains and strengthens us as we make our way through each day.
Relate it to your life.
This description removes all obstacles for us to know and enter into God’s way of salvation.
Do something.
“Father, thank You for this gracious gift You’ve offered to us through Your Son Jesus. I believe! Amen.”
October 12-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:10, For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Observe what it is saying.
This is the second half of God’s simple plan of salvation. We enter into the way of life by God’s gracious act in Jesus through faith. Today, we discover, that once we have entered in, what the purpose of our redeemed life becomes. We are not called to just a Jesus and me kind of religion. We are God’s handiwork. Literally, we are God’s poem. Every Jesus-follower is a beautiful expression of God’s original design and plan for all of humanity. We are here to do much good for the gain of others and the glory of God. We are given spiritual gifts for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ. We have been called to be disciple-makers as witnesses of our own spiritual resurrection so others will know the glorious truth of grace. We keep John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 together for the complete gospel plan. God is so good to lay out this simple plan so that we know both the mission and the vision for life.
Relate it to your life.
God’s grace plus faith equals a life of good works empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Do something.
“Father, thanks for making the way clear by giving the gift of grace and Spirit to live out your plan. Amen.”
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:1-2, As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Observe what it is saying.
Paul speaks to the Ephesian believers (and to us) reminding them of their spiritual plight before they trusted in Christ Jesus. Everyone is spiritually dead and alienated from God. Let that sink in. We were the walking dead. The original language not only speaks of the cause of our pitiful condition but also highlights that instead of being located “in Christ,” we were “in our transgressions and sins.” How dark and severe our rebellion against God’s good and holy way is. Paul, also, gives us the disturbing news that unbelievers are oriented to this present evil age where Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the unseen realm, where evil spirits dwell. We need to understand that where God is rejected, it’s there Satan and his minions are at work. However, we can, also, be encouraged that the Spirit of God who brings life is far greater than the darkness that leads to death.
Relate it to your life.
The darkness may appear to be winning, but I know the rest of the story.
Do something.
“Father, I ask that You will give us the hope of victory in the midst of our ongoing spiritual battle. Amen.”
October 8-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:3, All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Observe what it is saying.
Paul, as a high-ranking religious leader in his previous life, admits that he, too, is included in the previous description of the spiritually dead who followed the cravings of the evil kingdom. In his pride as a Pharisee, he would’ve never owned up to this. He was climbing his way to the top of his religious tradition. However, now that he is on the other side of belief, he realizes he was no more righteous than the Gentiles of his day. As did the most pagan among them, Paul says he also lived to gratify his own sinful nature’s desires to be angry, lustful, proud, greedy, and hateful. He realized that his so-called religious righteousness didn’t give him any advantage over anyone. He had a religious persona without a changed heart. He, too, stood under the wrath of God as much as anyone. We need to be honest and admit the same about our situation to fully appreciate and access God’s grace offered in Jesus.
Relate it to your life.
As hard as it is to consider, I must confess that without Christ, I, too, am deserving of God’s judgment.
Do something.
“Father, it’s difficult to consider what my status was before I met Jesus. Thank you for grace. Amen.”
October 9-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:4-5, But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Observe what it is saying.
In contrast to our terrible status of deserving God’s wrath, we find here what God did to reverse the curse of judgment. Look at how Paul describes God toward those deserving of punishment: “His great love for us. Rich in mercy.” This is our God! God acted first before we ever knew how desperate our situation was. Even while we were dead in the water because of sin, God jumped in to save us. God pulled us out and resuscitated us back to life. This was all accomplished by the glorious work of Christ on the cross. This is God’s grace, and as we will see later, coupled with our faith delivers us out of the throes of spiritual and eternal death and into a brand-new way of living for all eternity. The reality of the bad news of yesterday makes us appreciate the good news of today all the more!
Relate it to your life.
In light of what our status was, God’s grace is the best news we could ever receive.
Do something.
“Father, words aren’t adequate to tell what you have done to make me alive again! Thank You! Amen.”
October 10-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:6-7, And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Observe what it is saying.
What an unfathomable description of our new status as forgiven followers of Jesus! We have been raised from the dead. We have been resurrected with Christ. And there is even more unbelievable news. We have ascended with Christ into the realms of heaven and are seated with Him on His throne. How is this possible? What does this mean? We have such a higher position than we could ever conceive. If you’re looking for a higher status, you have it! It is the highest standing possible. We don’t need to be concerned about improving our earthly prestige because nothing can compare to what has been declared here. This spiritual ascension shows us the wealth of God’s kingdom is measured in grace and offered to us in kindness that Jesus so lovingly has demonstrated to each of us.
Relate it to your life.
I don’t need to settle for a lowly earthly status when I’ve already been elevated into the heavenly heights.
Do something.
“Father, I don’t fully understand all this means, but I sure like how it sounds! Praise to You. Amen.”
October 11-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Observe what it is saying.
These verses, along with tomorrow’s verse, give us the simple description of how to be saved from wrath and the overall purpose of our Christian faith. Paul reiterates what he’s already said that grace is the loving gift God has offered to redeem and restore our divine relationship and eternal destination. It doesn’t originate with us. It doesn’t come from our exhaustive efforts. It takes away all opportunity for bragging about our works of goodness. It is the gift of God with no strings attached, but for a gift to be enjoyed, it must be received. Believing faith tells God that we appreciate and want to accept His provision of salvation. Faith understands that without this gift of grace, we are deserving of wrath. When we are enlightened to the truth, faith reaches out with our hearts and lovingly embraces this gift with all that we are. We know we have truly accepted the gift because we are flooded with amazing peace, joy, and hope that sustains and strengthens us as we make our way through each day.
Relate it to your life.
This description removes all obstacles for us to know and enter into God’s way of salvation.
Do something.
“Father, thank You for this gracious gift You’ve offered to us through Your Son Jesus. I believe! Amen.”
October 12-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Ephesians 2:10, For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Observe what it is saying.
This is the second half of God’s simple plan of salvation. We enter into the way of life by God’s gracious act in Jesus through faith. Today, we discover, that once we have entered in, what the purpose of our redeemed life becomes. We are not called to just a Jesus and me kind of religion. We are God’s handiwork. Literally, we are God’s poem. Every Jesus-follower is a beautiful expression of God’s original design and plan for all of humanity. We are here to do much good for the gain of others and the glory of God. We are given spiritual gifts for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ. We have been called to be disciple-makers as witnesses of our own spiritual resurrection so others will know the glorious truth of grace. We keep John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 together for the complete gospel plan. God is so good to lay out this simple plan so that we know both the mission and the vision for life.
Relate it to your life.
God’s grace plus faith equals a life of good works empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Do something.
“Father, thanks for making the way clear by giving the gift of grace and Spirit to live out your plan. Amen.”
Posted in Daily Devotionals