Devotional Thoughts

Ephesians 3:14-16     “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;” In verse thirteen, Paul expresses his desire that his audience “faint not.” As servants of God according to His will, we should always encourage His saints to not give in to weakness. While we may offer words of exhortation, we are not sufficient in ourselves to give strength to our brothers and sisters. If we truly desire to see them stand strong, then we must bow our knees unto the Father. If we are bowed before Him in truth, it is on the account of our desire to see the church strengthened. It is also in recognition of the fact that this power does not lie within us. We must look to a higher authority and place all our hope in Him. Whether or not we are physically able to bow before Him i...

Isaiah 54:17      "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." In the 54th chapter, God is making a promise to Judah that the enemies who come against them will not be formed by Him. That is to say, He allowed Babylon to come against Jerusalem to carry them away. Listen to His words previous to today's verse: "For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee." (Isaiah 54:9)  He said His covenant would not be removed from them and then He makes the pronouncement in today's verse: "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper: and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn."  This is such a ...

Ephesians 3:11-13     “According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.” The manifold wisdom of God being seen by (“A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through…” see Strong’s) the church (vs. 10) is no accident. God’s wisdom does not come through the church; He is the only avenue for the actuality of His wisdom. Seeing God’s wisdom comes through church. The church is the avenue God has chosen to show His multifaceted wisdom. We do not gain any insight into the manifold wisdom of God by looking at the things of the world. No understanding of His wisdom can come from men who have set themselves up as religious leaders among the Lord’s people. Paul was pointing us to the church, which was in keeping with what God has always intended (His eternal purpose). The chur...

Isaiah 54:5-6      "For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.  (6)  For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God." Sometimes, I'm afraid our estimation of grace has not been as high as it should be.  We love the fact that God loves us enough that He saved us, but do we understand the depth into which we had fallen? Do we understand that God did not have to save us? Do we understand that His saving us did not add one iota to His being?  God did not call us because there was something good within us that He felt would add to Himself.  In fact, He tells us point blank, "There is none righteous, no, not one..... there is none that doeth good, no, not one ... There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." (Romans 3:10-12) God did not ...

Ephesians 3:8-10     “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all   men   see what   is   the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly   places   might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,” Paul displayed a wonderful humility before the people of God. Many would be prone to boast of their powerful experience of grace if dealt with as Paul was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-9). Some would feel prideful if they experienced the vision (or dream) of being caught up into the third heaven (2 Cor 2:12). Instead, Paul saw himself as the least of all the saints and marveled at the grace given to him. Although I have been preaching this same glorious gospe...