Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Colossians chapter 1 today we get a deeper glimpse and richer understanding of the magnificent preeminence of Jesus Christ, and His true identity clearly defined not merely as a most excellent teacher, heralded prophet, or benevolent wise man in history, but as…

“Sovereign King of the universe” (vs 13),

“Exact Living Image of the invisible God” (vs 15),

“Creator and Sustainer of all things” (vs 16),

“God Himself in a man’s body” (vs 19), and

“The Hope of Glory & Redeemer of all mankind” (vs 27).

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much for revealing to us the awe-inspiring mystery of our Lord and Savior, Promised Messiah, and God Incarnate Jesus Christ.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you, worship you, and exalt you today for tossing out the stars in the heavens with your all powerful hands, and then allowing those same innocent hands to be pierced with nails and pounded into a criminal’s cross, to rescue and reconcile defiant and undeserving sinners like us – All Glory be to Christ!!!…

✝️ “We give thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son…For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and He has made peace for us with God by the blood of His cross.”

Colossians 1:12,13,19,20

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Philippians chapter 4 today we see a True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, Commendable, Excellent, and Praiseworthy boatload of encouraging promises & blessings to think on, for all those who embrace the Gospel and have their names written in the book of life…

– Acceptance & Approval (vs 1),

– Unity & Companionship (vs 2),

– Security & Salvation (vs 3),

– Gratitude & Contentment (vs 4,11)

– Access to the God of all Grace (vs 6),

– Wisdom from the Peace of God (vs 7), and

– Identity in the God of Peace (vs 9).

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much that you provide for us in every way and on every level, and for continually reminding us of your beautiful Gospel-given truths:

#ThatYouWillNeverLeaveUsOrForSakeUs

#ThatYouNeverWithholdAnyGoodThingFromUs

#ThatYouWorkAllThingsTogetherForOurGood

#ThatYouHaveGivenUsABeautifulInheritance

#ThatAllYourPathsAreSteadfastLoveAndFaithfulness

And that because you did not spare your own Son but gave Him up for us all, you will also with Him continue to graciously bless us with all things…

✝️ “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever Amen!”

Philippians 4:19-20

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Philippians chapter 3 today we see the stark contrast between old earthly things that are passing away and future heavenly things that are to come, as Paul puts the emphasis on the glory of unseen marvels instead of living for the here and now…

“The foolish have a worldly appetite, and their glory is in self-reliance and personal accomplishment as they focus their mind on earthly and temporal things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from there we eagerly await the coming of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ” (vs 19-20).

Q. Do you ever find yourself daydreaming of the good old days, or fixated on past failures or achievements?

Q. Does your past sometimes keep you from addressing your present responsibilities and looking forward to future blessings in Christ?

🙏 Heavenly Father please forgive me for dwelling too much on the old, and so often losing my focus on the new – Please help me let go of the things of this world and avoid putting down deep roots in this temporary home.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for rescuing us with your cleansing blood and giving us a new life purpose as redeemed children of God – Please help us all to avoid despairing over former sins or clinging to our previous identity, but instead let us forge ahead in full dependence on you, with enthusiastic hearts and a heavenly goal…

✝️ “Brothers, knowing that Christ Jesus has made me His own, this one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus…And let us hold true to what we have attained by His grace.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:13,16

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Philippians chapter 2 today we see a strong exhortation to be radically countercultural, and have a thoroughly others-centered mindset, as Paul calls every believer to…

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves, looking not only to your own personal interests but also to the interests of others” (vs 3-4).

Q. Ever find yourself believing or acting like you are the center of your own universe, and life is all about you?

Q. What is your primary motivation to overcome selfishness, coldness, apathy, and laziness, and live a life of consistent service and love toward God and others?

🙏 Heavenly Father I confess to you and ask your forgiveness for the many times I have been unloving toward others and dishonoring toward you, having a comfort-craving me-centered attitude and heart.

🙏 Holy Spirit please increase the mind of Christ within all of us, and let us sing the hymn of Jesus with humility, that we may empty ourselves of the old self and put on the new, finding true joy, peace, purpose, and motivation in modeling the person and work of our great Lord and King…

✝️ “Jesus, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men…And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:6-11‬

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Philippians chapter 1 today we see the supreme joy and unbreakable bond between those who are committed to genuine partnership in the Gospel and true friendship in Christ…

“It is right for me to feel this way about you because I hold you in my heart, for you are a partaker of grace with me…and with God as my witness I have great affection for you because of the love of Christ, that your affection (for Him) may increase and abound more and more” (vs 7-9).

Q. Have you been blessed with a true friend that sticks closer than a brother, and is devoted to live out a manner of life that brings honor to the good news of Christ, walking side-by-side with you for the sake of the Gospel no matter what?

Q. Do you long for the day when you will see your greatest friend Jesus, and all other true friends that He has blessed you with in this life, face-to-face in a world where only perfect love and friendship exist?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much for the gift of eternal friendship in Christ – Please help us to cherish the beautiful and rich times in this life where unity, loyalty, and love are consistently shared by eternal friends, and pursuit of God’s glory is placed above all things…

✝️ “I thank my God in every remembrance of you, always making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now…and that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ!”

Philippians 1:3-6

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Ephesians chapter 6 today we see that God does not send us into battle against satan and demonic forces without divine assistance, but rather dresses us in His own armor and calls us to fight in His strength instead of our own…

“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, and put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (vs 10-11).

Q. In what ways does the liberating truth of the Gospel help you fight the good fight of faith and make war against the devil’s lies and accusations against you?

Q. What is an example of fighting in your own strength?

Q. What is an example of fighting in God‘s strength?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much that you sent your Son into the world to secure our salvation, give us eternal peace with you, and provide perfect righteousness and favor for us in Christ.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for winning the ultimate battle for our souls at the cross, and giving us all the spiritual resources we need to be more than conquerors in and through you…

✝️ “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the Gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:13-18‬ ‭

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 Ephesians chapter 5 today brings a strong promise and wake-up call for all believing husbands to love their wives selflessly and proactively in a Christlike manner…

“Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you…Look carefully how you should walk, not as unwise but wise, making the best use of the time and understanding what the will of the Lord is” (vs 14-15).

Q. Husbands what are some ways that you can display wisdom and make the best use of the time that you have left to spend together with your wife – making it your aim to bring joy, and affection, and peace, and adventure, and security, and hope to her today and every day?

Q. What can you do to love your bride (God‘s beloved daughter) as the special treasure that God proclaims her to be?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much for your awesome and redeeming love toward us so that we can love others well, forgive quickly, repent fully, and waste no time being frustrated or angry about frivolous issues – Please help the married couples in your adopted forever family never take for granted the limited time that they have together here on earth, but let husbands love their wives sacrificially as Christ loves the Church, and wives love their husbands respectfully as unto the Lord.

🙏 Holy Spirit you alone can bring the faith we need to overcome our selfishness, and help us find rest in the forgiveness of our past sins & regrets. Let our true satisfaction be in Christ alone (husbands, wives, and singles alike) – And please cause us to put away bitterness, pride, and unforgiveness so we can love one another as we have been so graciously loved by Jesus…

✝️ “Husbands, love your wives in the same way you love your own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are all members of His body…This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ’s unfathomable love for the church.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:28-33‬

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Ephesians chapter 4 today we see the absolute necessity of consistently meeting with other mature believers in a local Gospel-centered body of Christ…

“So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine…Rather we are to grow up in every way into the head who is Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (vs 14-16).

Q. Are you making it a priority to consistently connect with a body of serious Christ followers and Godly leaders to confess sins, hold accountable, engage in Gospel encouragement, and speak truth into each other’s lives?

Q. If not, why not?

🙏 Heavenly Father I ask your forgiveness for the many times that I arrogantly and foolishly resisted instruction and wisdom from the people that you sent into my life for my good – Please help us not to be deceived by the destructive danger and unbiblical nature of lone-wolf Christianity, but rather that all who love you would seek to serve and glean from communing frequently with your family here on earth.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for your “Good Gifts” to us in the form of disciplers, overseers, and elders to help us mature and grow in you – Please bless them and protect them, and thank you so much for their gracious and very necessary presence in our lives…

✝️ “And Jesus gave gifts to His people in the form of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:11-13

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Ephesians chapter 3 today we see the apostle Paul unveiling one of the most powerful and transformative mysteries in the entire Bible…

“This mystery was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, but has now been revealed to God’s holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the gentiiles (people from every tribe, nation, and tongue) are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the heavenly promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel!” (vs 5-6).

Q. Have you experienced times in your life when God did…”Far more abundantly than all you could ask or think?”

Q. Does it boggle your mind to know that the best is yet to come, and we ain’t seen nothing yet?!!!

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much for the unsearchable riches you have given us in Christ – We come before you in humble praise for your everlasting kindness, gracious compassion, and mercy that endures forever…

✝️ “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:14-19‬ ‭

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Ephesians chapter 2 today we see the apostle Paul contrasting two radically distinctive identities, and highlighting GRACE as the miraculous way that redeemed sinners make the transition from one category to the next…

#1 Who we are without Christ…

“Dead in our trespasses and sins, enslaved to the passions of our flesh, sons and daughters of disobedience and by nature children of wrath, following the course of this world to hell, aliens and strangers separated far away from God and Christ, having no hope in this world or the next” (vs medly).

#2 Who we are in Christ…

“Made alive in eternal union with Jesus, raised up and seated into heavenly places, saved by GRACE and the gift of faith, God’s perfect workmanship, redeemed through the blood of Christ, reconciled forever to God, favored and blessed fellow citizens with the saints, members of God’s Heavenly Kingdom, and dwelling place of the promised Holy Spirit!” (vs medley).

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much today for sending your perfect Son to reverse the horrible and hopeless curse of sin and changing us from fallen worms 🐛 to liberated butterflies 🦋 in the born again metamorphosis!!!

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for saving us, transforming us, and sustaining us to the end by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone…

✝️ “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved…so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-7‬ ‭