Eph6

The struggle in your life is NOT with people! It is a spiritual battle! This is a difficult truth to embrace, but freeing once we have embraced it. God is at work in every area of our lives to bring about His desires. Our job is to submit to Him and to follow His ways.

The battle is in the spiritual realm. Every human encounter is being measured from God's perspective. How we respond has everything to do with how we see God in these situations. Our goal should be to please Him in every way. Think about this! It is an unbelievable challenge. God is using every situation to refine our lives.

This is especially difficult for those of us who tend to be "controlling" in relationships. Our goal should be to pursue obeying God and helping others do the same. When they won't or don't, it doesn't have to ruin our day. God has everything under control. Everything. He doesn't need our assistance or interference. He desires our obedience.

This chapter begins, "children obey your parents, because this is right." Christians, obey God's word because this is right. Honor Him and let Him take care of the rest.

Eph5

"Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk - not as unwise people but as wise - making the most of your time, because the days are evil."

How you spend your time matters! It matters to God and it will have an impact on your eternity. Each of us has been given the same amount of hours in a day, the same amount of days in a week and the same amount of weeks in a year. Every hour is an opportunity to live as a wise person or to be a fool. To make the most of our time, we need to live according to what we know to be true from God's perspective.

Living to please God is not a duty, it is a joy! His desire is for us to enjoy all He has created and for us to enjoy life to the full. In order for that to happen we must trust Him. His ways are not our ways. His desires are not our desires. Yet, when we submit our desires to His ways, we are the ones who benefit. Living the life God wants is full and meaningful, without regret.

Live today for Christ. It is worth it.

Eph4

Take off the old self and put on the new self according to Christ. Since we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit through faith in Him, we are to daily put off our natural tendencies and put on Christ. We are to live for Christ and not ourselves every day.

This is a difficult challenge. What comes natural is always to follow our own desires. What is unnatural is to follow the ways of Christ. It is in doing the "unnatural thing" that we actually are participating in a "spiritual thing". We are to put away sin and to put on righteousness.

What characterizes your life? Is it natural desire or spiritual ability? Paul's challenge is for us to live by the Spirit. It is a great challenge today.

Eph3

The "mystery" of God's administration has been made known. It is the church! His "incalculable riches" are revealed through the church of the living God.

The local church is God's plan A for reaching every community and the world. There is no plan B! If you are not using your gifts and abilities to strengthen the local church, then you are doing something outside of God's plan. His plan was revealed and is no longer a "mystery". The case is closed and the secret has been uncovered. Now that we know, the question is simple, "Are we vitally involved in God's plan?"

I was a christian for several years before I understood this truth. I spent much of my christian life only thinking about myself and my personal relationship with Jesus. I was so mistaken. Salvation is for every person! Salvation is more for every community of believers. The gospel tears down barriers and calls us into community with each other. It orders our lives and demands that we live out our faith according to God's plan not ours.

How are you strengthening your local church? It is God's plan.

Eph2

God displayed the "immeasurable riches of His grace" when He sent Jesus to save us! This is more evidence that we were utterly lost without God! He doesn't save us because of us, He saves us because of Him! Our hearts should be overflowing with gratitude toward God.

Without grace, we are objects of God's wrath. Because of grace, we are the recipients of God's love! "By grace you are saved…it is a gift not of works". This is an overwhelming reality for Christ followers. Rejoice today in God's amazing gift. We have gone from foreigners and strangers to citizens and saints! This is amazing stuff. It would make a great tattoo.

Live like a member of God's family today.

Eph1

How often do you think about heaven? It is the promised inheritance for everyone who believes. 

For me, I too often think only about life in this world. Yesterday we spent the day moving into our new home. It will take some time to get used to the smaller home and new surroundings, but we will love it. God has blessed us far beyond what we deserve. Trey said, "We have a dynamite house!"

Don't get too attached to this life. True life begins when this life is over. Our true inheritance awaits us.

Gal6

God will not be mocked! Everyone will reap what they sow. If obedience to God, eternal reward. If disobedience, no reward. I am challenged to live for the reward of God.

Many fight for recognition and reward in this life. But, at the end of their lives, what did it actually matter? It is vain to pursue anything that will yield only heartache once it is caught. Paul was encouraging the Galatians to pursue Christ with their lives and make much of Him.

It is a great challenge for today.

Gal5

Freedom is not the ability to do whatever I want, but the power and desire to do as I should. Paul states clearly that Jesus came to set us free, but that freedom is from sin. It definitely is not so that we could sin more! I am amazed at the number of "christians" who care very little about their relationship with Christ. In fact, they treat their salvation as a "continue in sin without consequence card".

Paul was not unclear with the expectation that he had of any professing christian. His desire was that they "serve one another through love". He said what matters to God is our "faith working through love." Any believer who claims that the christian life is easier than that of the unbeliever is uninformed as to all that God calls us to. Serving others and loving others are tasks that all of us struggle with. Living for Christ demands both.

When most people think about freedom, they are almost exclusively thinking about themselves. Freedom to most is doing what I want, when I want, with who I want, without consequence. That is NOT how the bible describes freedom. In fact, no description could be farther from the truth. Freedom is the desire and power to serve God and others in love. This is only possible through the Spirit of God living in us.

Live in freedom today. Love and serve others as yourself. This is what the bible teaches.

Gal4

"You are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God!" This is a great promise for all who trust Jesus by faith. We are co-heirs of all of the promises of God.

Since we will inherit eternal life, we should live according to that reality. Our future is secure and our hope is solid. It is the daily grind that cause us to stumble. Will we live in light of the eternal promises or will we succumb to the earthly trappings. It is a tough battle, but one worth fighting.

Cling to Christ today.

Gal3

Nothing frustrated the apostle Paul more than someone seeking to justify themselves before God by good works! Faith, not works is the only means to salvation. But the "righteous" WILL LIVE by faith! Faith that has no effect on our daily lives is not faith at all.

Nothing frustrates me more than a "so-called christian" who lives their lives no differently than an unbeliever when it comes to faith. True faith radically changes one's life and orientation. It is to be the orienting center of our existence, not the lip service of  our Sunday. 

Paul discouraged anyone who thought they could "work" their way into favor with God. He also discouraged anyone who thought that their "profession of faith" was sufficient to actually save them. Salvation begins with faith. Faith energizes us and enables us to be obedient to Christ.

Live by faith today.

Gal2

If works could save anyone, then Christ's death was in vain. There are few things more offensive to God than the thought that somehow a man can save himself by good works. Paul made this truth blatantly clear in this letter. Faith in Christ alone saves. Saving faith is also a gift from God!

Work is the overflow of faith. Life requires heartbeats and breaths. Without these life is not life at all. In the same way, works evidence the life of faith. You can have works without faith, which accomplishes nothing, but you cannot have faith without works. Both ditches are a false gospel.

My prayer is that our faith would be evidenced with our works today.

Gal1

We have been "rescued" by Christ from "this present evil age". Would that be the way you would describe your salvation? Would it be the way you would describe our current age? Galatians is about believing the "true" gospel and not being led astray by false teaching. Jesus came to rescue us from sin and to deliver us from the trappings of culture.

When I talk to most believers they seem to think that the purpose of the gospel is to make this present age as heavenly as possible. That is simply not so. God has redeemed us, but not for this life! His redemption is for the life that is to come. When we are merely looking to Jesus to make this life great, we are selling the gospel short. Way short! Our entire life is but a mist. The gospel is the beginning of eternity with God for us.

We have been rescued forever! No matter what happens in this life, we have heaven in store for us. Often it is only when life is not going well that we even think about that reality. Paul was wanting the churches to focus on the true gospel and not abandon it for a false gospel that only promises a better today.

Live for eternity.

2Co13

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith! Examine yourselves." Many today are believing themselves to be christians when, in fact, they are not. "Christian" is not simply a label we wear or a religion we follow, it is a transformed life.

Paul was not unclear that anyone who considered themselves a christian should live as Jesus lived. Their lives and testimony will give evidence of genuine faith. Many at Corinth were saying one thing and living another. In Paul's mind, as evidenced by this letter, they were simply "lost".

Rarely do I meet a "non-christian". In fact, most people I talk with are convinced that they are "in" when it comes to faith. My gut feeling, as I examine the scriptures, is that death will be a rude awakening for most. What they thought was true was the biggest lie of their life.

Test yourselves today. Faith bears fruit and it is nothing to pretend with.

2Co12

There is no sin like sexual sin! It is set apart by God as the single worst destroyer of one's conscience and relationship with Him. Paul was concerned for the Corinthians that they would not be able to escape the deep pit of sin they had dug for themselves.

He said, "I am afraid that when I come I will grieve for many who sinned before and have not repented of the moral impurity, sexual immorality, and promiscuity they practiced." He knew how gripping sexual sin is and how hard it is to escape its grasp! Yet many of the Corinthians were set free from such sins. In fact, most of them were.

The gospel is about becoming who God wants you to be. Without Jesus we are "slaves" to sin; trapped in our own evil desires; unable to be set free. With Jesus, we are free to follow Him and free from the bondage of sin! I am so happy to no longer be a slave to sin! What I once was, I no longer am.

I am praying that every "so called believer" would be set free from every sexual sin!

2Co11

If Satan disguises himself as an "angel of light", what might be some ways that we could recognize his disguise?  Are there ways that you are being deceived into thinking something is good when it is not?

I am shocked at the number of people who actually don't seem to feel guilty about some of the blatant sins they commit. Could it be that they are actually that deceived? Some people are being unfaithful to their spouses, cheating at school or work, stealing in subtle ways, lying in relationships and pretending in worship, just to name a few! 

There actually is a right and wrong! What we do matters to God. Our lives matter to him. Paul writes, "their destiny will be according to their works." Not that their works condemn them, but that their works reveal who they truly are. We are saved by faith alone, but true faith changes us so that we actually desire and act in obedience to Christ.

Don't be deceived. Works are a good way to evaluate one's faith.

2C010

"Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ!" Now there is a challenge. Every thought! All of them! In line with the word of Christ!

It is one thing to get our words and actions in line with God's desires. It is a completely different level to get "every thought" in line as well. Wow, now that is a lofty goal. Thoughts are not sin, but what we do with the thought can be. We should either discard it or ponder it, but we should always make it submit to Christ. The only way I know to rightly sift my thoughts is to evaluate them in light of God's word. 

Since my thoughts are often contrary to God's word and God's word always reflects His thoughts, knowing scripture is the only way for me to know when my thoughts are "contrary to God". For example, if I didn't know scripture, I would believe that people are basically good and that almost everyone will go to heaven when they die. I would think that is is a good thing to look out mostly for myself and to use my resources to primarily make my life better. I would use my mind and experiences to act as the measure for right and wrong. AND I would be really messed up! In essence, I would be my own God.

But since God has revealed Himself through His word, I don't have to wonder when my thoughts are in opposition to God's thoughts. As I read and learn His word, I can know the mind and thoughts of Jesus. It doesn't make living those things easy, it does remove the confusion from my thoughts. 

How is your thinking contrary to God's word? In every place they contradict…YOU ARE WRONG! Get your mind right. Take your thoughts captive to the word of God. It is God's way.

2Co9

Giving is a big deal to God! Generosity is, in fact, evidence of sincere faith. Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to demonstrate their faith through their generous giving. These things are rarely talked about, but blatantly clear in the scriptures. What you do with your money matters to God.

It is another opportunity to examine our hearts. It is another opportunity to take a closer look at our giving and our spending. One of my friends rightly challenge me once. He said, "Never let your living determine your giving. Always let your giving determine your living!" What he meant was that giving should never be the last thing we do, but rather the first thing that is done. And our giving should be at such a level that we have to live differently because of it.

No question these past two chapters have been focused on the amount of money we give to ministry. As always, I am challenged and convicted. How are you feeling?

2C08

It is not generous to give what has no effect on you. Generosity is the overflow of one's understanding of God's ownership and the purpose of money. Are you a generous person? Are you using your wealth to advance the kingdom of God? Or are you using money as though it is entirely for you?

This is the subject that few want to talk about. In fact, most won't and when they do, they will lie about what is true. God has given us everything! We are to be generous with what we have been given and give so that His kingdom is expanded. He wants our "first" not our "last". He wants our "best" not our "left-overs". What you give to reflects what you truly love.

The Macedonians got this principle. They gave, not out of wealth, but out of "extreme poverty and affliction". They gave not out of duty, but out of "an abundance of joy". They gave not sparingly, but with "a wealth of generosity"! We all should aspire to be like them when it comes to giving. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to "excel in the grace of giving".

One way to examine your heart is to evaluate where you give your money. Who or what truly is your God according to your use of God's money?

Examine your heart today. Are you generous to the things of God?

2Co7

Worldly grief produces only regret, and ultimately, death. Godly sorrow leads to repentance and true life! Whenever we sin, we feel the conviction of that sin. If we turn from our sin to God, the conviction we feel leads to life. If we continue in sin, it will only produce greater and greater sin and regret, which ends in death.

I am amazed at the lack of conviction that some "believers" feel over their sin. Not amazed, shocked! Literally blown away! They seem to not have any conviction at all. Their behaviors goes from bad to worse without any evidence of sorrow or regret. They continue to lie and deceive and abandon everything they know to be right and true. They blame others as if they are the problem and rarely, if ever, realize the problem is with them. Do you know people like this? Are you one of them?

Integrity in life requires that we "live one life". It demands that we are the same in every context. Use the same vocabulary, do the same things, wear the same clothing, have the same friends, etc. Whenever someone finds themselves having to maintain two lives, they have stopped listening to God.

My prayer is that "godly grief" in our lives today will bring repentance. Where there is no repentance, there is no authentic faith.

2Co6

What limits your ability to experience God is greater ways? Paul told the Corinthians that it was their "own affections". When we love the things of this world more than we love God, that love limits our ability to experience God at a higher level. This is a constant challenge that we face every day.

What will you love and pursue today? Will it be what God desires or will it be something that is only temporary? This life holds much in terms of daily temptation but little in terms of eternal reward. Live for the greater good today.

2Co5

Could you say, "I make it my goal to be pleasing to God."? This was Paul's life verse and one he encouraged others to take on for themselves. He knew that his life was only temporary and that what he did in obedience to Christ was what truly mattered.

His goal focused his behavior, his relationships and his attitude about everything that happened. He was constantly asking the question, "Is this pleasing to God?"

I often wonder how much my life would change if I truly made pleasing God my only focus. Generally, my desires are mixed with conflicting desires. Usually the greatest desire I have to contend against is my self! I tend to want to do what I want, rather than what God wants. It is a challenge that I continue to live with.

Today I have another day to live to please God. Let's stay focused and seek to walk fully in a manner that honors Christ.

Live to please God.

2Co4

Walking in the light requires an authentic confession of our past failures and a commitment to pursue living in truth before God and others.

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to "renounce shameful secret things, not walking in deceit or distorting God's message, but to display the truth of God."  To follow Christ requires that we turn from our natural desires and embrace the ways of God. It is not easy, but it is worth it.

Later in this chapter Paul writes, "momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory." It is worth it to follow God. It cannot be done without intentional effort and relentless pursuit of what is right and true.

Live strong today.