Day 267 Bible Readings – Ephesians 3: 14-19 (ESV)

Isaiah 57: 14-21, Isaiah 58-59, Ephesians 3, Psalm 147: 1-11

Ephesians 3: 14-19 (ESV)

“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—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.”

In verses 14 through 19 from Ephesians 3, Paul writes to the church at Ephesus a prayer for them so they can have a personal relationship with Father-God, Jesus, Christ and the Hol Spirit. Paul asks that Father-God strengthen the church in Ephesus with power through the Holy Spirit. He also prays that Jesus Christ dwell in their hearts because of their faith in him. Paul also prays that we have the strength to comprehend Father-God’s boundless love, and to know and experience the love of Christ. Paul also prays that we may be filled with fullness of Father-God.

I love this prayer, and I think we can use this verse and substitute you for “me” or “I” as I’ve seen this done with other verses from Paul’s letters. For example, instead of “he may grant you to be strengthened”, you would say “he may grant me to be strengthened.” You would be praying for this prayer for yourself, instead of for the church in Ephesus. You would be praying for yourself to have the strength to comprehend Father-God’s love, and to know that Jesus Christ dwells in your heart through your faith. If you said it daily, you could have the blessings of Paul’s prayer over your life every day.

If you found encouragement in my reflections on these Bible verses, and you want to have a personal relationship with Father-God through your faith in Jesus Christ—then I invite you to pray the following prayer aloud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 266 Bible Readings – Ephesians 2: 8-10 (ESV)

Isaiah 55-56, Isaiah 57: 1-13, Ephesians 2, Psalm 146

Ephesians 2: 8-10 (ESV)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

In verses 8 through 10 from Ephesians 2, Paul writes to the Ephesians in the church at Ephesus about the nature of grace and salvation. Paul tells them that they are saved by Father-God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The grace to be saved through faith is a gift from Father-God, and not because of the good deeds that we do. Our good deeds are the evidence of our faith and being saved by grace, but our good deeds cannot earn our salvation.  We should not boast about all the good deeds that we do.

Paul tells us that we were created by Father-God, and when we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, we have rebirth and renewal. Because we are new creations through our faith in Jesus Christ, we do good deeds to show the evidence of our deliverance. Father-God who created us, has prepared a plan for our life and is active in our life. All we need to do is walk in the paths Father-God prepared for us.

I love Paul’s definition of grace in Ephesians 2:8-10 because it offers a profound understanding of God’s gift to humanity. Grace, as described by Paul, is rooted in the idea that Father-God is our Creator, and through His love, He gave us the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. This sacrificial act was done so that we might be saved, not by our own efforts, but through faith in Jesus.

Grace is the unearned favor bestowed by Father-God upon His creations. It is not something we can earn or achieve through good deeds or personal accomplishments. Instead, salvation is possible only through believing in Jesus Christ. When we accept this gift of grace through faith, we are transformed into new creations.

As new creations, our lives take on new purpose and direction. We are called to walk in the paths that Father-God has already prepared for us. This journey is not about proving ourselves worthy, but about living in response to the grace we have received, allowing our faith to be evident in the way we live.

If you found encouragement in my reflections on these Bible verses, and you want to be saved through your faith in Jesus Christ—then I invite you to pray the following prayer aloud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 265 Bible Readings – Isaiah 53: 7-9 (ESV)

Isaiah 52-54, Ephesians 1, Psalm 145 13-21

Isaiah 53: 7-9 (ESV)

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”

In verses 7 through 9 from Isaiah 53, Isaiah the Old Testament prophet gives us another prophecy about the life of Jesus Christ. Isaiah predicted that Christ would be oppressed and become like a lamb that is led to slaughter. Isaiah said that the Messiah would not open his moth, and during his trial Jesus Christ never defended himself. Isaiah also tells us that Christ would be make his grave with the wicked, which came true because Jesus was crucified with two other criminals. And finally, Isaiah prophesied that Christ would be buried with a rich man in his death. Christ was buried in the tomb of the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea.

When I meditate on these verses, I am struck by the phrase “like a lamb that is lead to slaughter.”  In the sacrificial system, lambs were offered for atonement to take away sin. In Exodus, Moses told the people of Israel to slaughter the Passover lamb and put the blood on their door frames, and by doing this they would not suffer the 10^th plage which was the death of all the first born in Egypt. Jesus Christ was always meant to be the sacrificial lamb to atone for our sins to save us from plague of death. I am also in awe of how Father-God orchestrated all the events which led to life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We need to trust that no matter what happens in our life, Father-God has a plan for our life and for the world.

If you found encouragement in my reflections on these Bible verses, and you desire a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to have a Father-God who has a purpose for your life and for the world—then I invite you to pray the following prayer aloud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 264 Bible Readings – Galatians 6: 9-10 (ESV)

Isaiah 49-51, Galatians 6, Psalm 145: 8-13

Galatians 6: 9-10 (ESV)

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

In verses 9 and 10 from Galatians 6, Paul writes to the churches in Galatia to not lose heart or become discouraged from doing good. He tells them you might not see immediate results, but you need to trust in Father-God’s timing that you will see that you have contributed to Father-God’s plan for yourself and humanity. Paul tells them that they need to continually do good to everyone at every opportunity, and especially to their brothers and sisters in faith.

I found these verses comforting in light of last week’s news of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. No matter how much craziness and ugliness we sometimes see in the world, we need to always do good and treat everyone well. We need to think of how Jesus Christ would have reacted and treated people at a time like this. I’m also grateful to have a church community around me with whom I can talk to about what happened and share in our collective grief over this tragedy. It’s hard at a time like this to think of continuing to do good in the face of the evil that was committed, and the aftermath of some people celebrating the murder of this amazing Christian man. But as Paul told the Galatians, we need to continually do good because we know that Father-God will help us in our efforts and we will one day know that our efforts were not in vain, and they helped to further Father-God’s plan for us and for the world.

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on these Bible verses, and you want to always do good in the world with the help of Father-God to help you through your faith in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer out loud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.