Devotional Song: ... Go to this link … Please take the time to take in a video of Kristyn and Keith Getty singing their song … Speak, O Lord, … with the plea that we, of faith, … born-again Christians, … will in obedience, speak the power and truth of God’s word, … lighting a darkened world and building His Church on earth. …
Highlight Passage Ephesians 4: 15-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God His Bride together with special gifts and power to do His work in unity …
============
Highlight Context - Ephesians 4: 1-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
============
Reference Passage #1: Acts 1: 8 [NKJV] …
8 [Jesus as He ascended into Heaven] “ … “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. … “
… When Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He left His Spirit to do His work through the Body of the Church …
Reference Passage # 2 - 1st Corinthians 12: 4-12 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… There is only ONE body to serve ONE Spirit for God’s work on earth …
Reference Passage #3: Ephesians 2: 10 [NKJV] …
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
… He created the faithful remnant (i.e., His Church) to do His work on earth. …
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional entry, authored by Dennis Fisher, illustrates his ODB entry today by using a personal story. He writes about a special gift he was given … “ My wife, Janet, bought me a new Dreadnought D-35 guitar for my 65th birthday. Originally developed in the early 1900s, the Dreadnought style is larger than most guitars designed during that time, and it’s known for its bold and loud tone. It was named after the large World War I British battleship the HMS Dreadnought. The back of the D-35 is unique [see photo]. Because of the shortage of wide pieces of high quality rosewood, the craftsmen creatively fit three smaller pieces of wood together, which resulted in a richer tone. “
Author Fisher’s illustration is to highlight God’s work in crafting the unity of the Church to have God’s power when we, His Bride, come together with our uniquely Spirit-imparted gifts to work for the purposes God intended for His Church to accomplish. And when Christ left this earth and ascended in Heaven after His resurrection [see Acts 1: 8], He imparted His Spirit to reside in each of His faithful to have special gifts which can carry out His workmanship. And when we, His Bride, come together in unity to fulfill His purposes, we can do just that [see the reference passages linked/copied above]!
The question for each of us today … Are we using our Spirit-given gifts for God’s purposes and His glory?” As my gifts are teaching and exhortation, I pray that what I’ve written here today contributes my part to fulfill God’s purposes for me in His church. But each of us have to take God’s charge in Acts 1: 8 and see if we are being His witnesses, with His power, in the unity of His Church.
My Prayer for Today … O Lord, … may all who come here and Yours truly look to use Your gifts for Your glory today and everyday. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
No comments:
Post a Comment