Foundations November 6, 2012

Read Ephesians 1
In your journal, write down the things that stick out to you from today’s Bible reading. Respond to what God shows you as you feel led (confession, thanksgiving, etc.).

Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians to encourage them and strengthen their faith. Unlike many of Paul’s letters, including Galatians, Ephesians wasn’t written to speak truth to Christians under pressure from false doctrine. The first three chapters are about taking the Ephesians’ understanding of the Gospel deeper in their hearts. The second three chapters describe how this understanding should affect one’s life. Much of Ephesians can be broken down to the two things Paul prays for in verse 18. A deep, personal knowledge of God is an essential and powerful thing for Christians. On top of knowing God, we must also trust His promises for us through Christ (what Paul calls our “inheritance”).

Prayer and Meditation

1.     A large portion of this chapter is dedicated to describing the spiritual blessings given through Christ, or our inheritance in Him (vs. 3-14). Go back over these verses and thank God for each blessing He gives us.

2.     Are any of the promises found in verses 3-14 hard for you to believe? For example, many people struggle with believing that God really loves them or that He desires them to be holy and blameless (vs. 4).  Ask God to show you why you have a difficult time believing this specific promise. When He shows you something, pray that He would heal that area of your heart and ask Him to speak His truth to you. If believing God in this area is a big struggle consider signing up for a Personal Prayer Ministry session at the church.

3.     There are many powerful prayers found in Paul’s letters. One of them is in Ephesians 1:16-19. Spend some time praying these things for your family. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you specific insight into how you can pray each verse for your family’s individual situations.