Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
May 27, 2023
Ephesians 4:1-16
1 Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. 2 Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, 3 and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. 4 You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all. 7 God has given his grace to each one of us measured out by the gift that is given by Christ. 8 That’s why scripture says, When he climbed up to the heights, he captured prisoners, and he gave gifts to people. 9 What does the phrase “he climbed up” mean if it doesn’t mean that he had first gone down into the lower regions, the earth? 10 The one who went down is the same one who climbed up above all the heavens so that he might fill everything. 11 He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. 12 His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ 13 until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others. 15 Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ, 16 who is the head. The whole body grows from him, as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments. The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does its part.
Good Morning; Accept each other in the love of Christ!
How do we grow into Christ? Paul tells us we must start by speaking the truth with love. 2 Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, 3 and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.
Though we are many, we come together to be the one body, the community of faith. Within the body of believers, we nurture one another and mature in our faith. Through our maturation, we discover the truths of Christ. At first, we simply listen and marvel as the Word becomes known to us. Over time, we allow the Word to permeate us as the Holy Spirit works within us to transform us. With each step, we begin to proclaim the Word with the confidence of the children of God.
Come, my children, and join in the great cloud of witness as God’s love and mercy transcends time and space. This is our calling, our journey to make. As the Holy Spirit envelops us with the mystery of faith, we grow into Christ.
We are one in the Spirit,
We are one in the Lord,
We are one in the Spirit,
We are one in the Lord,
And we pray that all unity
may one day be restored:
And they'll know we are Christians
by our love, by our love.
Yes, they'll know we are Christians
by our love.
Loving God, We thank you for Your blessings. God, you grant us grace so that we might grow into Christ through the Holy Spirit. May we embrace your love today and always. Thank You! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God calls me to find a Christ-centered community.
Grow into the love of Christ! Pastor Liz
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