Jennifer A

If today was your last day on earth, what kind of legacy will you leave behind?

The word “legacy” takes on a different meaning for people. Some believe they need to build something grand to leave behind, while others believe they need to preserve something that has been passed down by family. Matthew reminds us that our legacy is a true treasure; “Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (6:20-21) In other words, our heart will either want our legacy to be of this world and it will ultimately be destroyed; or it will want our legacy to be eternal which will mean that it will be forever connected to Christ.

In today’s passage, Solomon challenges us to consider wisely the legacy we will choose to leave behind for our children and for future generations.

Solomon points us to remember that God is the builder of all things, He watches over all things, and He is the One who gives all things. So, when we take over the building, the watching, and/or the giving, we are doing it all for nothing. “For the Lord gives to His loved ones even while they sleep.” (v.2) If God allows each of our physical systems to operate even while we are sleeping, providing all that is needed to sustain our physical life during rest, why do we not trust Him to provide all that is needed to sustain our physical lives when we are awake? Rather, we often attempt to take the control of our lives in our own hands. God seeks for us to give full control of our lives into His hands.

As you read Psalm 127, remember that these words were written for the community of Israel as they made their way up to Jerusalem and to the temple, it was a reminder to them (and remains a reminder to us today) of God’s covenant promise to His people and His many blessings. We know from history that we must have faith and trust in God to build, watch, and give us each our future plan, because apart from His eternal and perfect plan for each of our lives, our own great worldly achievements are fleeting.

Psalm 127 NLT
God Is Good to His People

1 Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders work for nothing. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the men who watch over it stay awake for nothing. 2 You rise up early, and go to bed late, and work hard for your food, all for nothing. For the Lord gives to His loved ones even while they sleep.

3 See, children are a gift from the Lord. The children born to us are our special reward. 4 The children of a young man are like arrows in the hand of a soldier. 5 Happy is the man who has many of them. They will not be put to shame when they speak in the gate with those who hate them.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the plan that You have for my life. Help me, Lord, to submit my own will in order to allow Your will to be done in and through my life. I want to walk out the plan that You have designed especially for me, because I know that it is the best plan. Please forgive me for not always trusting in Your plan for my life. Help to bring me closer to walking out Your desired plan for my life. I want to glorify You, Jesus. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

The Apostle Paul began his letter to the church in Colossae by giving thanks in prayer for these faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul had not met these Christians, but he still wanted to be an encouragement to them. He believed it was important for them to know that the same Good News that came to them through their salvation in Christ was going out all over the world and changing lives, just as it had changed their lives. (1:6) He wanted them to know that he and Timothy were continuously praying for their knowledge of God’s will for their lives and for God’s spiritual wisdom and understanding to grow within them. (1:9) He shared in detail about Christ’ supremacy (1:15-20) and reminded them that although they were once far away from God, they now know the Truth and so they must stand firmly on it and allow their roots to grow deeper and deeper to ensure that they never drift away from their relationship and faith in Christ Jesus. (1:21-23)

Today we pick up from that point within Paul’s letter and we see more of his shepherd heart, and how he is suffering for their sake and for the sake of all Christians to come (including you and me). Paul also shines a light on the “mystery of God”: how God has always wanted everyone for His Kingdom (1:26-27) because Christ Himself is God’s mysterious plan, for “In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:3). Friends, that means that you and I embody the treasures of God’s wisdom and His knowledge because we embody the Spirit of Christ! So, we must hold firm to this Truth and grow each day to deepen our understanding of it so that no one can deceive us, because our hearts are One with Christ! (2:5)

When you and I are born into this world our human-self innately hates to suffer. However, when we are born again in Christ, we have a new life in Him, and we must begin to grow-up in that life. Our Biblical understanding of Christ and His True Gospel message for our lives is crucial, and that is why we need to be in His Word every day. As our faith grows strong in the Truth (2:7), we begin to spiritually understand that all suffering is used by the Lord, He doesn’t want it for us, but we must trust Him to use it for the good of His Kingdom. (Rom 8:28)

Colossians 1:24-2:7 (NLT)
Paul’s Work for the Church

24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. 26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect[a] in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

2:1 I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. 2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

4 I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. 5 For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.

Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Prayer: Jesus, You are supreme over all of creation. Help me to trust You to reign over all aspects of my being and of my life. I want to continue to grow in my relationship with You so that I can trust You more when times of suffering occur. I want to grow in my spiritual wisdom and knowledge so that I am more firmly rooted in You. I stand against the enemy and anyone or circumstance that he attempts to use to deceive me. May My faith is in You, and You alone, Jesus. I pray all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Happy 4th of July! Today we celebrate our independence as a country, but you and I know that as Christians we should be celebrating our full dependence on the Lord each day. Far too often we like to think that we are independent and can navigate a situation or a period of time within our life without the Lord. But, for those of us who are honest enough to admit that we’ve done that, we know all too well that it never works out. When life is really hard and when we’ve sinned or stepped away from God and the path He has for our life, we need to be quick to respond like David does in today’s passage. David goes right to the heart of the matter, and he does not make any excuses or attempts to justify his own innocence. Rather, he humbly comes before the Lord in fervent prayer and seeks the Lord’s forgiveness, compassion, healing, restoration, and love.

Psalm 6 is one of seven penitential psalms. These are psalms that express confession and seek repentance. We do not know the specific incident in David’s life that is ascribed to this psalm, it could be King Saul wanting to assassinate him (1 Samuel 19:1), or his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:9), or the rebellion of his son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15:13). Regardless, the situation is dire enough that David understands that it connects with his physical suffering, and his fear for his own life. Despite a time of fear (v. 6-7), David has faith that God will rescue him and respond to his enemies.

Remember, when life seems too hard, God still loves you beyond measure and He does not want you to helplessly wander anymore. He wants to gently nudge you to grow more and more like Him. So, get on your knees and pour out your heart and soul to the Lord like David did, and then get up and move forward with Jesus in confident assurance of His love and care for your life.

Psalm 6
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.

1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.
2 Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
3 I am sick at heart.
How long, O Lord, until you restore me?

4 Return, O Lord, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love.
5 For the dead do not remember you.
Who can praise you from the grave?

6 I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.
7 My vision is blurred by grief;
my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

8 Go away, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord will answer my prayer.
10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.
May they suddenly turn back in shame.

Prayer: Lord, we come before You seeking Your forgiveness, Your compassion, Your healing, Your restoration, and Your love. Thank You for being our guide all of the time, and especially during difficult times. Help us, Lord, to be fully dependent on You every second of every day. We ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

We are picking up from Friday in the Book of Ephesians, which we know is about God’s eternal plan in bringing all things together in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul does an amazing job of explaining how this plan works, and he includes how God has brought us together as the church and how we are called to a place of “unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son” (v. 13).

You might be thinking, how can I be united with everyone at church when I can’t even begin to relate to some of the people who attend Sunday morning worship? Well, my friends, your differences with people at church are by design; and today’s passage says that our diversity as a church is for a purpose: God’s purpose, which is for all of us, as a united church, to be “mature in the Lord” (v. 13).

Paul is not writing about us just becoming mature individually. Rather, he’s writing about the maturity that the church reaches as a body. Once we reach this place of maturity in the Lord, Paul tells us that “we will no longer be immature like children” (v. 14). As a mature church, “we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (v. 15).

When you and I come together, with everyone else in the church, as one united body, Jesus “makes the whole body fit together perfectly” (v. 16). Each of us plays our own part, but our part helps the other parts, so together we are growing and full of the love of Christ Jesus.

Pastor Mary preached yesterday about how we all need to come together in unity as the church for this coming year. If you missed yesterday’s sermon at the park, there is a link to it at the bottom of this devotion.

Ephesians 4:7-16 NLT
Unity in the Body

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”

9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Prayer: Jesus, we thank You for being the head of our body, the church. Help us, Lord, to work together to grow in our faith, as Your church, so that we can mature in You. We want to be equipped to do Your work. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

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Friends, we are going to wrap up the week and there will still be some discussion about the Spirit; only, now it is not just about your life in the Spirit, it’s about how all believers are bound together in the Spirit.

In chapters 1 – 3 in Ephesians, Paul teaches about the believers’ new status as the children of God: how we are forgiven, adopted into God’s Family, we are redeemed from the slavery of sin, loved by God, strengthened with His power, and we are recipients of the riches of Christ Jesus.

So, when Paul begins today’s passage with “therefore” we know that what he is saying comes in light of what he has already spoken (in chapters 1-3). Paul now urges us, as believers, to walk in a new way. He is connecting our faith to practice. He is basically saying of course you know the message of Jesus, now you need to also know the person of Jesus. Knowing Jesus, means we are able to get closer and closer to walking out our faith and putting it into practice. Also, we need to do this together, as the body (or church) of believers. This is our commissioned way of living as one body and one Spirit, in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT
Unity in the Body

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for loving each of us despite our faults. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Help us, Lord, to be one united body in Your Spirit. Help us to be patient with one another, and to put our love for each other ahead of anything else. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen

This week’s devotions have been heavily focused on the work of the Holy Spirit. It is very fitting as this week piggybacks on Pentecost, also as we finished up our study on the Fruit of the Spirit last night, and we all desperately need Jesus’ help each and every day through the work of His Spirit within us.

Earlier this week we were learning from the Apostle Paul’s ministry to the believers in Corinth, and today we will continue to learn from him through his ministry to the Ephesians and other churches within the surrounding area.

In chapter 1, Paul begins with a blessing and praise to God. He goes on to talk about our inheritance as believers, “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” (v. 13-14)

Paul goes on to thank God for all believers. He prays for our spiritual wisdom and insight so that we can grow in our knowledge and relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He wants our hearts may be overwhelmed with the Light of Christ, and for the darkness of this world to never overshadow that brilliant Light of Christ in us. It is by the Light of the Christ that we grow in the confident hope that God has so graciously given to those of us who call on Him and who He calls His holy people.

Ephesians 1:17-20 NLT

17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Prayer: Jesus, we continue to praise You for the work of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives. May You overwhelm each of us today with Your Light, and may it shine ever so brightly for others to be drawn to You. Help us to share Your message with someone today. We ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Click here if you missed any of the last 9 Bible studies that focused on the Fruit of the Spirit

Friends, we are picking up from yesterday’s devotion and finishing chapter two of 1 Corinthians (v.12-16).

If you recall, the Apostle Paul is ministering to the believers in Corinth, and he is presenting the Truth about the work of the Holy Spirit. We know that a believer’s faith is based on Christ’s power through the work of the Holy Spirit, and that it is not based on human wisdom. The believers who are willing to allow the work of the Spirit will begin to understand the Truth, and those without the Spirit are limited to human reasoning. The Holy Spirit, in each of us, makes things possible to understand. We are told “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (Col 2:8). Remember, there are spiritual powers that come from this world, and they are dark powers that belong to the enemy. You and I do not belong to him, we belong to Christ, and so we must connect to the living Spirit of Christ. The spiritual powers of this world are false, and they offer what appears to be resolutions, but those are temporary resolutions. The Spirit that you and I call on, the One that is housed within us, offers us great eternal wisdom that exists far beyond this earthly temporal realm and into the infinite heavenly realm. You and I are living for eternity now, and so we must continue to connect ourselves to the living Spirit of Christ at all times.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16 NLT

12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,

“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?”

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

Prayer: Jesus, we pray against the dark spiritual powers of this world. We pray for a revival of Your Holy Spirit within Your believers. May Your Church rise up, and when others witness Your Spirit operating within Your believers, may they too want to connect to You. We pray for more hearts to know You, Jesus. Help us to be vessels who bring hearts to You. Allow Your Helper to work through us as we speak of Your unending love. We ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.