February 19, 2018
Ephesians 2:1-10 New Living Translation (NLT)
In the days of Noah, God brought a flood. Noah and his family were in the ark; they were both saved by the water and saved from the water. They were saved by the Spirit from the flooding judgment of Almighty God. And, that water of the Spirit is a picture of baptism that now saves us through a response to God from a clean conscience. Baptism is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).
Because of the Spirit, we are now made alive with the resurrected Christ. We are baptized into the Spirit of Christ. We can follow his lead for our lives and we can have his strength to live in the love and presence of God so we can do the good things he has planned for us. There is no fear and no judgment; we are saved to Testify!
If you have never been baptized, I would be honored to pray with you and baptize you. If you were baptized years ago, but you want to rededicate your heart to the Lord, I would be honored to pray with you and re-baptize you into the Spirit. Simply let me know. Blessings for your day in Christ!
Ephesians 2:1-10 Made Alive with Christ
2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Prayer: Lord, you are rich in love, mercy, grace, and patience. Thank you for baptizing me into the Spirit; One Spirit, One Faith, One Baptism. Lead my life; I belong to you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.