Tuesday June 14, 2022

Today is Tuesday, June 14 and this week we are studying Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapter two.

As I enter this time of prayer, I pause to become still. I silence my thoughts and center myself on the presence of the God who loves me.

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord God, I am here to grow closer to you and to hear what message you have for me. Reveal more of yourself through these holy scriptures and speak to my heart today. Amen.

I celebrate the greatness of God with the words of Psalm 73.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:24-26

Pause and Pray

The letter to the Ephesians describes the state of our lives before our redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ. Paul began by looking back at where we came from in order to show the greatness of God’s grace and mercy. He then explains the consequences of our sin and separation from God. Since he is full of perfect love, God righteously judges sin. I was formed and made me to be good, yet on my own, my fallen nature has destined me for death and destruction.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. Ephesians 2:3

Along with all human beings, the image of God in me has been distorted by original sin and my body’s longings influence me to act according to the flesh instead of according to the Spirit. I find myself made in God’s image in a fallen world and I am conflicted by multiple desires and wills. My only hope is my savior Jesus. In him, all of the sin that mars my body and soul is washed away. Since now I have been justified by his blood, how much more shall I be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Romans 5:9) Out of God’s abundant love for me, he also left me his Spirit to dwell in me and show me how to live according to him.

Ask: What cravings of my flesh tempt me to sin? What desires and thoughts do I have that do not align with the Spirit of God?

Pause and Pray

Perfect and Holy Lord God, I praise you for your overflowing goodness toward me. I confess I have sinned and fall short of your glory. I have not loved you with my whole heart. I have not loved my neighbor as myself. Thank you for crafting a redemptive plan for me before I was even born. Thank you for sending your son as a sacrifice for me. You see me and you know me fully and you love me just as I am. I reread the words from Ephesians and seek your message for me today.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. Ephesians 2:3

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

I slow down and sit with God’s message for me today. I am broken, yet he loves me completely. I dwell on the grace he has lavished upon me. He has given freely and abundantly to me more than I deserve. Perhaps God wants me to recognize and confess sin in my life. Maybe God wants me to experience his grace in a new way today.

Pause and Pray

Merciful God, I kneel before you in reverence and awe. You are so good to me. Help me to see how I can walk according to your Spirit today. Amen.

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Romans 8:6-9

I leave this time of prayer seeking to walk in step with the Spirit of God who lives in me.

Amen