Tuesday May 31, 2022

Today is Tuesday, May 31 and we are studying Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapter one.

As I settle in for a quiet time of intimate morning prayer, I breathe slowly and deeply and center my entire being – body, mind and spirit – on the God who loves me.

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord God, I am here to experience your loving presence and discover the message you have for me. Speak to me through the sacred words of holy scripture and give me insight to comprehend your wisdom and truth.
Amen.

I praise God for his loving kindness and rejoice with the words of Psalm 84.

Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing. Psalm 68:4-6a

Pause and Pray

For the summer season, First 15 will dive deeply into the book of Ephesians. First Methodist Mansfield produced a study journal for you to record notes from the weekend sermons and First 15 devotion. If you would like a copy, please go to The Connecting Point outside of the sanctuary or email us at info@fmcm.org and we will make sure you receive a copy. In Ephesians, Paul celebrates God’s great rescue plan for humanity through his son Jesus Christ. This letter contains wonderful gems for the Christian life today, most importantly how God’s incredible love for us began even before the world was created.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:3-6

Alongside Paul and the faithful people in first century Ephesus, God has also blessed me with every spiritual blessing in Christ. God chose me in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, God predestined me for adoption to be his son or daughter through Jesus. This is his good pleasure and will – for me to find a family with God and his people. I belong, I have a significant purpose, and I am part of something far bigger than myself. Once I was left outside alone, estranged and utterly separated from a holy God, left to fend for myself in a cruel and broken world. But God did not leave me there, I am rescued, adopted and restored – I have a forever family and an eternal home.

Ask: What does it mean for me to be a part of God’s family? What is my role and responsibility as a family member?

Pause and Pray

Heavenly Father, I praise you for your goodness, mercy and grace which you freely give me through your beloved Son Jesus. You have blessed me with every spiritual blessing. I am ever grateful that it is your pleasure and will for me to be your adopted son/daughter. I earnestly seek the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit to make me holy and blameless before you. I read the words from Ephesians again and listen for the message you have for me.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:3-6

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?

Pause and Pray

God is always communicating with me, speaking to my heart and mind and I am learning to listen, paying attention throughout the day and meditating on the words of sacred scripture. Today I ponder the concept of adoption. Perhaps I have first hand knowledge of what it means to be adopted or to adopt someone into a family. If not, I can perhaps imagine the blessings an orphan finds when adopted into a loving, forever home. I was born an orphaned soul, separated by the original sin of humanity and lost like a helpless wandering sheep. God through Jesus never gave up on me – seeking, finding, rescuing, restoring and adopting me with love into his special family.

Pause and Pray

Abba, Father, your love is amazing and your grace is unending. Thank you for welcoming my childlike soul into the kind embrace of your precious heart. Allow me to rest in your presence and savor the unfathomable depths of your love for me. I rejoice to be called your son/daughter. Amen.

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir through God. Galatians 4:4-7 NRSV

I leave this time of prayer contemplating God’s great love for my adopted soul and seeing to reflect his love to a lost and orphaned world.

Amen