Daily Update #141

Eph 2:1–10                              Psalm 100                               Luke 12:13–21
Spur one another
The book of Ephesians is just the tonic, especially if you feel spiritually impoverished. I suggest a good dose three time a day will help no end! The whole book to me seems to open up God’s abundant treasure chest.
Today’s reading from chapter 2 are uplifting, and unless you need reminding of where you came from (dead to sin), I suggest you go straight to verse 4.
⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Our God has set us free from our past, so we can live to serve and worship him in the present, with even more blessings in the future. Notice the great things that God has done: –
Verse 5 – Made us alive! No longer dead in our transgressions.
Verse 6a – Raised us up! Given us a position on the top table.
Verse 6b – Seated us with him! In the heavenlies.
What struck me about these verses on second glance, is the use of the word “us”. This isn’t a passage about personal edification, it is corporate. With our imposed Zoom-based church socialising we still need to think of ourselves as a fellowship. So how might that look for Southbourne today?
Perhaps it might be a prompting to get in touch with someone you have missed over the year. I noted some familiar faces on the APCM Zoom last week, and to my shame I’ve not kept in touch. As we are all together seated with him in the heavenly realms let’s virtually pull up our chairs closer, and not practise spiritually distancing with each other.
“…let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…” Heb 10:24-25.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
This week help us to enter the gates of this week with thanksgiving for your riches in mercy. We owe our very being to you and praise you for your rich spiritual provision. Bind us together, we your people, that we might be instrumental in serving you today – wherever we are, individually and corporately, as the body of Christ.
Amen
(Based on Psalm 100)