Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. —Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks to God is grace-focused—voicing gratitude for blessings received, though undeserved. When you verbalize your thanks to God worry dwindles, trouble shrinks, courage surfaces, and peace dawns. In Ephesians 5, Paul pegs giving thanks as an ingredient in being filled with …
Making the most of every opportunity. —Ephesians 5:16 She has closets and cabinets full of stuff that has never been used—silverware, china, crystal, linens, candles, perfume. She’s saving them for some special occasion that never seems to arrive. Silver tarnishes when it isn’t used. Linens …
No immoral, impure or greedy person … has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. —Ephesians 5:5 Immorality and impurity. Bad stuff! Choosing to live in those ghettos instead of in God’s neighborhood can get you …
Be kind and compassionate to one another. —Ephesians 4:32 Kindness begins with right thinking. The sleazy mindset of vicious thinking is sordidly displayed on tabloid covers at the grocery checkout. Refuse to sink into scandal-sheet thinking. “In your hearts do not think evil of …
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger. —Ephesians 4:31 “Inside of me,” said grandpa, “a ferocious fight is going on between two dogs. One is hostile—bristling with anger, hatred, envy, greed, and resentment. The other is peaceful—brimming with joy, love, generosity, serenity, and kindness.” “Which …
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. —Ephesians 4:29 Life is a marathon, not a sprint—a long, demanding race. Someone needs your encouragement and support to negotiate it; to endure, …
They were a lot like us—distressed and depressed about their nation. Their sins had caught up with them and now they were in captivity. Their nation paid a high price for their sins. We sometimes wonder if there is any hope for ours, for our beloved country is a miserable mess—a cauldron of crime, immorality, …
Be made new in the attitude of your minds. —Ephesians 4:23 A rotten attitude is toxic, poisoning from inside out. It contaminates relationships and sabotages happiness—turns life into a mental garbage dump. Take ownership of your attitude. Stop blaming others for your …
To him be glory in the church. —Ephesians 3:21 By human measurement the church should have been doomed from day one. It began with just a dozen men, not near enough considering a world population at the time of 200 million. Mainly those guys were uneducated, poor, and powerless—slim chance they could …
(He) is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. —Ephesians 3:20 God shapes us in various ways … Sometimes he tweaks, making minor revisions. Sometimes he skips minor revisions and goes for major makeovers. Sometimes he adds or deletes a chapter here and there. Sometimes he …
