Ephesians Chapter 1

This is such an awesome chapter!

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3Praise 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. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

It never fails to leave me in awe that we will are held as holy and blameless in his sight! We, mere sinners who deserve nothing but death, are chosen to be the objects of the love of God! That love, which cost His son to die a horrible death for our sins, is far above anything else...truly it is God's grace that has made this possible!

11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

We have been given the Holy Spirit. What a gift that is! It wasn't until a few years ago that I ever even gave the Holy Spirit a second thought. I knew it was part of the trinity, but that was about all I knew (shamefully). It wasn't until I started researching this gift that God has bestowed upon believers that I came to know the power and the awesomeness of His Spirit being with us constantly.

15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

This prayer is something we should be hoping for all believers. It is vital that we remain humbled enough to know that we need God's wisdom and revelation to further know and understand who He is and what He has purposed in our lives.

The word of God is so encouraging! I pray it also encourages anyone who might read this.

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

Recently, I entered into a summer Bible study about parenting. I was told we were going to be using the book "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp. I was a bit leary when I heard this because the only book I like to use is the Bible. However, after only attending one of the meetings, I was completely convicted in the way I had been parenting our children. This book directs you straight back to the Bible and as far as I can tell is determined to teach biblical truths and biblical principles for parenting rather than offering a formula to raise children with good self-esteem. Here is an excerpt from the book:

Let's take a familiar example from any home where there are two or more children. The children are playing and a fight breaks out over a particular toy. The classic response is "Who had it first?" This response misses heart issues. "Who had it first?" is an issue of justice. Justice operates in the favor of the child who was the quicker draw in getting the toy to begin with. If we look at this situation in terms of the heart, the issues change.

Now you have two offenders. Both children are displaying a hardness of heart toward the other. Both are being selfish. Both children are saying, "I don't care about you or your happiness. I am only concerned about myself. I want this toy. My happiness depends on possessing it. I will have it and be happy regardless of what that means to you."

In terms of issues of the heart, you have two sinning children. Two children are preferring themselves before the other. Two children are breaking God's law. Sure, the circumstances are different. One is taking the toy that the other has. The other is keeping the advantage. The circumstances are different, but the heart issue is the same - "I want my happiness, even at your expense."

You see, then, how heart attitude direct behavior. It is always true. All behavior is linked to some attitude of the heart. Therefore, discipline must address attitudes of the heart.

Now let's go to Scripture.

Proverbs 4:23 NIV
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.

Deuteronomy 10:12 NIV
12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Jeremiah 17:10 NIV
10 "I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

Luke 12:34 NIV
34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Hebrews 4:12 NIV
12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Luke 6:45 NIV
45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

I admit I am horribly guilty of putting a band aid on the wound and not getting to the source of the infection. I am determined to change that now. My eyes have been opened and I cannot look at it the same again. I can no longer plead ignorance, and I must take the steps to change this.

Here is another excerpt from the book:

I have seen families get hold of the principles in this book. I have seen parents shepherding happy, productive children who are alert to themselves and life. I visited such a home recently. The family was alive and vibrant. Teenage children were at home, because home was an exciting place to be. Father and Mother were held in high esteem and sought out for advice. The Bible and biblical truth blew through every conversation - not with stifling heat, but like a refreshing life-giving breeze. In this home, five generations have kept the faith and a sixth is learning that God is the foundation of life in whose light we see light.

These are things worth striving for. This is a vision worthy of sacrifice.

I am sure as I continue on with this study and reading this book inbetween changing diapers and building towers I will be blogging on this issue again. I would love to give a copy of this book to every Christian parent there is, but since I cannot I will highly recommend it instead!

"All by self"

This is a post inspired by my two year old son. It is about something that brought me to my knees earlier today. It's amazing how much God has taught me through the lives of these children He has entrusted my husband and me with. My son has recently entered the "all by self" stage in whitch he knows he needs help but is so determined to do it by himself that he ends up getting frustrated with whatever he is attempting to do. Today I was brought to the realization that it is this same exact thing that keeps so many of us from where we should be in our walk with Christ. It is our knowing we need help from Him but refusing to accept it that keeps us going so slowly, stops us, or in the worst cases takes us backwards along our path.

I have to say there are times when I feel like I am the only one who struggles with living a Christian life. When I look at people I don't see their struggles because everyone puts their best act on for others to see. I am guilty of doing it as well, although inside I long to get the help and support I need as a Christian in these inward battles I face. I seek the strength of God in these things but I am aware that He gives us the rest of the body to help us in times like these to turn us back to where we need to be. Maybe if we weren't all so intent on doing things by ourselves we would start moving towards the goal and be able to help others struggling to run this race as well.

I am not the keeper of the money in our home, but when I think of the woman who gave all she had, I long to be that woman. Not in a monetary sense, although that is very important, I long to give everything of me for the glory and service of God. I know that He has given us His Spirit and by the power of that Holy Spirit we all can come closer to giving our all, but first we have to stop trying to prove something to everyone that we are capable of doing it on our own. We aren't capable of doing it on our own, and God never intended for us to do it that way - that is why we have a family of believers called the church...I encourage us all to use those that He has given to us.