Dear Lord,
Today someone prays for the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Praise be to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
May His Grace and peace be with you;
He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing
In the heavenly realms for all that you do.
He chose you before the creation of the world
To be holy and blameless in His sight.
He predestined you to be adopted as His child,
In love, through Jesus Christ, our light.
God in His pleasure and free will-
Gave you His glorious grace,
By sending His beloved Son Jesus,
To die for your sins and disgrace.
Through His painful death on the cross,
His blood bought you redemption.
You were included in Christ when you heard
His word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Having believed, you were marked with His seal,
The promised Holy Spirit,
Who guarantees your inheritance-to the praise of His glory.
Nothing is earned by your own merit.
All things in heaven and on earth
Come together under one head;
With the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
Along His path you are led.
The working of God's mighty strength,
Raised Jesus from the dead
And seated Him at His right hand,
So that you may have salvation instead.
He reigns above all power and dominion,
Every authority and title that's given;
Throughout the ages God has placed all things
Under Jesus, on earth and in heaven.
I pray that your heart may be enlightened,
By the hope to which you are called,
The riches of His glorious inheritance
On you He has outpoured.
Amen.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
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 to be adopted as his sons 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. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
In 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, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And 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, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
For 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, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far 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. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Thank you Lord Jesus!
Dear Friends,
Let us be thankful today for God's saving grace.
It is not through our own merit that we are saved but by grace alone.
Thank you Lord Jesus!
We have to accept His death and resurrection,
as His ultimate sacrifice, so that our sins can be forgiven.
Thank you Lord Jesus!
We have to acknowledge that we are sinners.
Our sins nailed Jesus to the cross. When we ask for forgiveness, He forgives.
Thank you Lord Jesus!
We have to be open to the infilling of His Spirit.
He sent His Holy Spirit to be with us, our guide and comforter.
Thank you Lord Jesus!
We need to share His Word with others,
so that they too may share in the inheritance of God's kingdom.
Thank you Lord Jesus!
"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
(John 3:16)
Thank you Lord Jesus!
(by Doreen Hardie)
