Monday, May 4, 2026

Opening Scripture

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, you are holy and exalted! May your kingdom come and your will be done in my life, home, and community, just as it is in Heaven. Help me to trust you today to meet all of my needs. Help me to forgive others, just as you have forgiven me. Help me to resist temptation and overcome the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Ephesians 1:1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus 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 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. 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, 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 reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under 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 put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you 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.

Reflection  

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be making our way through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Paul wrote this powerful correspondence from confinement in Rome around A.D. 60. He mentions being “the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles,” and concludes by referring to himself as “an ambassador in chains.” This epistle sums up the major themes of Paul’s message to all the churches.

Ephesus was the most important city in western Asia Minor (Turkey). The church there was a mix of Jewish and Gentile believers. Paul had some interesting experiences in Ephesus on his way back to Antioch after his second missionary journey, as described by Luke in Acts 19.

Later, during his third missionary journey, Paul spent three years in Ephesus preaching, teaching, performing miracles, and establishing the church there (Acts 20:31). On the way to Jerusalem, he stopped in Miletus and arranged to meet the Ephesian church leaders there. He encouraged these “shepherds” to “be on your guard” for the “savage wolves” who would attack the church and “not spare the flock.” Even some within the congregation would distort the truth and lead people astray.

Paul had a very effective ministry in Ephesus. He baptized a dozen of John the Baptist’s disciples. He taught for two years in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, so that “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” He performed “extraordinary miracles” of healing and exorcism. Sorcerers were converted, there was a bonfire of “magic scrolls,” and a riot broke out.

Certainly, Paul was well-known to the followers of Jesus in this influential community. In this letter, he wants to strengthen their faith, promote unity, and instruct them on living a life worthy of their calling in Christ. Interestingly, since much of Paul’s encouragement here is to the Gentile believers, we have a Jewish monotheist explaining Christian Trinitarianism to a bunch of pagan polytheists.

Paul opens in the usual way by identifying himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,” and his recipients as “saints, the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Paul (and Peter) always uses the greeting “grace and peace,” connecting the traditional Greek grace and Hebrew peace to the only true source of both: “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Believe it or not, after the introduction, the rest of today’s passage (verses 3-14) is one long sentence in Greek. That’s a lot to pack into one “thought,” but it shows the connectedness of all that’s presented there.

Paul immediately bursts into a joyful, exuberant celebration of God’s goodness. Our Heavenly Father is to be praised since He has given us everything we need in Jesus. There’s a lot of “blessing” in verse 3! We bless (eulogētos) God because He has blessed (eulogēsas) us with every spiritual blessing (eulogia) in Christ.

We worship God in gratitude for the all the divine benefits He has provided His people. These “spiritual blessings” have already been supplied (past tense) by God, so we don’t need to ask Him for them. We simply need to accept and apply them by faith. God has graciously and gladly given us what we need to flourish in and for Him.

It should be noted that Almighty God’s blessings are in the “heavenly realms” as opposed to the “earthly realm.” Ephesus was famous for its temple to Artemis, the goddess of nature and fertility. The riot that Paul’s ministry prompted there (Acts 19) was accompanied by the crowd shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

While Artemis might “promise” temporal, material “blessings” to her followers, Almighty God provides eternal, spiritual blessings to His followers. Five times Paul uses the phrase “in the heavenly realms” in this letter. Paul then explains the Trinitarian nature of the blessings: (1) the selection of the Father, (2) the sacrifice of the Son, and (3) the seal of the Spirit.

Before the creation of the universe, God chose that those “in Christ” – God’s people – would be holy and blameless in His sight. Our salvation is an act of grace at God’s initiative. We are responsible to believe – accept the divine gift by faith – thereby receiving the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our adoption into God’s family.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

The word “adoption” can trigger a wide array of thoughts and emotions. The process of adoption is typically tied to the most visceral and vulnerable aspects of life. There is often both deep joy and deep sorrow entwined in the circumstances that lead to adoption.

A child becomes a candidate for adoption when their biological parents are no longer alive or are no longer willing or able to care for the child. The goal of adoption is to provide a stable family and loving home environment.

While there can be many challenges associated with adoption – legal, financial, emotional, psychological – there are also many benefits. Adoption has the ability to radically alter the trajectory of a person’s life. It’s a transformative journey that profoundly impacts the lives of everyone involved.

We have many wonderful “adoption stories” in our church. Every situation is somewhat unique, but the constant in all of them is a loving adult who desires to change the life of a child.

Almighty God saw our desperate situation and “initiated the adoption process” on our behalf. We were helpless, hopeless, and homeless – orphaned sinners mired in abject poverty – when the King of the Universe gave Himself for us. When we receive God’s invitation to adoption by faith, from then on, we can call Him “Daddy.”

The Spirit you received brought about your adoption, and by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (Romans 8:15-16). It seems too good to be true, doesn’t it?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!