Ephesians: To Know Him Better

November is upon us once again! This past year has flown by, lots of things have happened but we survived! I am going to be going back through the book of Ephesians and I invite you to join me!

Here is the intro post I did last year:  Note Worthy November

Here is part 1 of the challenge: Chapters 1-2

Here is part 2: Chapters 2-4

Here is part 3: Chapters 4-5

Here is part 4: Chapter 6

Please share with your friends to join us!

FREE PDF printable

 

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First Peter Writing Challenge

I’m back with another writing challenge to get us through the rest of the summer! I’ve been off the map so to speak these last few months, lots going on in my life. I’m trying to navigate this new normal, some days are better than others, some days I am more productive, and some days I’d rather not relive. I have much to learn still in this life and there is no other place to learn, than from the Word of my God, not the lies that the world shouts constantly!

This month we will be in the book of 1 Peter. Peter, also known as Simon Peter, was one of the first disciples Jesus called. Peter and his brother Andrew were fishing as Jesus called to them, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:18-19) They immediately left their nets and followed him. As I started to read more and find out why they were so willing to just go with Jesus, I quickly found out why over in the book of Luke chapter 5 verses 1-11.

One day Jesus was by the Sea of Galilee sharing the Word of God to the crowd around him. There was a boat of Peter’s there and Jesus got in and asked him to put out a little from shore so he could teach from the boat. After Jesus finished speaking, he said to Peter, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” But Peter answered saying that they had worked hard all night and hadn’t caught anything, but because you say so I will let down the nets. After he obeyed the Lord, they caught such a large number of fish that the nets began to break! They had to call over another boat to help get all of the fish into the two now sinking boats.

Peter then fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man!” He and his friends were astonished at the catch of fish! Jesus then said to Peter, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. What faith they had! That’s the type of faith I want to have.

 

 

Click here for a Free PDF printable:

1 Peter Writing Challenge(3)

 

In the darkest hour of Christ’s life as he struggled in Gethsemane about his coming task, Peter fell asleep. At one point Jesus came upon His dozing disciples and asked, ” Why are you sleeping?…Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” ( Luke 22:46) The consequences of Peter’s prayerlessness were both immediate and tragic. In the ensuing hours, as all the forces of hell were unleashed, the disciple ironically nicknamed “the Rock” discovered that good intentions are not enough to withstand great temptation.-Stormie Omartian

Don’t become a person of prayerlessness. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

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Colossians Writing Challenge

A new month brings a new scripture writing challenge, this month we will be in the book of Colossians. I really enjoy doing whole books so I get the full context and understand it in a bigger way as opposed to skipping around reading a verse here and there. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with reading and studying that way, I just prefer doing it this way. I hope you enjoy it and are blessed as well!

This Writing Challenge is broken down into small three to four verses a day and only takes minutes to complete! I thoroughly enjoy my time in the Word as I read, write, and reflect on what the text is saying to me that day! What is says and teaches me, may be different than what you get from it. Remember that the Word of God is living and active and is speaking to each reader differently depending on your needs as you read that day!  Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive 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.”

If you have never participated in a Scripture Writing Challenge then now is no better time! Ten to fifteen minutes of your time is going to be spent in the Word of God and you will be rewarded for it! For me, it is almost like an addiction but in a good way! The longer I do them, the more I miss them when I miss a day or two.

If you would like to help me out, please share this blog post, the graphics, and the Writing Challenge with your friends and family! Who doesn’t need more of the Word?? I’d also be honored if you would add your email address to the subscription box at the bottom so you know when new post and challenges are posted!

 

Click here for a FREE full size printable pdf of the challenge: Colossians Scripture Writing Challenge

Therefore, I am going to end with this verse, it has been a comfort to me in so many situations.  Most recently the passing of my best friend Tiffany.

 

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1st John: April’s Scripture Writing Challenge

My favorite way to study and learn scripture is to read and write it down. Underlining is good, highlighting is fun, but reading and writing it down really helps memorize and get it into your head and heart!  “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:3

This is the second scripture writing challenge I have written, the first was the book of Ephesians and was rather long but oh so good! First John is shorter and will only take mere minutes each day to complete. It is set up with 5 daily assignments a week, with two grace days for you to catch up if needed or reread the previous weeks scripture or write ahead! Reading the Word of God, writing the Word of God, praying the Word of God, or just sharing about the Word of God are all life changing habits. It’s never too late to start to make better choices and by choosing the Word, you will be storing up treasures for yourself in heaven friend.

A little background, First John is a letter written by John, same as the Gospel of John and Revelation. It was written 85-95 after Jesus’ death and resurrection. John was now a very old man and was most likely the last living apostle. John was writing to a church or a group of churches who were in crisis, mainly those being attacked by false teachers spewing out false information.

Isn’t that us all now in 2017? People left and right, shouting out the newest breakthrough in this and that. Buy this book, download this app, buy this piece of clothing, this system, that new pill or powder and it will change your life! Therefore you will be so much happier and life will now have satisfaction. All you need is this new product and all your troubles will be taken away and real stress-free, pain-free, drama-free, you-name-it life will begin. The truth is, any thing besides Jesus, does not have true value! He is all that we need. He is the only true Satisfier, Life Giver, Savior!

Back to the subject of 1 John, it is a very simple letter to follow about real life but has awesome content for all Christians. Those more seasoned, or the new believer seeking wisdom and direction. John calls readers back to three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and faithful devotion to Jesus. In fact, we ALL can use more and more of that!

Above all,

God is life. God is light. God is love. We are children of God, so we should also be life, light, and love.

Click to print a FREE PDF plan:

1 John Scripture Writing Challenge Weekly Assignment

 

Finally, please share with your friends and family whom you think might enjoy or benefit from this study. Sign up for the blog subscription so you don’t miss new posts.  Pin the images for your followers to see.

 

Eugene Peterson’s wise words, “The two most difficult things to get straight in life are love and God. More often than not, the mess people make of their lives can be traced to failure or stupidity, or meanness in one or both of these areas. The basic and biblical Christian conviction is that the two subjects are intricately related. If we want to deal with God the right way, we have to learn how to deal with love the right way. If we want to love the right way, we have to deal with God the right way. God and love cannot be separated.”

 

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Noteworthy November {Part 4} Digging into Ephesians chapter 6

Good morning friend! Happy almost Thanksgiving! I don’t know about you, but this year has flown by! Seems like it was just Christmas a few weeks ago. I really do feel that Jesus is coming back, and soon. Times are changing so fast and I see the signs all over. I am so ready though! Heaven is going to be amazing! Jesus is going to be there, we will have the most spectacular city to live in, beautiful homes with no mortgage, jobs that we love to do each day, and endless adventures that will make the trials and tests of Earth all worth it.

Before we get there, we have to stand here. Stand strong. There is a spiritual battle going on around each and every one of us! You may or may not sense it but believe me there is! Each of us have to be prepared for this battle. It needs some strong weapons, not weapons made of metal, or any man made material. We need the “big guns.” We need Godly weapons because we are in a spiritual battle on earth. We need prayer, we need praise, and we need the Word of God! We need it daily, multiple times a day! We have to be intentional about these weapons. In Ephesians six, we learn of the other pieces that we need to put on daily to be prepared for battle! Really concentrate on these and their purposes. Our minds need protection, our hearts do, our hands and feet need to be ready with the Word of God and ready to share with others during the battle.

I pray this study has been a blessing to you as your have read and written the Word!

 

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Chapter six starts with a commandment with a promise! Paul says children obey your parents in the Lord so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. God always keeps his promises, He isn’t wishy washy like us. He doesn’t change his mind depending how He feels that day or whether He’s in a good mood or not. God is love, He is gracious, He is merciful, He is kind, He never changes. God is sovereign over and in all! v 1-3

Parents do not treat your children too harsh but lead and guide them in the ways of the Lord. v4

Verses five through nine speak of slaves and masters and that isn’t something that we deal with in today’s society but I think it does speak to us as servants of the Lord. Whether it be in a work environment, a home environment, or a volunteering environment, we need to do all things unto the Lord as if He is our boss and watching us work.  v5-9

Noteworthy November {Part 4}

The Armor of God

All that we have learned in the past several chapters has been teaching us how to live, how to love, how our walk should be before the Lord. We have to remember who’s we are and who we are to become. Holy and righteous children of God. That is not an easy task. There is an enemy of our souls that wants us living in defeat, in fear, and in doubt of God’s huge love for us. Chapter six, verses six through twenty is preparing us for the battle that all believers will be in once we come to know Christ.

We are to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. We must daily wake up and acknowledge who we are, who God is, and confess that we need the Lord’s help and intentionally put on His armor to protect ourselves. I once heard a sermon on the armor and it’s not just good enough to say that we have it. We have to put it on and let it do its job. It would be like having a motorcycle and helmet but leaving the helmet at home each time you go somewhere. The helmet doesn’t do you any good sitting at home when you are out driving around without it. Put it on, so we can take a stand against the devils schemes and tricks. We also have to be mindful and know that we are not fighting again flesh and blood, but against the devils many cohorts and the powers of this dark world we live in. v 10-12

We must be so very intentional and protect our whole bodies, from our head to our feet! The days are evil and we have to have every piece of the armor to help us resist the devil.  We must put on the belt of truth around our waist so that we know the True word of God so we will not be fooled by the lies that will come our way.  We have to strap on the breastplate of righteousness that protects our hearts and have our feet fitted with good news of the Gospel of Jesus. He is our peace as we walk with Him. We also have to take up the shield of faith that can guard us from the fiery darts from the devil that are aimed at our hearts.

Next we have to pick up our helmet of salvation to protect our minds but it’s almost like a sign or symbol to the world that we are Christ’s! Just like wearing your favorite teams logo on your hat or shirt, we wear the logo of God’s love to let the world know we are different and we are His! We also have to have the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God with us! We need to know the Word to give us knowledge, instruction, and faith to stand in this battle.  v 13-17

Verse eighteen through twenty speak of our prayer life.  We are to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. We have to stay alert and be persistent in our prayers to keep us strong as well as interceding for other believers and those who have yet to hear to Good News of Jesus.

Paul asks for prayer for his boldness as he sits in chains for preaching the good news. We also should ask for prayer when we need it. If Paul can humble himself and admit his weakness, we should be able to do it too. If you do not have a prayer partner, I highly suggest reaching out to one or two close friends that you can go to for prayer and Godly counsel. It truly is a blessing to know that you can share needs and concerns and someone else is seeking the Lord on your behalf and vise versa. v 19-20

Paul’s final greeting to the Ephesians is very similar to his opening of the letter! Peace, love, and grace. He began with grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1:2. He ends with peace to the brothers(and sisters), and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. 6:23-24 Remember, it is peace from God. His lasting peace, not earthly/world peace. Peace that we know that God is in charge of all things. He uses all things together for the good of those who love Him.

 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

Grace has saved us, not any work that we have done. Grace also sustains us day by day. This is grace for living as we keep our eyes on God and are totally occupied with Him.

 

Live a life of loving, serving, and worshiping God. There is no better way to Know Him better.

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Noteworthy November {Part 3} Digging into Ephesians chapters 4-5

 Good morning friends! I hope you have had a great week of reading and studying. I know it seems like a lot of writing but I truly believe as we are writing this truth on paper, we are also writing it on our hearts for ever to remember. This has not been time wasted, but time spent with the Lover of our souls.

Today is my birthday and it is also the two month anniversary of my miscarriage. While my flesh wanted to stay in bed, pull the covers over my head and have a big fat pity party and cry why me and wallow in my misery; I let His light and truth shine on me. I got up to a very excited and loving nine year old boy whom I adore. He greeted me with lots of love and kisses. Then my biggest boy greeted me with a hug and a well wish! Then the girls came down and hugged and loved on me. I’ve gotten many texts and messages of love from my sweet husband and dear friends already! I truly am blessed in so many ways. So many heart treasures in this house. Yes, our baby is gone on to heaven and I miss the thought of bringing him/her home I know that the Lord is good. I know He is in control and knew best. Just as my Tiffany says, heaven is just that much sweeter.

I pray that each of you reading this is blessed this week by the peace and presence of the Lord. I pray that you would feel His love as you seek Him and get to know Him better.

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Chapter four

  • Before Christ we all were empty, seeking for something to fill us up. We wanted more, more, more. Thinking if we seek out and obtain the things of this world, we would be satisfied. That college degree, a “cool” job, the perfect boyfriend, which turns into a perfect husband. A new job with a fancy title and office. A beautiful new house.  Oh, a baby will fill this void I have growing inside me. Maybe it’s food or a certain drink you seek to “fill” your void. Maybe it is relationships or sex. Maybe it is drugs or alcohol. Shopping. More, I just need more and I will be satisfied. In our human thinking we think we can solve our heart issues with human things. The problem really can only be fixed and filled with Christ alone. v19

I’m going to take a slight break here and say that the above is how I lived most of my life. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home but did know there was a “god” and he was a higher power over us. It wasn’t until the winter of 2007 that I came to the end of me and submitted to the Lordship of Christ and asked Him to save me. I had tried so many things, so much had went wrong and I knew I needed something supernatural to help me. I had messed up over and over and felt like I had wasted enough of my life trying to do things my way.

I still do mess up and make mistakes but now I know who can and will help me. All I have to do is call on His name and confess my sin and my great need for Him. I do that on a regular basis. Daily in fact. The same goes for you sweet sister. Are you in need today? Are you carrying a burden that was never meant for you to carry? Are you struggling to get through the morning because of the lies the enemy is feeding you, trying to keep you down? Whatever it may be, Jesus is big enough! He understands! He loves you! He is calling your name now! Answer His call and ask for help now.

  • Once we come to know Christ as Savior, we have to daily, constantly, put off our old self, to be made new in the attitudes of our minds, and to put on the new self. Created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. It is about becoming more and more like Him, and less and less like me. We have to minute by minute focus our minds, eyes, hearts on His will, His love, and his Word. v22-24
  • We have to trust the Lord to mold us into a new self. Romans 12:1-2 says, ” Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
  • When we are living this way, we are walking in a manner worthy of our calling. We have to break free from our old ways and slowly become a new person. That may mean that you start going to new places, or stop going to the places you use to frequent if it means it brings you closer to the Lord. It may mean that you start making new friends that help and encourage you in your walk with the Lord. Ask the Lord to reveal to you things that are not pleasing to Him so that you can change your walk of life.  It is a time of healing and a time of renewal! It is also a very difficult time of transition but it is so worth it, not only in this world but in the one to come.
  • Once we have put off the old self and put on the new self, we must speak the truth, We must not allow our anger to make us sin. v 25-26
  • Don’t let unwholesome, foul, abusive talk come out of your mouth, only what is good and helpful for encouraging to those who hear you. v29
  • Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember we have been sealed with his mark that can never be removed. v30
  • Daily we must rid ourselves of bitterness, rage, anger, slander and all types of evil behavior. By our faith in God alone, we can be kind and tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as Christ God forgave us. v31-32 We must walk in truth!eph-5_11

Chapter five

  • Just as a child looks up to their Mama or Daddy and wants to be just like them, we too must look to our Heavenly Father and imitate Him. Conduct ourselves as his dearly loved children. Live a life of love, a life of sacrifice of love to God. v 1-2
  • We are God’s holy people, so there must be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greediness in us. We have to do away with those sins. We must ever be thankful for all God has done for us! We must be obedient to his Word and his direction. v3-4
  • Remember, we are now children of the Light, the one and only Jesus Christ, we must live and bear fruit. Full of goodness, righteousness, and truth. Seek out the Light and find out what pleases Him. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but expose them. v 8-11

What the Light shines on, is now visible.

Wake up, O sleeper,

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you. v14

  • Watch out, how you are living, not like the unwise but the wise- making the most of every opportunity during these evil days. v 13-16 Therefore, do not act foolishly, being partakes of the world, but understand the will of the Lord for your walk! Speak in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Make music in your heart to the Lord. These are the testimonies of your walk with Christ. v 17-19
  • Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything through Jesus our Lord! Be submissive to one another out of fear/reverence for God. v 20-21

Up until this point Paul is speaking to us as individuals but in verse twenty-two he shifts and is now speaking to us as husband and wife or as households and speaks of how we are to walk in our households. Eugene Peterson I think says it best in The Message.

21 Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.

22-24 Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

25-28 Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage.

29-33 No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.

 

Friends I know this was a long stretch of Scripture but I pray you are able to get through it and gain much knowledge of the Lord and how He wants us to live out this things called life. Life is tough and life is hard! Being a woman of faith makes it even harder because the enemy of our souls doesn’t want us living victoriously for Jesus! Seek Him and press on sweet one! If there is a something I can pray for you, please leave me a comment. Let’s storm the gates of heaven together!

 

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Noteworthy November {Part 2} Digging into Ephesians chapters 2-4

Good day friends! We made it to week two of our study. Congratulations!  I pray that you have been blessed by your time spent reading and writing through the beginning of Ephesians! I sure have. It has been a very tough, emotionally draining week yet at the same time so many treasured moments.  So many pockets of God’s grace and mercy shown to me and the ones around me.

One of my dearest friends back home is dealing with some very heavy physical, mental, and spiritual issues and I slipped out of town to love on her and her family for a few days. While there, I was able to celebrate my oldest friends birthday(from 3rd grade), my Mom’s birthday, my mother-in-laws birthday, my youngest son’s birthday, and mine as well!  Just one of the many blessings of homeschooling, being free to travel when needed. Even with all that went on, I was obedient and I stayed in the word every day in some shape or form. Prayer time was a constant, minute by minute, tear filled, plea unto the Lord. He has been so faithful through it all! How has he He blessed you and spoken to you this week? Please share.

Enough about me, let’s get into why you are here! This week we are in the last verses of chapter two, all of three, and into four! So many wonderful truths to think and pray over. Remember from last week’s post, do not get bogged down if you get behind, just keep plugging away and stay strong. Link to last weeks post.

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Chapter two

  • Jesus himself is the cornerstone: a stone that forms the base of a corner of a building; joining two walls. He is the core that takes us and joins us with God the Father. He is what takes the old sinful us and joins it with His salvation and makes a whole new creation that becomes a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. v20-22

Chapter three

  • Verse three speaks of the administration of God’s grace to him(Paul) for us. God was gracious and so very merciful to Paul during his Damascus Road encounter and totally changed his life for the glory of God. Literally from a murderer to a member of God’s family in a blink of an eye. It is a mystery, that at times is very hard for me to wrap my brain around and fully understand in my tiny human ways. But God’s ways and motives are so much greater and grander than ours. All He requires from us is to simply believe and have faith and praise Him for what he can do with us. v 2-7
  • We are free to approach to God at any time with any problem that we may have and have confidence that He hears and He cares! It is a gift of his great love and GRACE that was given with and by His power.

  • It truly is a mystery of creation, that an infinitely rich God, would love us enough to send his Son as an ransom and die a perfect death so that we(sinners) could go to glory with Him one day. By just faith in Him alone! Bam! What a sweet promise to cling to in hard times. v12
  • We have to remember that Paul is writing this from jail and he’s in jail for preaching the good news yet he is still faithful to the saints and encouraging through his suffering. Paul’s prayer is so powerful in verses 16-21. He prays that through faith, that we would have the Holy Spirit’s power in our hearts. He prays that we would be rooted and established in love to grasp the width, length, height, and depth of His awesome love. This love surpasses all knowledge!
  • He is able to do so much more than we could ever think, dream, or imagine by his glorious power that is at work within us. v20

Chapter four

  • Unity and maturity in the body of Christ, the church, the believers in Christ. Being one with Him. Being one with other believers in the works of service to Him. I think verse one says it all! Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

  • God gave us the apostles, prophets, evangelist, and pastor-teachers to prepare us for the good works he planned. The building up of our bodies(our inner beings) our spirits and our minds. Think back to 1 Timothy 4:8, “but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.All for the unity of our faith and knowledge of Jesus. To become mature in our ways. To live separate from the world. v 1-13
  • We have to grow up in Christ and know the whole truth and tell the truth in love. v15
  • Once, we lived in our darkened ways, but now that we are Children of Light we must no longer live as Gentiles and in the futility(uselessness) of the dark thinking. No more going along with the crowd. We were called to much more than that. We are made to go against the grain and live with His purpose and His plans in mind. Set your minds on things above! v17-19
  • We now have life and understanding. We have freedom to walk in truth and with hope! There is no truth outside of Christ. Stay rooted in Him. Stay close to Him. Stay in His word.

 

 

Dear sweet friends, that is my prayer for you now! That you would know the truth of Christ’s love, to know Him better, share what you know, and walk in that love!eph-4_1-2

Please feel free to share with family and friends if you have been blessed by this journey. Subscribe to the blog so that you will get an e-mail update when new blogs are posted! God bless you sweet friends!

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Noteworthy November {Part 1} Digging into Ephesians chapter 1-2

Good afternoon friends! I hope you are ready to start this adventure and hopefully change your life by getting to know the Lord better! Let’s jump right in and get started.

I recommend that you start each day with prayer. Pray as the spirit leads or pray this with me. Lord Jesus you are good and you are all that I need today! Please forgive me of my sins and wash me clean so that I can be more like you. Lord please speak to me, teach me, and give me great wisdom and insight so that I may know you better! Lord help me love and serve others like you do. Use me today for your honor and glory! I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

This week we will be reading and writing all of chapter one and the first twenty verses of chapter two. So 43 verses in all but they are some of the best verses of the book. Please do your best to do each daily assignment and get into a good habit. If you are up to your eyeballs with work, kids, life; give yourself some grace and add a few extra verses on another day. Please do not give up and quit if you get behind. Just start-up where you stopped and keep plugging along. Like I’ve said before, time spent in the Word with God is never time wasted. We are using our spiritual muscles and storing up blessings for the days and years to come!

Here is a little background on Ephesians. The writer of Ephesians is Paul, once Saul the persecutor of Christians.He was a bad bad man, sought out and killed Christians. You can read this commentary of his conversion to Christianity if you feel led: https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Acts/Pauls-Conversion or read Acts 9:1-19. He wrote this actual letter/epistle to the people of Ephesus about 60 years after Christ’s death and resurrection. The audience is the saints, those set apart, holy, or believers, who were in Christ. He also wrote the letter while he was in jail to encourage and unify the new young believers.

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As you read and write, underline or highlight words or verses that speak to you. What is it that speaks to you? Stop and reflect on them. Jot down notes or questions that you may have as you read. Do a little research and find out more on those words or key verses. Finally! What you came for, here are a few words and key verses that really stand out to me from chapter one.

  • Grace. Free and unmerited favor from God.
  • Peace. Tranquility, calmness, quietness. Lasting peace from God. Not worldly peace.
  • Chapter one, verse three says  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.”  This is a huge promise, at salvation we have all of Christ’s riches and blessings. Praise Him!
  • Verse four through five 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—”  Before the creation of the world, God already had his mind made that we would be holy and blameless, that we would be his children according to his kind intention or will. 
  • When all promises and prophesies have been fulfilled, all things in the present heaven and present earth will be brought together in the New Heaven( Revelation 21:1) under Christ. v10
  • Once we heard the gospel, the Good News of what Christ did for us on the cross, having believed the truth, we were sealed with a mark. A mark that can never be removed! The mark is the Holy Spirit, who is living and at work in the new you. This makes us an heir with Christ. v13-14
  • Therefore just as Paul prayed prayers of thanksgiving for the believers in Ephesus, he also asked the Lord to give them spirits of wisdom and understanding from Him. To know him better! The Spirit can and will move and work in and through us if we just believe. v15-18
  • His power, incomparably great, big-time-slam-pow power is as work in those who believe. It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This power doesn’t come with a switch that we can just flip when needed. We must wait patiently on it just like all good things from the Lord. While we are waiting for it, spend time in praise and worship. Acknowledging who He is and how awesome He is. This will help us keep our eyes on Him and not on our circumstances. v19-20
  • As a result, God has placed all things under Christ’s rule for us! We are his church and he wants nothing more than to fill us with every thing and in every way. v23

Chapter two

  • Before salvation, we all were dead in our sin and essentially a follower of the devil even if we “weren’t that bad.” We all lived without real life, freedom, or hope and were under the curse of the flesh. v1-3
  • Because of His great love for us, he made us alive with Christ by the work of his matchless grace. We were turned from objects of wrath into objects of grace! v4-5
  •  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” v8-9 Grace is what has saved us. No human achievements, the grace and mercy of God alone!
  • By the mighty works of God, we are saved and were created to do good works for Him. Remember, we are not saved by any works that we do! His great purpose and preparations long ago made a way for us to be saved by his GRACE and he gives us good works. We should live totally different lives than before salvation. v8-10
  • At birth, we are born sinners and outside of the family of God(Gentiles), without hope and without God in our lives. In Christ, we are brought near by his life giving blood.  v13
  • When Christ died, he did away with all of the laws and regulations from the old covenant(Old Testament laws) and reconciled us to God. We are together once again, the way God intended us to be. Family. In relationship, together as one. v14-20

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Here is the pdf of the actual reading/writing plan:

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copy-of-noteworthy-november_writing-the-book-of-ephesians1

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Noteworthy November: Ephesians is almost here! Want to hear a secret?

I’m going to be very open and honest with you guys, okay?? I’m going to share a secret that’s been weighing on my heart in preparation for Noteworthy November: Ephesians.

After publishing the Intro blog, I was pretty overwhelmed with thoughts of fear, anxiety, and sheer confusion. “Amy, what are you doing??” ” You have bitten off way more that you can chew!” “You surely are going to fall flat on your face and look like a complete fool, quit now while you are ahead.”

I am admitting right now that I am not perfect, I am no genius or scholar, I’ve not been to school or been formally trained in bible teaching. But, I am a born again Christian, a sinner just like the rest of the world, trying to be obedient to the Lord and sharing what He has taught me. I am trying to share what He has placed on my heart with you! I will make mistakes and say things that are wrong, but it’s your job as a reader to check what I say against the Scripture. Use your bible, ask your spouse, ask a friend, or your pastor if something doesn’t sound right. Then come back and share with me!

Then the Holy Spirit spoke up and reminded me of the glorious truth of Who I am and Whom I belong to!  I may not know what I am doing or have all of the answers, but the Lord sure does and I am trusting Him for all things. If he brought me to this, He will bring me through it.

While I was reading through some of my notes, I found this from a ladies retreat last year…Remember fear is usually just false evidence appearing real. Not all fears, but most of the time there really is nothing to fear.

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I will not continue to be afraid. The Lord is good and is always with me and is going to provide me all that I need to share with you!

Another not so secret secret,  I am really so incredible excited to be on this journey with you. My prayer is that someone who is reading and writing with me becomes closer to the Lord during this journey. Also, I pray that someone learns more of Him and his love, and something shifts in your soul and you make meaningful bible study a daily discipline.

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog by adding your email to the subscribe box to the right so you know when new blog posts are up! Also please do me a favor and share the blog with a friend or two, the more the merrier.

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Noteworthy November: Intro to Writing Through the book of Ephesians

Noteworthy November is almost here!

I am so very excited to start this journey with you to write, learn, meditate, and know God better by studying the book of Ephesians. Ephesians is one of my favorite books of the New Testament because it has so many awesome promises to remind us who we are in Christ and how to live out those promises.

The book of Ephesians is a relatively short book, six chapters and 155 verses in total but they pack a very powerful punch of goodness!

I have broken down the verses into daily assignments and they vary from 5-7 verses or so a day. I have added in some Grace day, meaning you have a free study day or a day to catch up if you got a little behind in your writing. I suggest not skipping days in your writing, just go to the next group of verses so that in your journal you have it all in order for when you go back and reread your notes. A simple spiral notebook, binder with loose leaf paper, or a fancier journal will do. I have a new beautiful journal my best friend gave me that I will be using!

Studies show that you are seven times more likely to remember what you wrote down compared to things you just read.

Did you know that when you write, you are using parts of your brain that involve thinking, language, and working memory? There are many types of reading, two main ones being: passive and active. We will be doing more of the active, “hands on” reading by not only reading the scripture but also writing it down and reflecting on what we read and wrote. Let’s do this to write these scriptures and promises on our hearts, not just on the paper.

Proverbs 2:1-5 says, ” My son(daughter), if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.

Friends, let us band together and turn our ears to the Lord, apply our hearts, call out to Him, and search like we have never searched before!

I know we will be blessed by this. I feel it in my veins.

Time spent reading, copying, and thinking on or meditating, the Word of God is one of the best things you can do.  There is no such thing as wasted time if spent in the Word with God. Even if you read and you do not fully understand the passage, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and give you clearer understanding in your day-to-day life.

1 Timothy 4:8 says “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

Basically this says that physical training of the body has value, but the training of your heart and mind for godliness and holiness far outweighs the training of your body.

Be all about God’s word!

Seek Him in all that you do and put Him and his Word as a priority and He will reward you greatly, not only in this life but also come eternity. There are countless benefits for learning God’s word, but for now let’s concentrate on knowing Him better! The more we know, the better we can live out what He has called us to.

Next Monday, October 31st I will post the schedule of our writing plan that you can print out or save on your computer/phone. Then every Tuesday I will post a new blog pertaining to the reading we will do for the following week. Please, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to post!

Subscribe to the blog via e-mail so you will know when the new post is available and please INVITE YOUR FRIENDS to join us.

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