Daily Devotion with Greg Laurie “Here for
You” Wednesday, 4 December 2013
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Maybe you are having a
difficult time this Christmas. Maybe your marriage has fallen apart and you are
alone. Let me tell you something: God is with you. Maybe your kids have
forgotten about you this year. Jesus hasn't forgotten about you. His name is
Immanuel, which means "God with us." Maybe your parents have
forgotten about you. But God your Father has not forgotten about you.
Christmas is about
undoing loneliness. Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake
you" (Hebrews 13:5). From the original language, it literally could read
something like this: "I will never, no never, no never leave you or
forsake you." He is going to be with you in the happy days. He is going to
be with you in the sad days. He is going to be with you on the hard days. He
will be with you through all of your days. Then He will be waiting for you on
the other side to welcome you into glory. You don't have to be afraid, because
God is with you.
Sometimes people have
asked me, "How do you get through the holidays if you have lost a loved
one? Is there some book I can read?" My answer is that you don't need a
manual; you need Immanuel. You need to know that God is there. You need to lean
into Him. That is the essential message of this holiday season: that God came
near.
What we are longing for,
deep down inside, is not Christmas, but Christ; not merriment, but the Messiah;
not goodwill, but God; not presents, but His presence in our lives. Anyone or
anything short of that will disappoint.
That is what this season
all about. It is about Immanuel, God is with us. He is here for you.
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Ephesians Salutation
1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by
the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus and are
faithful[a] in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ[b] before the
foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He
destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the
good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely
bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that
he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in
Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him,
things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In Christ we have also obtained an
inheritance,[c] having been destined according to the purpose of him who
accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12 so that we, who
were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his
glory. 13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the
promised Holy Spirit; 14 this[d] is the pledge of our inheritance toward
redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
Paul’s Prayer
15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord
Jesus and your love[e] toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not
cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of
wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of
your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called
you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and
what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according
to the working of his great power. 20 God[f] put this power to work in Christ
when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the
heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to
come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head
over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who
fills all in all.
From Death to Life
2: You were dead through the trespasses
and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world,
following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work
among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the
passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were
by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in
mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead
through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ[g]—by grace you have
been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the
immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For
by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it
is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For
we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
One in Christ
11 So then, remember that at one time you
Gentiles by birth,[h] called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the
circumcision”—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— 12
remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no
hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were
far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace;
in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing
wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its
commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity
in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to
God in one body[i] through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility
through it.[j] 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and
peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one
Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but
you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus
himself as the cornerstone.[k] 21 In him the whole structure is joined together
and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built
together spiritually[l] into a dwelling place for God.
Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles
3: This is the reason that I Paul am a
prisoner for[m] Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 for surely you
have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you,
3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a
few words, 4 a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of
the mystery of Christ. 5 In former generations this mystery[n] was not made
known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and
prophets by the Spirit: 6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs,
members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through
the gospel.
7 Of this gospel I have become a servant
according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his
power. 8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given
to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9
and to make everyone see[o] what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages
in[p] God who created all things; 10 so that through the church the wisdom of
God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities
in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that
he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have access to God
in boldness and confidence through faith in him.[q] 13 I pray therefore that
you[r] may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.
Prayer for the Readers
14 For this reason I bow my knees before
the Father,[s] 15 from whom every family[t] in heaven and on earth takes its
name. 16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that
you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted
and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with
all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to
know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled
with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who by the power at work
within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or
imagine, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations,
forever and ever. Amen.
Unity in the Body of Christ
4: I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord,
beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in
love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one
hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father
of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7 But each of us was given grace
according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it is said,
“When he ascended on high he made
captivity itself a captive;
he gave gifts to his people.”
9 (When it says, “He ascended,” what does
it mean but that he had also descended[u] into the lower parts of the earth? 10
He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so
that he might fill all things.) 11 The gifts he gave were that some would be
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to
equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We
must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of
doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15
But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is
the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by
every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly,
promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
The Old Life and the New
17 Now this I affirm and insist on in the
Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their
minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of
God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. 19 They have lost all
sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice
every kind of impurity. 20 That is not the way you learned Christ! 21 For
surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus.
22 You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt
and deluded by its lusts, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24
and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of
God in true righteousness and holiness.
Rules for the New Life
25 So then, putting away falsehood, let
all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.
26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do
not make room for the devil. 28 Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them
labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share
with the needy. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is
useful for building up,[v] as there is need, so that your words may give grace
to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you
were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31 Put away from you all
bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all
malice, 32 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as
God in Christ has forgiven you.[w]
Footnotes:
Ephesians 1:1 Other ancient authorities
lack in Ephesus, reading saints who are also faithful
Ephesians 1:4 Gk in him
Ephesians 1:11 Or been made a heritage
Ephesians 1:14 Other ancient authorities
read who
Ephesians 1:15 Other ancient authorities
lack and your love
Ephesians 1:20 Gk He
Ephesians 2:5 Other ancient authorities
read in Christ
Ephesians 2:11 Gk in the flesh
Ephesians 2:16 Or reconcile both of us in
one body for God
Ephesians 2:16 Or in him, or in himself
Ephesians 2:20 Or keystone
Ephesians 2:22 Gk in the Spirit
Ephesians 3:1 Or of
Ephesians 3:5 Gk it
Ephesians 3:9 Other ancient authorities
read to bring to light
Ephesians 3:9 Or by
Ephesians 3:12 Or the faith of him
Ephesians 3:13 Or I
Ephesians 3:14 Other ancient authorities
add of our Lord Jesus Christ
Ephesians 3:15 Gk fatherhood
Ephesians 4:9 Other ancient authorities
add first
Ephesians 4:29 Other ancient authorities
read building up faith
Ephesians 4:32 Other ancient authorities
read us(NRSV)
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6115 Arlington Avenue
Riverside, CA 92504
(951) 687-6902
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