Gods Child

I received an e-mail from a friend last night.  It was one of those that said to pass it on.  Normally I just delete such e-mails however; this one was so good I just had to share it with all of you.  This again is leading us into Ephesians 2.  We all know what the Word of God says concerning love.  We are to love everyone even our enemy.  It is commanded both in the Old Testament and the New Testament by Jesus.  Most of us are familiar with I Corinthians 13, the love chapter.  We also know that Jesus told us to become as little children.  This tells us how little children perceive such a broad concept as love.  Read it and ponder it.  Enjoy it and pass this whole article to your friends by copying the title and pasting it into your e-mail.

What Love means to a 4-8 year old . . .  
 
Please slow down for three minutes and read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes.
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, “What does love mean?”The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.
  See what you think.  

‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love..’  
Rebecca- age 8  

‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.  
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’  Billy - age 4  

‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’Karl - age 5  

‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’  Chrissy - age 6

‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’Terri - age  4  

‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’  Danny - age 7

‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.  
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss’Emily - age 8

‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening  presents and listen.’Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,’Nikka - age 6
(we need a few  million more Nikka’s on this planet)

‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, and then he wears it everyday.’Noelle - age 7

‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still  friends even after they know each other so well.’  Tommy - age 6

‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’

‘My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don’t see anyone else  kissing me to sleep at night.’Clare - age 6  

‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’  Elaine-age 5

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is  handsomer than Robert Redford.’Chris - age 7  

‘Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’Mary Ann - age 4

‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’Lauren - age 4  

‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars  come out of you.’ (What an image)Karen - age  7  

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.’  Mark - age 6

‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’  Jessica - age 8

And the final one:The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Friends with this in mind let’s all try to see love around us through the eyes of children.  Love is an act so won’t you act in love today.  It is such a simple thing to put others first.  Who knows when the children will see your actions as love?  God sees your actions and knows when you are loving on someone.

     Today’s blog will lead us into our next section of Ephesians Chapter 2.  Throughout the Word of God we are referred to as sheep, God’s sheep.  Why does God use the analogy of sheep?  Why not goats, or cattle, or any number of herd animals?  And if we are sheep why do act like a bunch of mules; becoming stubborn, hardheaded, “Jack Asses”.  That is not a cuss word; I use it merely to make my point.  In a hurting and dying world we add to the problem instead of demonstrating the solution.

     Let us talk about sheep for a minute.  What separates them from the other heard animals?  What makes them special enough to be used as an analogy by our Father in heaven?  Sheep are calm and gentle animals who are not easily excited.  They do not pay much attention to the dangers around them but continue to go about their business of eating and resting.  This is why a Shepherd is required.  The Shepherd is there to keep vigilance and watch for dangers.  He also rescues the occasional sheep who has wandered too far from the flock.  You often find sheep and goats grazing together under one Shepherd.  The goats feed on the taller grasses making room for the sheep to get to the sweet tender grass beneath.  Goats will eat anything whereas sheep are very particular about what they eat.  Sheep do not realize that goats are different than them.  The Shepherd separates the goats from the sheep when the time is right..  Sheep will go wherever their Shepherd leads them.  They are very in tune to his voice and obey his commands.  If one is having trouble the Shepherd picks him up and carries him or the other sheep gather round him to keep him moving forward.  The key to their survival is staying together in one flock and obeying the Shepherd which means they trust him to know best.  You will not find one sheep trying to be the top dog in the flock.  They do not discriminate against each other in any way.  They all stay together on one accord each feeding on their part of the grass not trying to steal someone else’s.  They are a content lot. 

     So what is God really saying to us when He calls us sheep?  He calls us sheep because that is how He expects for us to act.  He wants us to all stay together as one flock being content with what we have and not jealous over what another has.  We are to feed on His Word to receive our nourishment and rest in His sight.  We are to obey His voice and follow where He leads.  We are to trust Him in all things and though the road is rocky and rough we still must follow the Good Shepherd.  He alone knows the Way.  The next time you see your fellow sheep having trouble gather round him and keep him moving forward.  The Good Shepherd will carry him if it is needed.  Do not discriminate against him because he is different.  Do not concern yourself over whether he is a goat or not.  The Good Shepherd will separate him at the appointed time. 

     This is a very brief description of the analogy.  I urge you to do further research into sheep and really meditate on their behavior.  Are you acting like a sheep?  I hope you are.  That is what God wants us to act like and why God calls us sheep in His Word so many times.  Be a part of the flock.

THE GRACE OF GOD

(Eph 2:4-10 KJVR)  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.  10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

On Monday we learned about our sins and that we all sin.  Today’s topic is grace.  This is one of those words we hear all the time but, what does it really mean?  What does the grace of God mean for me?  The word grace is our key.   And while we are at it what does quickened and works mean here?  One of the keys to understanding the Bible, which is God’s Word to us, is to know what a word means.  Speaking for myself, I get lazy and just go with what I think it means only to find out later I was wrong and it means so much more. 

Let’s look at what Paul is telling us one verse at a time.   

1.     Verse 4 we find that God is rich in mercy which means He is full of love and forgiveness.  Your child breaks your favorite lamp.  You do not punish him; instead you forgive him and give him another chance.  He deserved to be punished for his carelessness.  You chose to forgive just as our Father chooses to forgive us for no reason2.     Verse 5 God did not care that we were dead because of our sins we were committing.  He made us alive just like He raised Christ from the dead; we too have been raised from the dead.  He did this because He wanted to not because He had to.  Grace is undeserved favor.  When you ground your children to their room and you decide to lift their punishment early without them asking not because they have been good but because you feel generous and have mercy or pity on them.   Yes God pities us.  He knows we are but dust and that is why He has mercy on us.  3.     Verse 6 God has lifted us up out of life of sin, cleaned us thoroughly and made us to where we sit in heavenly places.  Paul is speaking of our spirit in this verse.  Though we have an earth bound body we now have a spirit that resides in heavenly places.  Our thoughts have changed.  As I am writing this even I am finally getting a clearer understanding.  4.     Verse 7 refers to ages to come.  We must remember that Paul is writing this letter around the year 60AD.  He is referring here to earthly time periods that were in his future much like we today say, “in the years to come”.   Paul said that God wanted to show future generations how merciful He was.5.     Verses 8 and 9 tell us that we were saved just because God wanted to.  We do not deserve it; we can not possibly ever be good enough to earn it.  We are only saved because we believe God’s Word.  We have faith.6.     Verse 10 explains that as believers we have now been created to do the good works that God had already planned for us to do.  We were saved to do good works not because of the good works we have already done. 

In conclusion we find that God took pity on us.  He loved us so much that He made a way, through Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins.  This is not something we can earn by being good.  On our own we can never be good enough.  We are saved because of our belief that Jesus died in our place and was raised from the dead.  Because we believe this we do good works.  That is what Jesus wants us to do.  This is the “grace of God”, His unmerited favor on our lives.

Check back later.  I want to get into verse 6 a little deeper and I would like for you to join me.  Thank all of you for your wonderful comments.  Keep them coming.  You can see what others say and add your own spin by clicking the comments button up top.  Browse through the rest of the site and tell me what you think.

 ELECTION DAY

 APPROACHING FAST

(and furious)

     With Nov.4 just a week away we must talk politics.  When you are in a crowded room there are two things you never talk about: religion and politics.  Discussing these two things has been known to cause many a fight through the years.  Well today we are going to mix the two together and discuss them both.  Now I do not pretend to know anything about politics.  For a good comical discussion of politics, check out http://politics2000.today.com/44for44/ .  I promise you won’t stop laughing.  What I do know is God and His Word.  That is where we pick up today.

     What in the world does the Bible have to do with politics you ask?  Everything if you are a Christian!  The Bible tells us:   “Colossians 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”  And again in 1Corinthians 10:31  So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God.”  So what does it mean?  When you go to the polls on election day  cast your vote in a way that will bring god glory.  I’m not going to tell you who to vote for here.  I will pass along what my pastor says.

     Like many of us I asked my pastor who to vote for.  He gave the most unusual answer I had heard.  Due to my lifestyle at the time of the last election (see My Testimony at the top) I did not vote so I wanted to know how Christians vote.  He told me “vote the Bible”.  “What does that mean?” I asked.  Vote the values that the Bible teaches.

     You need look no farther than the 10 commandments.  Does your candidate stand up for everything that is taught in God’s Word?  Does he/she practice their beliefs at home as well as in public?  “Psalms 63:11 But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory; but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.”  These are just a few of the verses I found to help me in my decision of who to vote for.  I also found this website to help me compare each candidate and their beliefs.  http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm

     Who am I voting for, Barack Obma/Joe Biden or John McCain/Sarah Palin?  I won’t tell you.  Make your own choices.  Do vote.  Pray for God’s will to be done on earth just as it is in heaven.  Trust your prayer to be answered.  Wait with the rest of us to see God’s will fulfilled.

There is a new page at the top starting today.

The Non Veiw (A Non-Christians Veiw Of Christians)  

The first segment will be posted by noon so stop back to see what the world sees us doing.  Fresh insight into some of the things we do that chase others away.

The Way We Were vs. How We Are 

(Eph 2:1-3 KJVR)  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:  3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.     

    Did you know you were once dead?  Ok, maybe not in the since you’re thinking.  However, your spirit was dead.  That is why Jesus came to live on earth in the first place.  We were all walking around like zombies doing whatever we wanted kind of like “The Night of the Living Dead”.  If you don’t like that analogy how about the “Puppet Master”, only our puppet master was evil.  Whenever Satan pulled our strings we said, “Yes Master”.      

    You don’t think so.  How about the time when you saw that person that was overweight or did not look just right, you thought of some derogatory comment and voiced it to the person walking next to you.  Whenever you thought something that was unkind and acted on it you were being controlled by the devil.  Satan had us by the strings causing us to be self-absorbed, egotistical, and arrogant.  He had us where he wanted us.  We were not thinking about anything that had to do with God.  Oh, many of us went to church regularly.  This allowed us to have a pious attitude thinking we were ok because we were in church.  Well, we best move on before I really get on a soap box because I am opening a whole new can of worms.   

    Back to the original point, we were dead although we were alive.  We were living in sin which caused our death.  We lived according to the ways of the world.  The thoughts, tendencies, pursuits, and deeds of everyone else seemed right to us.  We readily accepted the philosophies, values and lifestyles that were in line with our own.   A perfect example is the hippies of the 60’s and mini skirts, or the 70’s disco and short shorts.  How about the hair bands of the 80’s and the acceptance of divorce, and let’s not forget the “coming out” in the 90’s and the acceptance of abortion.  I’ll admit some of these things are “harmless”.  However anything that does not line up with the Word of God will kill you in eternity.   

    Before Christ we all participated in some form of ungodliness.  Paul is reminding the Ephesians of their past so that they will remember just how far they have come and rejoice in what the Lord has done for them.  The day you received Christ or will receive Him is the most glorious day of your life.  Now you have a future that will not end.  No wonder Paul says to “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice”.  Today you might want to think about just how far you have come and tomorrow we will get into what God has done for us.

Please leave prayer request in the comment box up at the top.

A Contradiction in Terms????

     Halloween is just a week away and I would be lax in my duty to you if we did not discuss the topic.  Can we as Christians participate in the Halloween traditions?  “What Would Jesus Do?” has become a popular response in today’s society?  So let’s see what Jesus would do.  We need a proper perspective on the whole situation.  Let’s start with the Halloween history and then we’ll go to the Bible to see what God says about the whole thing. 

      Everyone knows that Halloween stands for “All Hallows Eve”.  How did it start is our question?  After some research I found that it was originally a pagan holiday which originated in several different countries.  According to Wikipedia, the ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops.  The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown.  Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.  You can read more about the 1 History of Halloween by clicking the link.

     Most of modern Halloween Traditions had their origins in these ancient “festival of the dead” beginnings.  When various cultures migrated to the
United States, they brought with them their own traditions.  In an attempt to keep their heritage alive they continued their traditions.  That is also why the Church incorporated these traditions into their own Holidays.   I’m in no way saying this was right or wrong, I’m just stating facts here.  Everyone is free to draw their own conclusions when they have all the facts.

     The same incorporation of tradition and Christian beliefs took place in the first century church. This was exactly what Paul was addressing in the book of Colossians. In Colossians we find that Paul warns the believer about Christian heresy.  They had been trying to incorporate their traditions into their Christian beliefs.  He told them to be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition and the world’s way of doing things rather than following Christ.

     Does that mean that we can not celebrate Halloween?  Maybe we should try a different approach to our celebration.  Some fundamentalists in recent have started using what are called Hell houses  or Judgment Houses.  These, like a conventional haunted-house attraction, is a space set aside in which actors attempt to frighten patrons with gruesome exhibits and scenes. The format is that the various scenes are presented as a series of short vignettes with a narrated guide. Unlike haunted houses, hell houses focus on occasions and effects of sin or the fate of unrepentant sinners in the afterlife.  There is probably one in your area.  Others pass out themed pamphlets (tracks geared for children) instead of, or along with “Trick or Treat” candy. These are both attempts to make use of Halloween as an opportunity for evangelism. 

     So do you celebrate Halloween or do you pass on this one?  That is a question you must rely on The Holy Spirit to answer.  Whatever you do must you must do it as though you were doing it for the Lord.  At least now you have some information about the history and traditions involved in Halloween.  Maybe you could choose to participate in some of these evangelist ideas in stead.

The Week in Review: 

See you later tomorrow.

A Study In Ephesians

Christ The Head Of The Body   <<<<CLICK  Then return Here

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Ephesians 1:20-23 (KJVR)  20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:  22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

Since Christ is the head of the body we would need to understand just how that works.  Let’s take a look at our own body.  What does our head do? 

1. Well it houses: our eyes which give us a window into the world around us. 
2. Our ears which allow us to hear what’s going on.
3. Our mouth which is to speak out God’s Word, truth, and life. (more on that in a future study)
4. Most importantly, it houses our brain.

This is the real point.  Our mind controls our body.  The mind gives instruction to each part of the body, telling it what to do next.  The body is responsible to the mind to do what it is told and to feed information to the mind. 

An example:  The stomach sends a message to the mind that it is empty.  The mind tells the hands to place food in the mouth.  The mouth is told to chew the food and swallow.  The stomach is then told to digest the food, which is then passed to the intestines.  Well you get the picture.  The mind controls each action the body takes.  When the body does exactly as the mind tells it then the whole thing works like a well oiled machine.  When one part of the body does not act right the whole body suffers.  For instance:  Let’s say that the stomach does not like what it is fed.  It then rebels and up comes the food.  I’m sure we have all experienced the total discomfort of such an event.

We, as the body of Christ, are to function in the same manner as the well oiled machine.  Individually, we each have a specific function in the body of Christ.  He, being the head, tells each of us what to do so that his body works perfectly together to accomplish His Will.  If one member of the body of Christ is having trouble then we all are.  We must help each other through difficult times to keep the body working correctly.  This means listening to what god is saying to us and obeying fully and completely as we are told.

I hope this helps you to gain a fuller understanding of how the body of Christ functions.  If not please leave a comment so I can make it clearer to you.

Until tomorrow.

Eph 1:15-19 KJVR  Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;  17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:  18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 

Today we continue with the study of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians.  I have received some very encouraging personal comments from some of you.  I would like to encourage you to post your comments for others to receive that same encouragement.  I would also like to thank each of you who continue to check this out each day.  I know that God gets all of the glory for this site. 

Let’s pray before we begin today.

Father God, I pray that we will all be blessed and that our personal walk with You, our Savior, will be strengthened as we seek wisdom and knowledge from Gods Word.  Continue to guide us down the path of righteousness and may we remember always just how much You have done for us in our lives.  As we count our blessings each day let us not forget those who do not have the things we have come to take for granted.  I see people everyday that have less than I do who give You much more praise than I do.  As I write this I send a special prayer for those who will never be able to read these words, that You will send them someone to teach them and show them Your love for them.  You mean so much to me that I can not express it in words.  Thank You for today and Your love for us.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Now to begin:  As you remember from yesterday we were studying how Paul prayed for the Ephesians and how we should incorporate this into our own prayers.  Here is the list to remind you.

1. That God will give you the spirit of wisdom and knowledge of Him.
2. That the eyes of your understanding be enlightened.
3. That you may know the hope of His calling.
4. That you recognize the priceless value of your salvation.
5. That you realize the priceless treasure you are to God.
6. That you perceive how God has changed you since your conversion.
7. That you experience divine strength in your daily living through the redemption of Christ.

We begin today with number 4.  In the book of Psalms David asked God to restore the joy of his salvation. (Psa 51:12 KJVR)  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.  Sometimes we forget just how precious a gift salvation is.  Just like turning on tap water we tend to take it for granted.  I urge you today to spend some time remembering where God has brought you from and thanking Him for this gift.  He did not have to do it you know.  If you have not received Christ yet, then pray the prayer from October 20^th.  Be sure to let us know so we can rejoice with you.  Salvation for us cost Christ His life, we must not take that lightly.  Would you give up your life for your worst enemy and a bunch of people who did not even thank you?  He did. 

Do you know what a treasure you are to God?  For this we will go to the words of Jesus Himself. Mat 6:28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?Paul tells us: (Rom 8:16 KJVR) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  If God considers us His children then we truly must be His treasure.  Even we consider our children to be our treasures, how much more does our Father consider us such treasures?  Again I urge you not to take this for granted.  As children we are to obey our Father because He loves us and wants the best for us.  “Father Knows Best”(whoops I’m almost telling my age with that one). 

Again look into the changes in your life since your conversion and how far you’ve come.  That is what Paul urges the Ephesians to do. 

Number 7 is the one that we tend to lean to our own understanding on.  We think that God should just fix everything that is wrong.  We pray something like Father take away the storm when our prayer should be Father lead me through the storm.  We need to be praying for divine strength to go through each situation.  “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”  Pray for strength for others to give them peace and encouragement, as they face the storms of life. For face them they will.  That, my friends, is part of our learning to trust God.   

To get me in the habit of praying deeper prayers I have made a note card with these 7 things on it and I pray through them with my Father.  I know He doesn’t mind when I take notes.  He wants us to remind Him of His Word. (Isa 43:25 KJVR)  I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.  26  Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.  In order to do that we must hide God’s Word in our heart.  I challenge you to memorize one verse for today.  See you tomorrow.  Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Eph 1:15-19 KJVR  Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;  17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:  18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 

Today we are going to dig into the prayer that Paul has in his heart for the Ephesians.This is not just for them but for us too.      What are the points that Paul wants to make?  He 7 specific things that he wants the Christians at
Ephesus to remember and get into their spirit concerning God and His love for them.  He started praying for them as soon as he learned about their conversion and he continues to pray for them regularly.  When someone comes to faith in the Lord it is our privilege and responsibility to keep them in our prayers.  We will learn today some of the areas that we need to include in our prayers.  If they were important enough for Paul to include in his prayers then they are certainly important for us. 

1. That God will give you the spirit of wisdom and knowledge of Him.
2. That the eyes of your understanding be enlightened.
3. That you may know the hope of His calling.
4. That you recognize the priceless value of your salvation.
5. That you realize the priceless treasure you are to God.
6. That you perceive how God has changed you since your conversion.
7. That you experience divine strength in your daily living through the redemption of Christ.

  I know that is a lot to swallow at once so we will take it slow as we dig deeper into what is being said.  This may take us 2 days to complete because I do not want to leave anything out.    Let’s start with number 1.  What is wisdom and what is knowledge?  They must not be the same since Paul lists them separately.  Here we go again with another word search. 

Wisdom = ability to discern inner qualities and relationships: insightKnowledge = the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association 

Knowledge knows God through experience and close association.  This is where our testimonies and our study of His Word come in.Wisdom is applying that knowledge to our everyday lives and situations.  They work together to bring us closer to God. 

Now what in the world is Paul talking about in number 2?  Well first our understanding is our mental grasp of things.  So what Paul is asking God is that our grasp of Him be enlightened.  You are reading the Word or thinking about the things of God suddenly the whole thing becomes crystal clear.  The light comes on and you now understand what is being said.  Paul wants his readers to experience that all the time. 

Now Paul prays that they know the hope of their calling.  What is he talking about?  Before God called us we were lost sinners doomed to eternal separation from God.  We were headed for hell.  Once we answered Gods call and accepted His free gift of salvation we were given hope that we would spend eternity with God.  Paul wants his readers to be 100% sure of that hope.  What a precious thing to have.  Which would you rather have, surety of heaven or certainty of hell?  I know; dumb question, right? After all this I believe we need to meditate on what we have so far.  We will pick up with #4 tomorrow.  Until then pray what you know for believers everywhere and yes you can include yourself.  If we all pray for others then someone is praying for us.

Be sure to read the post below for encouragement in your prayers.