Ephesians: Wholeness in a 
World
Week of June 5, 2005
This Week’s Scripture Reading
Ephesians 1:1-14
1This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. It is written to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. 2May grace and peace be yours, sent to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
3How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. 4Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
6So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. 7He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. 8He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. 10And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. 12God’s purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. 13And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.
Prayers for the Week:
Sunday |
Heavenly Father, Thank You for this new day, and for the opportunity to worship You with brothers and sisters through Your Son, Jesus! I praise You for who You are and pray that our praises will bring You the glory and honor you deserve! This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Monday |
Heavenly Father, Thank You for the Apostle Paul. Thank You for his commitment to sharing the new life of Jesus with the known world of his day. As I read the words he wrote, thank You for preserving them and using them in my life. Amen. |
Tuesday |
Heavenly Father, Thank You for the “divine appointment” you made with me before You created the universe! Thank You for loving me so much that You provided the solution to my sin before I was born. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Wednesday |
Heavenly Father, Thank You for not keeping secrets from us. Thank You for revealing You will, Your great plan of salvation to all who will listen to it. Use me today to share that Good News of Jesus with all I meet. In His name I pray. Amen. |
Thursday |
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Holy Spirit! Thank You for living in me. I pray that You will fill me anew today that all that I think, say and do will glorify You. In Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Friday |
Heavenly Father, I pray today that You will heal the broken places in my life. Restore me to wholeness in body, soul and spirit. Fill me anew with the power of Your Spirit that I may also comfort others. This I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Saturday |
Heavenly Father, as another week draws to a close, I thank You for the gift of belonging to You, and having the opportunity to live in Your will. Use me today, as always, to draw others into Your eternal Kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. |
Background on the Text
The letter to the Ephesians was one of the Apostle Paul’s “prison letters,” meaning that he wrote it from a prison cell. Consider the joy he offers, and the encouragement he gives to the Ephesians considering that his own situation was desperate in human terms. Paul’s ability to constantly think of others in every situation comes from his deep love and relationship with Jesus. Paul called himself both an apostle and a slave of Jesus Christ. He recognized that his life belonged totally to God, and that apart from the grace of Jesus, he was nothing. In this week’s scripture, Paul focuses on God’s great plan for saving us through the shed blood of Jesus. He reminds us that the plan wasn’t a last minute effort, but that God planned it before He created the world. As you read and reflect on this truth, thank God for His awesome love, and for the “Divine Appointment” that He keeps with us all!
Monday
Observation: What does the text say?
Tuesday
Interpretation: What do these verses mean?
Wednesday
Application: How can I respond to the text’s insights and teachings?
Thursday
After reading and studying this text, reflect on the following discipleship growth points:
Encouraged and strengthened me by:
|
Fallen short areas
|
What will I do with these insights?
|
Friday
After reading and studying this text, reflect on the following discipleship growth points:
What did God say to me this week?
|
Share insights and growth points.
|
Changed/transformed how?
|
Saturday
Reflective Thoughts