DEVOTIONAL
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‘THE YOKE OF FREEDOM’
Friday, 25 May 2018
Ephesians 3 : 1-13
“…so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.” -Ephesians 3:10
Christian life is a life of purpose! In John 12:27, Jesus said “But for this purpose I came to this hour.” Through the book of Ephesians, the purpose of God for every believer and His church is revealed. The first three chapters explain the rich inheritance of every believer and the last three chapters highlights the need for every believer and the church as a whole, to live a life glorifying His name, trusting in that rich inheritance.
Chapter 2 points certain unique privileges of a person who puts His trust in Jesus Christ:
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Made alive together with Christ (2:5)
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Raised up together with Christ (2:6)
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Made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ (2:6)
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Saved by grace through faith (2:8)
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His workmanship created in Christ Jesus (2:10)
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Fellow citizens with the saints and of God’s household (2:19)
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Being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (2:22)
Paul says in Eph.3:1-3 that God revealed His purpose of the believer and the Church and declares boldly the purpose of God about every man in Vs.6 “that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
Gospel reveals the plan of God to accept every single human being who puts his trust in Jesus Christ to be a partaker of the promise in Christ! As the system of the world would like to keep people as underprivileged, Gospel declares equality of rights and status to all who come to Christ! Even as we appropriate the Gospel in our lives, we are joined together with other believers and then built into a dwelling place of God!
Oh the purpose of God! You are no more the ordinary, but you become the extraordinary as you connect to the divine purpose!! The power of the Gospel changes everyone who opens their hearts to the Gospel – they are no more hidden and discarded but are revealed and valued.
Our key verse says, “so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.” (Vs.10) It is the purpose of the devil to keep people under darkness – but the purpose of God is to make us a light through Jesus Christ! When people of God are united through the Spirit of God, the Church is being built! When the Church stands together, God publicly declares to the powers of darkness, what He could do through the life of a believer – that every dead in spirit can be alive in Christ, that a sinner can be made a saint , that vessels of wrath can become vessels of mercy, that those in the earthly realm can be in the heavenly realm, that the disobedient can become obedient, that those who are far off from God can be brought very near to God, that those who are hopeless can be hopeful, that those who were enemies can become part of God’s household!
While God wants to boldly declare to the principalities, all the above, are you cooperating with Him and operating in the understanding of the purpose of God? If not, let us change today – as we read this! If you are a person, who even after knowing Christ are still indulging in the ways of the world, still living in anger and bitterness and unforgiveness, if you are still living in self pity and remorse, if you are still condemning yourself, and unable to rejoice in Christ, if you are living a lie – a double life – you are not living the purpose of God for you! Rise up and show to the powers of darkness that you are are not going to be under his yoke, but under the yoke of Christ – under the yoke of freedom!
Thought: JESUS says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” (Matthew 11:29)
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