Good morning. Today we will begin our reading in the book of Ephesians. The book of Ephesians is an accumulation of six (6) chapters, written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison. Join me as we begin our reading/review; the first three chapters focus on the calling of the church and the final three chapters focus on applying action within the church (the conduct of the church).
Bible Verse – Ephesians 1:1-2 NLT
“1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
Reflection
As we read in other letters written by Paul in the Bible, Paul clarifies that he was made an apostle of Jesus Christ through God’s will not his own. Just for context in the book of Acts you can read Paul’s conversion story. In that book you can read how God has the ability to transform the heart of the greatest sinner and use him to share the gospel message. Paul persecuted and had Christians murdered and now in his writings you will read how he shares the gospel message of Jesus Christ and encourages the church to follow Christ.
Paul further expresses in these verses that Christians have their lives rooted in Christ. And, God’s grace expresses a continuous steady love toward men and women, and peace arises from that grace.
Sisters and brothers, may God’s grace and peace be with you today and as we continue our reading through Ephesians. May God continue to transform our hearts as we read and apply His word.
Prayer
Father God, we thank you for your amazing grace and mercy in our lives. You have been incredibly faithful and generous. Lord, forgive us for the times when we have sinned against you (knowingly and unknowingly). Lord, direct our steps as we begin this new week. Go before us as we go to work, school, appointments, and anything else we may need to do.
Lord, we want to praise you for all the prayer requests that have been answered. Lord, you are faithful and good. We thank you for healing the woman who had been ill and had surgery – Lord, your grace is sufficient and You are worthy of praise.
Lord, we continue to pray for the woman in the hospital. Lord, thank you for opening her eyes and allowing her to respond either nods and blinks. Lord, we pray for her speech and ability to walk to return. Lord, we pray for the mother who had a stroke last week and is in the hospital. Lord, we pray for her recovery and for her family and friends to be strengthened in faith. Lord, give the doctors the wisdom to continue to care for them. Lord, I thank you for healing me and I thank you for the rest you provide. Lord, be with those who are in need of medical healing today. Lord, relieve their congestion, headaches, sore throats, and anything else they maybe dealing with.
Lord, I want to pray for the church. Lord, wherever there is division within the church – heal the church, align it to your word, and strengthen the church to be a light in the community and the world. Lord, remove anything that does not align with your word, and transform hearts of all the members in the church body so that we will follow you with our whole heart. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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BIBLE STUDY
Beginning Thursday, October 1, 2026, we will start a new Bible study series on the Book of Galatians. The book is titled: Now That Faith Has Come, written by Beth Moore. Study will be over Zoom and it will begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:00 p.m. To join the study, send an email to contactus@maryewhiteministries.com
You can pre-order your book from Living Proof Ministries at https://store.lproof.org/products/copy-of-now-that-faith-has-come-a-study-of-galatians-bible-study-book?pr_prod_strat=jac&pr_rec_id=b65982225&pr_rec_pid=6667403690035&pr_ref_pid=4721695260723&pr_seq=uniform
Picture of the Bible Study Book – Now That Faith Has Come: A Study of Galatians Bible Study
SEEKING GUESTS WRITERS
We are seeking Guest Writers to write daily devotions that will be published on our website, social media pages, and sent out via other platforms during the month of October and December. If you are interested, please pray about it and send us an email to: contactus@maryewhiteministries.com
PRAYER REQUEST
Do you have a prayer request? We would love to pray for you. Send your prayer request to: contactus@maryewhiteministries.com
Bible Reference: http://www.biblegateway.com
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