Good morning! Today we begin our reading in Ephesians chapter 2. As a brief recap, in chapter one, Paul shared God’s eternal plan which resulted in all believers on earth and in heaven being brought together under Christ. Now in chapters two and three we will read how the plan was executed and how God makes sinners saints. Join me as we continue our reading in Ephesians.
Bible Verse – Ephesians 2:1-7 NLT
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”
Reflection
This morning’s humble reminder, “By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.”
Sisters and brothers, that humble reminder sets the stage for gratitude. In us we could never be clean enough, sinless enough, kind enough to save ourselves. We deserved God’s wrath, but He gave us grace and mercy. It is only by God’s grace and mercy that we believers who are in Christ Jesus have been saved.
Summing this up, God made believers alive, raised them up, and seated them with Christ. Our experience in the world and our condition was clear in verse one – we were dead in our transgressions and sin. In verses 4-5, we were made alive – with Christ. The riches of His grace are shown to us in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. His grace saved us.
Prayer
Father God, we thank you for your amazing mercy and grace. Lord, forgive us for the sins we have committed (knowingly or unknowingly). Lord, help us to live out our lives in alignment with Your word. Lord, continue to humble our hearts to help those in need and those who need to know you. Lord, align our thoughts and our actions to Yours. Help us to see things as you see them. Help us to encourage others in the faith. Help us to use the spiritual gift you have given us to point others to you.
Lord, we thank you for this new month. We thank you for all the things you have ahead for us. Lord, be with us as we finish up this day and prepare for the weekend. Lord, your word says wherever we go you are there. Lord, be with us in our homes and help us to feel your presence and peace. Lord, be our protection and strength. Lord, be with those who will be leaving their homes and are going out into the world for school, work, medical appointments, etc. Lord, protect their coming and going.
Lord, we pray for each woman who joined us for Bible study and we leave their prayer requests with you. Lord, continue to stretch us and grow us in your word.
In Jesus name, we pray, amen!
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BIBLE STUDY
Our next Bible study session will be on Thursday October 22, 2026. Our Bible study series is on the Book of Galatians. The book is titled: Now That Faith Has Come, written by Beth Moore. Study is online via Zoom and it begins at 6:30 p.m. and ends 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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