Verse of the day — Ephesians 1:18
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:18(NASB)
Open Windows by T. Austin-Sparks
Spiritual Senses
Solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)
In our natural, physical man we have five senses. We have our sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Those are the five senses of our physical natural life. But there is also an inner man called the "hidden man of the heart," and that inward man has what corresponds to the outer man's five senses. There is a faculty of spiritual sight, of spiritual hearing, of spiritual smelling or sensing, of spiritual taste and spiritual touch, and these senses are very important to the life of the inward man yes, more important even than the senses of the physical man.
We know how we feel the tragedy of people who have lost any of those outward senses. It is a great loss; it is an imperfect life, a life of limitation. But it is equally true of the inward man. To be without spiritual sight is a tragic loss and a terrible limitation; or without spiritual hearing, that capacity for answering to the Spirit "he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith": if there is no capacity for hearing, that is a desperate situation. What loss there is if there is no sensing sensing as in the matter of smell, so that you at once scent things. I know how wrongly that has been used, in an everlasting attempt to scent heresy and fault and wrong, but there is a right faculty of spiritual scent which is very important. I believe it was to that that reference was made concerning our Lord "His scent shall be in the fear of the Lord" (Isa. 11:3, A.R.M.) quick of scent, right on the mark in scenting what the Lord wanted. And how true it was of His heavenly life: what it saved Him to scent the enemy and what the enemy was up to, to scent what the Father wanted and when He did not want things. It is important to be quick of scent. And so with our taste and with our touch our contact, and what we register by contact. This is a very real inward man, and these are the senses which form the basis of spiritual capacity: these are the things to be exercised, to be "put through it" for increase and development.
Morning Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who … made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant. § Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. § He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled … Jesus wept. § Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
All of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
Gal. 6:2; Phil. 2:4,5; Phil 2:6,7; Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:15; John 11:33,35; Rom. 12:15; 1 Peter 3:8,9
Evening Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Son, go, work today in my vineyard.
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
You also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. § As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” § Sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Matt. 21:28; Gal. 4:7; Rom. 6:11; Rom. 6:12; Rom. 6:13; 1 Peter 1:14; 1 Peter 1:15 1 Peter 1:16; 2 Tim. 2:21; 1 Cor. 15:58
None but the Hungry Heart by Miles Stanford
Personal Attention
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:3a).
One's growth is gauged by one's gaze.
"The first impression on my heart when converted was, Enoch walked with God.' That was my start. Now then, I said, I will walk with God. Beautiful as far as it went; but I very soon found, as Luther said to Philip Melancthon, You will find old Melancthon stronger than young Philip!
"I came to my wit's end, for I wanted to find whence to draw so as to live it out. You are unable to live out of resources in yourself - you must not act as though your life is separate; the Lord Jesus must be the fountain. It is all very well to get the heavenly side of truth; but let me remind you that this alone will not do, for nothing will compensate for lack of walking in fellowship with the Father and the Son." -G.V.W.
"It is one thing to drop off or renounce certain things, and quite another to be engrossed with the right thing. Monks renounce much, but they are not engrossed with the Lord Jesus Christ. It must be not only forgetting those things which are behind,' but also reaching out unto the things that are above. It is that which you give yourself to, not what you have abandoned, that colors you and which imparts character to you." -J.B.S.
"Look at the Lord Jesus firmly and fixedly, never letting your gaze wander elsewhere; and whatever temporal objects come between you and your Lord, look right through them, as through a mist, and fix your eyes and heart upon Him and Him alone. Whatever condition you find yourself in, do not let either earth or heaven hide Him." -J.H.
"Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3b).
Devotional Studies by Elizabeth Haworth
Fountain of Blood
But now in Christ Jesus ye, who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:13
Sinner or Saint
There is no more hopeless and helpless state than to be an unbeliever in this world, but there is no more eternally glorious hope than to be a believer in Christ Jesus. Our multi-pronged state of deprivation and lack is outlined in the Word of God.
Without God
We were without Christ; without God; without a future and without hope in the world. We were without life; without light; without peace and without citizenship or state. We were without the promises of God; the Scripture of God and the Messiah of God. We were without God’s law and all His oracles – without knowledge or understanding.
Without Hope
We were without the adoption into son-ship – with no hope of an eternal inheritance. We were in all ways hopeless and helpless – enslaved in the evil kingdom of Satan. We were Gentiles in the flesh, corrupt idolaters with dark, evil uncircumcised hearts. We were at enmity with God; haters of Christ – engulfed in the raging sea of humanity.
Mass of Mankind
This is not a nice way to describe what we were and what the mass of mankind is. This shocking description offends our sensitivity and distresses our gentility. Such descriptions are not politically correct, and an outrage against humanity! Yet this is how Scripture describes every member of the human race – including us!
Consequences of Sin
Are we in all honesty prepared to look at sin as God sees sin, and take Him seriously? Do we truly recognise that sin is a cancerous poison – as outlined in God’s Word? Until we can accept how terrible sin is and its shocking and deadly consequences we can’t begin to appreciate or comprehend God’s amazing redemptive grace.
Grace of God
When we see sin as it truly is we begin to understand what God’s grace is., for now, in union with the Christ Jesus, we who once were far away have been brought near, by
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Knowing Jesus Devotional by Elizabeth Haworth
God’s Gracious Redemption
In union with Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sin, according to the riches of God’s grace.
Ephesians 1:7
Curse of Sin
To date it is 100% certain that if you have been born you will die – physically. Though man longs to live eternally, we are under the curse of sin and death.. for by one man’s sin came death – spiritual death and finally physical death, for all. Everyone is born spiritually dead in trespasses and sins… eternally separated from God. We are born physically alive but spiritually dead – without God and bereft of hope. But we can have redemption thru His blood according to the riches of God’s grace.
Born Again
If you are a believer, there is one point in your life when you were born again. You may or may not know the time, day, or date but there is one point of rebirth. That is the point of your salvation because you heard the gospel and believed. That is the point you were redeemed, saved, sealed, and baptised into Christ’s body. That was the most important day of your life, for it has eternal consequences.
Cost of Redemption
Sometimes we overlook the enormous significance of salvation and its cost to God. But redemption and the forgiveness of sins are according to the riches of His grace. We were drowning in the slippery 'Slough of Despond' without God and without hope. We were enslaved in sin and slaves of Satan, with the curse of death on our head. We were spiritually dead; at enmity with God - Satan’s captive in the slave-market of sin.
Full Salvation
But because of the riches of God’s grace, we have redemption in all its many facets. Because of the riches of God’s grace, we have salvation of the spirit, soul, and body. God’s word speaks of our full salvation in the past tense. It is a present possession. God has given us an assurance of salvation that can never be taken from us – and forever we are in union with Christ
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