# 32 2018 Dev. Eph. 6:12 “The Armor of God”. Read vs. 10-23.The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

 Paul ends the letter to the Ephesians and to the surrounding churches with a disturbing warning and a method to protect themselves and how we may protect ourselves from what Paul calls; “the devil’s schemes”. Today, do we recognize what Paul is warning us about? Given the type of entertainment that is popular:  Star Wars, Black Panther, 3xmen, Apocalypse, Hunger Games, Batman vs Superman to mention a few, are we desensitized to the evil spiritual forces Paul is warning us about? I do not claim to have the answer but I am asking the question. Satan would like us to do just that and not take him seriously. For those of us who know that we do not struggle with flesh and blood but with spirits and principalities of evil, are protected by the armor of God. It is a spiritual armor and it must be put on!

 Wear the belt of truth, truth sets us free. The breastplate of righteousness, protecting our vital organs: protecting our spiritual orientation. Put on the sandals of the Gospel of peace; “blessed are the feet that bring good news”. Holding on to the shield of faith, protecting us from evil spiritual attacks. Faith is the basis for what we believe and protects us from untruth. We are to put on the helmet of salvation, protecting our mind from non truth of this world. Take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. God’s Word is a living book, speaking to us according to our needs.

 The armor is what we wear and it should be obvious we have it on, but there are also prayer actions that protect us: “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Be alert and always keep on praying”. Paul also asks for prayer that he may present the gospel fearlessly and clearly. It is a prayer that we all need and as missionaries it was a prayer we asked for from our supporters and relied on.

 Let us keep on praying and keep on wearing the whole armor of God. We thank God for answered prayer!

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# 31 2018 Dev. Ps.41:4. “Have Mercy on me”! Read all of Ps.41. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Psalm 41:4 “I said, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord; for I have sinned against you.”

 Ps. 41 is the last of this four-part series of David dealing with his sin and its consequences. In Ps. 38 David is overwhelmed with guilt. In Ps. 39 David fears for his life and prays to God for deliverance. In Ps. 40 David waits for God, God hears him and David is placed on a firm place, on the rock. In Ps. 41 David acknowledges his sin and asks for mercy.

 Sin in our lives will damage us psychologically and sometimes physically.  There was a time in the past when sin and illness were closely tied together. Today we know that Illness is not the result of sin 99% of the time. However, we should not discount consequences of sin altogether. Obviously David had major physical and psychological problems. We know that lack of confession can seriously depress us and lack of forgiveness can lead to physical problems. Addictions that harm our bodies are actions with serous consequences. We treat addiction as illness, but we must admit our own actions have damaged our bodies. As followers of Jesus our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is an important accountability issue because help with addiction is available, but often we refuse to ask for it.  As for David and for us, our help comes from God. We confess our sins, our short comings, our disregard for our body (temple) and we ask God for mercy.  After that we seek the help of the medical community because that is a major blessing that God has brought to us in this country. Having lived in a place where even simple medical care is unavailable, except for those who can afford to receive treatment in large cities, it seems to me we have not always been thankful for the care we receive. Medical help and healing is God’s mercy!

 More importantly, when it comes to sin, forgiveness is the largest blessing of all. When we confess and ask for forgiveness in Christ Jesus, our souls are healed, often our bodies as well but that is not as important as our souls. We will all die, but the assurance of salvation, guaranteed to us by the Holy Spirit in us, is our eternal life line. Eternal life! Who is able to get his/her mind around that and understand it? We know and anticipate eternal life by faith. That is the guarantee and that is the promise we have along with David. Praise be to God!

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# 30 2018 Dev. Eph.6: Parents and Kids! Read verses 1-9. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Eph. 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— ³ “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

 In chapter 6 Paul continues with his instruction for families, “children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” This part of the instruction may seem anti climatic compared to “submit one to another” but here Paul appeals to one of the Ten Commandments. The only command with a promise!

 The themes of chapters 5 & 6 are love and sacrifice resulting as followers of Jesus becoming Children of Light. Being Children of Light means to live our faith in the face of the world. We are light in a dark place, light reveals peace, harmony, respect, love, forgiveness, patience, healing emotionally and physically. What better way for all that light to shine than in families following Paul’s instructions! As families there is a promise to us that many followers of Jesus experience: “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” Amen!

 Paul also warns the parents here. Don’t confuse your children with inconsistencies in your Christian life but be the example, children must see Jesus in the parent’s actions. How we treat our own parents will dictate how our children will treat us.

 Paul also gives instruction about slaves and masters. Today we take this as the relationship between employers and employees. Lack of harmony in the workplace is a curse that darkens our lives and spills over into our families.

 Good relations in marriage, between parents and children, and between employers and employees is a two-way street. We all have the responsibility of being children of the light, promoting love, peace, forgiveness, and sacrifice.

 Verse 1 & 2 of chapter 5 is our guide: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” Thanks be to God!

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# 29. 2018 Dev. Ps. 40:1,2. A firm Place to Stand!  Read all of Ps. 40. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Psalm 40:1,2 “I waited patiently  for the Lord;  he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the slimy pit  out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”

 In Ps.38, 39, David despaired for his life and his salvation. We also have times that we are overwhelmed with life, not just sin necessarily but with the things that happen to us and to loved ones, the things that are happening in the world but certainly sin is included because sin is never far from us. Satan accuses us, often falsely, sometimes he sows doubt, we despair of our faith, we question our salvation, how does God love the likes of me?

 How? Ps. 40 shows us another side of God dealing with us. David waited patiently for God.  God answered him! “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord”. Those who do not look to the world and the things of this world. God places their feet on solid ground, on the rock that is Jesus Christ.

 David speaks for us: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.” Good works is not what God wants but a willing heart, that pounders on his law. God wants those willing to speak of His deeds in their lives, ones who speak of God’s faithfulness and of his salvation, those who witness to God’s love and faithfulness to all.

 Again David speaks for us: “Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me. For troubles without number surround me;” Yet we are encouraged: “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, ‘The Lord is great!”

Along with David we are dependent on God: “But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.” Whether we admit it or not we all need a firm place to stand and Jesus the rock is the place to Stand. “Make sure to place your feet in the right place then Stand firm” (Abraham Lincoln). Thanks be to God!

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# 28 2018 Dev. Eph. 5:21 Submission!  Read verses 21-33. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Eph. 5:21 “²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

 Chapter 5 of Ephesians is the way of love and a call to live the light of Christ in our daily living. Verses 1,2 of this Ch. sets the tone for Paul’s exhortation: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”. We have looked at being the light and now we look at submission. That concept has very negative connotation in today’s world but the way of Jesus sees this concept as the power of the Gospel. Christ, though all powerful, submitted to die in love for us and Jesus tells us that we will be great in His Kingdom if we become the least and serve others. In verse 21, Paul is talking about the Christian life and about the married life of Christians. In both cases it is not about people, but this is about Jesus, about honoring and glorifying Him in all our relationships. It seems that Christ-centeredness is easily forgotten and the result is that our actions in the church and in our marriages are all about us!

 Wives submit to your husbands and husbands sacrifice yourselves for your wives; actual headship is much more demanding than submission. Vs 24-25 summarizes the submission concept: “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”. Submission does not designate lesser or weaker or stronger and dominating, no, it goes back to Gen.2:18 “God said:’ it is not good for man to be alone I will make a helper suitable for him.” From the beginning there was equality but differing roles obviously.  A suitable helper can only mean that men and women complete each other in relationship. Who really would want to live in a world with only one or the other? The difference of the sexes is what makes life worth living and is only enhance with the blessings of children, and as Christians, marriage is sanctified by the the love of God and the salvation of Christ in our lives. Our marital relations are equated with the relationship of Christ and His church, His body. Submission = “love and Faithfulness”! (Prov. 3:3)

 Paul tells us, marital relationship as equated with divine relationship to the church (the body of Christ) is a mystery. Marriage is physical and spiritual. Marriage is one of God’s blessings we enjoy but do not fully understand. The bottom line is that marriage in God’s eyes is on the level of the divine, ordained by God and sanctioned by His love, and is the example of His love for us! Praise be to God!

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# 27. 2018 Dev. Ps. 39:4. Long Life! Read all of Ps 39.The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Psalm 39:4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is”.

 This set of 4 Psalms are complicated in that they all speak to a different aspect of David dealing with his sin. In Psalm 38, David keeps his silence before God, he sees himself as a deaf / mute. He is overwhelmed with pain, real or imagined, but real non the less. In Ps. 39 he keeps silent before enemies for as long as he is able. His pain / Illness progresses to the point he is in fear for his life. And he speaks to God.

 We may identify with David when there are times that all seems lost, even life after death seems too much to hope for. Illness comes upon us, or on a loved one, terminal Illness is real and present among God’s people as well as people of the world. Along with David we despair and say: v.5 “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be”. It is proven over and over again, wealth or possessions do not satisfy. Serving God with what He has blessed us with – talents, funds, personality, is the great privilege of our life on earth. Satan wants to deter us and sin is never far away, but thanks be to God for His mercy, and His compassion, and His salvation.

 When we put life in the context of serving Jesus, length of life is no longer important. We trust God for calling us and equipping us and we thank God for every day given to us. Life is a gift! As we read in this Psalm, our hope is in You, Lord Jesus. David keeps asking God for an answer but David knows and we know, God, that You listen to and answer our prayers.

 I am writing this on the 4^th of July. As we read this, life is being cut short for many service men and women, many of whom are not even citizens of the US. Non citizenship makes no difference in terms of commitment to this great land. I know, it happened to me, sent to war as a non-citizen I was prepared to have my life cut short, that did not happen but even if it had my life would not have been less meaningful, in God’s eyes or in mine. Praise God!  We commit to You, Father God, all those who are suffering from war, suffering from illness, suffering from disillusionment, suffering from loss. Stay close Lord Jesus, Amen and Amen!

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# 26 2018 Dev. Eph. 5:8-10. People of Light! Read verses 1-20. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Eph. 5:8-10 “you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.”

 Chapter 5 is a continuation of what Paul has written in Ch.4, a continuation of his advice on living a Jesus lifestyle. In this section vs.1-7 he addresses our personal lives: obscenity, immorality, impurity, being greedy “such a person is an Idolater and has no inheritance in the Kingdom of God”. It is a description of living in darkness.

 No one wants to think about darkness, particularly what Paul is talking about; namely people who are without Jesus are in darkness and are darkness. Sadly, those in darkness are not aware of their precarious situation. People have no Idea that there is no in-between. In life there is no idling in place; either you serve Jesus or you serve yourself, either you move closer to the light or you stay in increasing darkness.  Many of us have been blessed by believing parents and families, but even so, all who belong to Jesus must make a commitment to serve Him, a decision we make every day. Therefor, believers are people of the light of Jesus Christ.

 In this section, vs 8-20, Paul addresses living in the light. “Light consists of all goodness”. How do we define “all goodness”? There is no end to it; a goodness that includes everything good in heaven and on earth. For so many people, believers and unbelievers, see the darkness all around, but for many others that darkness is overwhelmed by the light of God, Amen!

 Secondly, Light is “righteousness and truth”, which includes justice, law and obedience, civility, naked truth unspun, reality and purity in our thoughts.

 Thirdly, wisdom and self-control. What is included here is the fruit of the Holy Spirt (Gal. 5:22-23).

 What do we take away from this section of Ephesians? We read: “Find out what pleases the Lord” and “understand what the Lord’s will is”. What does all this mean for those of us who believe?  Know God’s Word! Read it, ponder it, meditate on it daily, apply it to your every day living and by the power of the Holy Spirit let your light shine! Thank God, Jesus lives in us!

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# 25. 2018 Dev. Ps. 38:4. Repentance!  Read all of Ps. 38. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Psalm 38:4 “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.”

 The next four Psalms share the theme of David committing a sin, the consequences, and his confession to God. These four Psalms are the last stanzas of Book One, it is a Book of instruction.

 Sin is always against God’s will for us and sometimes it involves sin against other people. All of Scripture is a guide to God’s will for us but a more specific passage is Ex.20, the Ten Commandments. Obeying the Ten Commandment can’t save us, neither do they condemn us when we accept life by the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, our Savior.

 The Law has two sections: # 1-4 our relationship to God and # 6-10 our relationship to each other. Today we use the Law in three ways: one, the Law teaches us God’s righteousness and shows us where we may have fallen short. It shows us what sin is. Two, the Law restrains sin in society. Three, the Law teaches us how to live as followers of Jesus, obedience builds our faith and we experience God’s grace.

 Like David, our conscience brings on guilt that must be resolved, guilt drags us into dark places as we see with David. Praise be to God that confession and repentance brings back the light. I find public confession as it was practiced in the past not helpful and given our broken selves, detrimental. Confess to God and if a person is involved, to that person. If there is a problem in the church, go to Matt. 18:15-19.

 As long as we live in this broken world sin will be a reality in our lives, but as followers of Jesus we are forgiven.  I John 2 comforts us: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” Confession and repentance heals!  Praise be to God!

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# 24 2018 Dev. Eph. 4:22-24. A Jesus Lifestyle! Read verses 17-32. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Eph. 4: 22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”.

 Paul in this passage sets direction for a righteous and holy life style; he draws a stark contrast of life without Christ and a life with Christ. It goes without saying that Paul is talking about our daily actions, our lifestyle as followers of Jesus.

 Paul of course is writing to former Gentiles as described by their former lifestyles. Does what Paul is saying connect with followers of Jesus today?  

A second question: does Paul have something to say to people like myself: born and raised in the church and considered himself a Christian at the beginning? The answer to these questions is: Yes! Absolutely!

 Paul begins with describing a lifestyle of those separated from God, those who do not and cannot understand due to the hardening of their hearts. That is not the lifestyle we have learned that is “the truth that is in Jesus”. We have been recreated “to be like God in righteousness and holiness”. However, sanctification begins with Jesus and ends with His return, it is on going in our lives. For everyone, redemption begins with turning to Jesus, accepting His love and putting our trust in Him, it is a matter of faith. Even so Paul continues to warn us “do not grieve the Holy Spirit”, get rid of bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” We may think that we are not subject to that sort of lifestyle and Paul’s warning is not for us, but if that is our attitude we are living a “la la land” life.

 So, do build people up as needed, may your conversations benefit others: v 32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”. Good advice for how to live and how not to live in a Jesus lifestyle!

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# 23. 2018 Dev. Ps.37:3 Trust, vs.5 Commit, vs.7 Be Still. Read all of Ps. 37. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the N

Psalm 37:3 “Trust in the Lord… vs.5. Commit your way to the Lord vs.7. Be still before the Lord”  

Ps. 37 is an acrostic poem of David and it is the last stanzas in this series (34-37). In Ps. 37 David gives us a long comparison of the actions of the wicked and the actions of the righteous. Ps. 34 and 37 both are acrostic psalms that bracket two prayers; Ps. 35 asks for God’s intervention into David’s life and Ps. 36 praises God for the love He has for creation and warns us about the evil intentions of Satan.  

In Ps 37: 3-8 David guides the righteous to do what is pleasing to God; “Trust in the Lord and do good”, trust and action go together. “Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit to the Lord” and our righteousness will shine like the sun. “Wait patiently for God, hope in the Lord” and God will give “peace and prosperity”. Vs. 11 “The meek will inherit the earth”. Vs. 18,19 The Lords cares for us, “they will enjoy plenty”. Vs.23 the Lord makes firm our steps, “he upholds us with His hand.” Vs. 27 “turn from evil and do good” Vs. 39 “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord”.

 “Not so the wicked”: they will wither. They will be no more, they will be destroyed, never to be found on earth or in heaven. This is what David has observed in his time and that is what we will observe in out time today “God is not mocked”.

 Today our comfort is as it was for David. Vs, 39,40 “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them he delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him.” Lord, Jesus comfort your followers “and deliver us from evil” that is among us today. Lord Jesus help us to commit to you and by it to trust you and may we not run ahead, but be still and wait for You, amen!

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