Hope Harbor

  Christ is Our Head “God put everything under Christ’s power and made him head over everything for the church. The church is Christ’s body. It is filled with him. He makes everything complete in every way.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:22-23‬ ‭ERV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/406/eph.1.22-23.erv The last section of the first chapter of Ephesians Paul speaks of the glorious power and authority of Jesus.  Therefore it is essential that we recognize that Jesus is our head.  One definition of head is to be in charge of,to lead and to have the authority to direct the activities. Jesus Christ in His majesty definitely may rule over us and we must submit to His headship In the body the head is the top and contains the vital structures to sustain life. The sense organs are housed there as well as the body’s command center that controls not only thoughts and emotions but also regulates how the body moves and functions.  Using the acronym HEAD we can consider the reality of  Christ ...

  Praying for God’s People (part 2 ) “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:17-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.17-20.niv In my previous post I wrote about the value and importance of prayer. I pointed out that Paul encouraged decisions by telling them he prays for them and is thankful for them. He also said that he prays continually. In addition, he reminded them and us, that he was bringing those players on their behalf to our good good father. In this blog...

  Praying for God’s People (part 1) “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:16-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.16-19.niv As I continue through chapter 1 of Ephesians my heart was touched that Paul for those believers. I found this passage instructive regarding the value of prayer and how we can pray for others. Tell them Paul made a point in his letter to tell those to whom he was reading that he was praying for them. It is    encouraging to hear that someone cares enough about yo...

  Hope in Christ   “in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.12.niv .  Paul reminds the believers in Ephesus that they were the first to put their hope in Christ. When I read that my heart was stirred with a renewed desire to be one who clearly and securely has my hope in Christ.  Hope is essential and where we place our hope is vital.  God in His Word offers to us a great deal of instruction and encouragement regarding hope.  “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/rom.15.4.niv God wants to give us hope. He intends only for our good.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,...

  Faîthful in Christ     If you have been following my blog recently, you know that I have been pondering the book of Ephesians. I have been commenting on verses or portions of this letter they have touched my heart. It had been a sequential review of what I have read so far. You may have been expecting that I would continue onto the next section. Honestly, so was I. However when I opened to chapter 1 of Ephesians one recent morning I was particularly struck by to whom the letter was written. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:” ‭‭ Ephesians‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.1.niv  I will share some thoughts about the believers in Ephesus and their honorable attributes.  Paul addressed    those to whom he was writing as God’s holy people.    They were identified as  belonging to God . They were his possession. “See what great love the Fathe...