Sunday, June 2, 2019

IGNITION

Today’s Reading: Ephesians 5

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

 

The ancient Ephesus Commercial Agora (shopping mall) is in the form of a square, each side 110 metres, and surrounded completely by columns. The Agora has three entrances, one from the front of the theatre on the northeast, one opening to the harbour on the west, and a third from the Celsius Library. The north side of the Agora is left open, and the other three sides are surrounded by a portico in which there were rows of shops.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

 

Key Verse: Ephesians 5:18-19

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

 

In an earlier reading from Ephesians, we noted that the words “in Christ” (or its equivalent) are repeated 35 times. Interestingly, there are also 35 directives given!…one for each reminder of our position “in Christ.” Do we need another reminder that good behaviour is determined as a result of being “in Christ” and not a factor in getting us into the body of Christ? We are there only by grace through our faith; it is a gift of God, not of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-9). We’ve considered this fact before, but it needs to be repeated to make sure we’ve got it in the right order.

Our reading begins with the directive, “Walk in love as Christ also has loved us.” His love is a sweet-smelling aroma. There is a sign on a Kingston, Ontario, shop that says, “Aroma Therapy.” We have never gone in to check it out, but we do breathe deeply of the aroma of Christ every day. It’s the cure for whatever ails us. Then having been saturated in His fragrance, we will carry that fragrance with us for at least 24 hours. We mentioned this in our reading from 2 Corinthians 2:14-17. Christ definitely passes the smell test! Do we? There are at least 35 ingredients in the content of the fragrance, according to Paul. Please don’t list them and put them on the wall like the Ten Commandments. We need to relax in the knowledge that we are “in Christ.” His constant Presence in us will exude His fragrance through our behaviour. We may or may not have ever been drunk with wine (I don’t ever intend to find out what it’s like), but be assured we cannot ever drink too much of the Spirit of Christ. Just hand Him our lives and say, “Fill ‘er up!”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord God, may I receive grace from You to be like Jesus, speaking as He would speak and doing as He would do. May the fragrance of Jesus permeate my person so that others will know I’m “in Christ,” and He is in me. As our key verses tell me, Lord, may I not be under the influence of wine but filled with Your Spirit and under Your strong influence at all times. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

At 19 years old, 3 years after I made my lifetime commitment to Christ, I said to God in a time of discouragement, “I can’t live the Christian life as I should. I might as well quit!” God’s response was unmistakable. I heard that still small Voice of the Lord say, “Good, go ahead and quit. Now perhaps you’ll let Me live the Christian life in you and through you.” Suddenly I felt totally free just to go ahead and LIVE! I can’t begin to describe the feeling of elation, joy, strength, and courage I began to experience. I knew beyond any doubt that my life would be lived “in Christ” and that Christ lived in me. My life was not “of works, lest anyone [me] should boast.” I was totally confident that I was “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:9-10). I was the proud owner of a 1947 Plymouth. I did not have to move each piston up and down to move the crank shaft which moved the transmission which moved the drive shaft which moved the wheels. All I had to do was to connect to the power by my free will decision to connect to the engine. Believe me…I knew from that time forward that I needed to connect with God first thing every day. That spark connected me to the power of the gasoline in my spirit combustion works, and power flowed to every part of me so I could live, move, and get to where I needed to be.

The winter I was 20, I remember being out front of the railway station in Chalk River, Ontario, with my car and booster cables, trying to start a friend’s car at almost 50 degrees below zero. It took patience and I persisted. Finally there was ignition and he was on his way. Leading others to Christ may be a challenge, but with persistence and the right connection, it will happen. I will seek to give someone a boost in coming to life in Christ today!

Yours for being connected to Christ and for connecting others to Him,

David

Ancient public toilets in Ephesus – All I can say is that I appreciate modern dividers. These were part of the Scholastica Baths, built in the 1st Century A.D., around the time Paul was in Ephesus. They were the men’s public toilets of the city. There was an entrance fee to use them. There was a running water drainage system under the toilets. These bathroom toilets could accommodate up to 36 men at one time. This was a place to talk to your neighbour and perhaps shake hands on a business deal. It’s possible that Paul witnessed for Christ to his neighbour here. This picture was my photographer son’s idea (as was the shaking hands suggestion!).

10 thoughts on “Sunday, June 2, 2019

  1. Dear Saints, today is my moving day. I ask for prayers that it all go smoothly and that I do not get lost driving in a new unfamiliar city and my very old car holds up in the journey.

    I realized many of you are going through much more difficult things than a simple move, a move I believe the Lord has me too, I am not indifferent to that. Last night I prayed for doctors to discover once and for all what is causing Doreen’s blood pressure to keep spiking. I am praying for Beverlee as she has a time of refreshing. I am praying for the families of the victims of the shooting in Virginia City

    I may not always let you know how much being a part of this blog community means to me. I am so grateful to be living out the fellowship Christians are meant to have. Your support and prayers over the years have been so helpful.

    The best thing about the internet, I do not have to say goodbye to you, as I had to do with so many this past week. I am both emotionally and physically spent, but I know whatever the Lord has planned for me it is worth the effort to get there.

    I don’t know how long it will be before I get my internet set up at my new place, but once I do I will let all of you know how it went. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts

  2. We must be like lighthouses that radiate His light like an aroma that stays in the mind of all who observe us.Aroma/smell is said by science to be the biggest trigger of memory…..or memories.I’m off to church very shortly.Have a blessed Sabbath “in the Lord”.God bless

    This Living Rose

    Long ago there grew a Flower
    That had a fragrance to cherish,
    Such that greed could not devour
    And in death refused to perish.

    This fragrance grew and then spread wide,
    It’s scent still borne by so many,
    And found it had never died;
    It’s wealth worth not a penny.

    Like the wind that you can not ride
    And a river that keeps flowing,
    This Scent of love will not hide
    But is a Rose that keeps growing.

    Kings and angels had bowed to greet,
    The aroma of this tender seed,
    For they knew none could defeat,
    This living Rose that fills all need.
    G W (Bill) Marshall / Dec10, 2012
    (The knowledge of His love is the aroma.)
    14b ….spread the aroma of the
    knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For
    we are to God the pleasing aroma of
    Christ among those who are being
    saved and those who are perishing.
    2 Corinthians 2

  3. Praying for you and your new venture. May your move be smooth & without any unexpected or outsider of God’s perfect will. It is wonderful to be able to fit in right away with God’s people. Being lost in worship & praise is how I deal with stress. (He lives in the praises of his people. Psalm 22: 3)

  4. Occassionly I do not receive 100words.com.Yesterday I did not receive it again, again today, when I signed up again it said I am already subscribed, please correct this for me, I have been with 100words.com since conception.
    Thank you.

    • Carole, I didn’t receive 100words.com yesterday either or today. I just found the last one I had received and sent it to myself. That way, the latest one was fairly easy to find and enjoy. Technology can be pretty frustrating at times can’t it. With God’s help, we’ll get thru it:-)!
      Bless u Carole for staying with this study over the years.

  5. Donna M,
    May the Lord guide and protect you, as you venture to a new location. Moving can be both exciting and scary. It is the Lord who goes before you and makes your paths straight. Take courage!

    I hope you will soon have internet and be able to let us know how you are doing.
    Bless you!

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