The Daily Dose

God’s masterpiece in progress

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good works he planned for us long ago.”  Ephesians 2:10

You are God’s masterpiece!  He sees you as a completed work of art.  This is wonderful and we know He does all things good including what He works in us!  Glory to God!  Keep this in mind when things aren’t going as you thought they should or when the enemy attacks.  But there’s more to this story.

Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ;”. You are God’s “good work”.  This verse looks like we are a work in progress.  So how can we be both a work in progress and a masterpiece at the same time?  God is doing a good work in us every day.  This means God is actively involved in our everyday life!  Since God sees me as He created me to be, I am His masterpiece, but day to day, I am His work in progress.  He “touches up” and “perfects” us as His work of art each day.  That is why He is called the author and finisher of our faith in Hebrews 12:2. He began a good work in me the day I received Jesus into my heart and made Him LORD of my life.  Now He continues that work every day through the steps I take in making a difference in this world doing the kingdom’s business.

Take note that it is a “good” work not a bad one.  God’s idea of good is way beyond ours, but He does know what good is.  He is the author of “good”.  We don’t have to be afraid to trust Him because we can know “good” will be the result of our obedience to His direction.  This goes back to knowing the difference between God’s hand in something and the devil’s work.  Good vs evil and blessed vs. cursed.  God can only produce good things and good works because He has no evil in Him.

This again reinforces that God wants good for us continually and He has the perfect plan to get His goodness to us as we seek and follow Him every day!

Today I encourage you to watch out for the “good works” God is doing in your life.  Don’t pass them up or walk around them.  Stop and recognize that this is your opportunity for God to do a good work in you to make an impact in the kingdom of heaven for all eternity.

  Today’s scripture reading: Ephesians 2:7-10

He is kind

that in the ages to come He shows the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7

This scripture is the prelude to one of the most frequently quoted passage about salvation there is.  Most Christians are familiar with Ephesians 2:8 & 9 that say: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  It is commonly referenced what confirming that we are saved by God’s grace and not by our good works.  A point that is valid and appropriately noted.  However, if we pay closer attention to the verse right before and right after them, verses 7 and 10, we can see that this scripture is sandwiched between two verses that sometimes get overlooked. 

In today’s key verse the Apostle Paul is talking about down through the ages of time up to and including today.  He says that God is showing us exceeding (very great) riches of His grace (grace being all sufficiency in all things for every good work) in His kindness because we are walking out our lives in Christ Jesus.  God is kind.  We know He is love and that He gives love, but I believe it is equally important to know of His kindness.  We don’t have to be afraid of Him.  He wants us to have all we need to accomplish our purpose in life.  He’s not trying to make life hard on us and He’s not punishing us when we mess up.  No, He poured out all His wrath on Jesus for the sin of the whole world and He is not angry anymore!  His love will reach all those who call on His name, no matter how far they are from Him.  God’s kindness is only one step away or rather one turn away.  By simply turning around and facing Him instead of running away from Him, He is ready to pour all His kindness out!

It is definitely supernatural and cannot be explained to the fullness in this life.  It is a step of faith to not only believe God’s kindness and love but also to receive them each day you walk on this earth.  This is not to say that bad will never happen or come close.  We do live in a fallen world and have no doubt, the enemy will always be up to His old tricks of sickness, disease, temptations and deceptions.  However, one day God’s wrath will be poured out when His judgement finally comes on all who reject Him, but in the mean time the windows of heaven are open and His lovingkindness is pouring out for anyone who wants to get under it.

Today I want to encourage you to get in line with God’s lovingkindness.  If you have never received His gift of Salvation through the blood of Jesus, invite Him in today.  If you are already a child of God and would like to see more of His goodness in your everyday life, press into Him by talking and spending more quiet time with Him.  When you are alone, you can praise and worship Him.  Let Him know He is the number one priority in your life, not by what you preach to others, but by how you return your love to Him.

Today’s scripture reading: Ephesians 2:7-9

His great love

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)  Ephesians 2:4-5

Chapter two of Ephesians starts out with “And” which implies the thought is carrying over from Chapter one.  After talking about Christ Jesus being the center of everything and we as believers being His body in the world, Paul goes on to says “you were dead in sin and you acted like the world in agreement with the demonic powers of disobedience.  However, when you received Jesus as LORD, He made you alive and a part of Himself.  (no longer separated from God but connected to Him)  It’s all because God, in His rich mercy and great love that He loved us with that He made us alive and brought us together with Christ.  That is His great grace that saved us!”

As discussed yesterday, our inheritance in Christ is what this life is all about.  It’s what this world is all about and it’s what our existence is all about.  When you think about the things going on in the world, the things that we concern ourselves with like who is leading which country or what countries are at war with one another?  Also things like what’s going on in politics, racial divisions and current pandemics?  We begin to take on a whole new perspective when recognizing that the King of kings and the Lord of lords is in this thing with us.  He didn’t just come to rescue us out of this mess, He came to restore this earthly kingdom back into the hands of His people.  The arguments, disagreements and fights that are gong on in this world are of little consequence in the big scheme of things.  Yet, our Father wants us to let everyone know that He loves them and is calling them to be connected to Him through salvation in Jesus.

So why is He doing all this?  Because of His great love with which He loved us!  He raised us up from our pit and made us sit in the heavenly places with His Son.  One day we will rule and reign with Him and in the mean time . . . we are His hands and His feet. His body in the world.  We bring our Father to others and we bring the lost to our Father.

Today I want to encourage you to look around you for someone you can introduce to your Heavenly Father.  We were dead and are so thankful that His love gave us life.  Share that great love with someone today and help them find that new life in Christ too. We are God’s expression of love to the world, so be His love to those around you where ever you go.

Today’s scripture reading: Ephesians 2:1-7

The world is peripheral

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23

I like the way this scripture is explained in the message bible.  It says that at the center of everything that exists, Christ rules the church.  Then it goes on to say that the church isn’t peripheral to the world but the world to the church. It finishes by saying the church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts and the church is how He fills everything with his presence.  This is very accurate and causes me to consider that it is true that at the center of everything Christ Jesus is ruling and leading the church.  Everything!  Heaven, earth, the universe and even hell.  Isn’t that interesting to consider?  It’s not our government that is ruling and reining in the world and its not even some other country that is in control.  Jesus is!  Of everything!  Makes me wonder why I ever worry.

The only problem I can see in this scenario is that Jesus is ruling and reining through the church.  His Christian people, the body of believers.  So why don’t we see more of our influence in the world today?  Is this really what He has in mind?  Is the world really in the condition that Jesus would have it in?

Consider this:  Jesus taught the disciples to pray God’s kingdom come and will be done in earth just like it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).  Does it look like we are experiencing any of that today?  Well, maybe to some degree.  I know there are a lot of great things happening around the world and the Holy Spirit is definitely at work behind the scenes.  However, I believe He wants to do more.  I believe the Holy Spirit wants to penetrate through every part of darkness there is in the world today.  He’s not satisfied to let any of it go to waste and neither should we, as His body, be.

So what is the solution?  First of all get the plan!  God has a plan for your life and the way to be most effective for Him is to find out where you fit in that plan.  I’m not saying God cannot use you where you are right now. As you surrender to Him, He will make you effective where you are today as you position yourself in the place He has planned for you.  I am convinced that many believers are where they are today because it is where they think they want to be instead of where they have been led. God’s plan for you may be where you are right now or it may be someplace else. The important thing is that you seek it. Seek first the kingdom of God and His rightness (Matthew 6:33). He will get you where you need to be and you will know without a doubt you are in the right place, at the right time, with the right people! Then you will be in the place where you can be most effective for Kingdom progress and also be able to help those around you get into their place.

Today I want to encourage you to spend some special time along with your Heavenly Father.  Talk to Him about the plan for your life.  Ask Him: If you are there?  If not, Ask Him for steps to take to get there.  If you are, ask Him how to be more effective in that place. Then begin to thank Him for the grace and gifting on your life to accomplish His plans in that place.  Also, thank Him for making that path plain and clear so you can follow it purposefully. Only then will you experience true peace and satisfaction in living this life.

Today’s scripture reading: Ephesians 1:15-23

The same power

To know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,  Ephesians 1:19-20

I want to continue today with the prayer in Ephesians 1 that the Apostle Paul prayed for the believers at Ephesus.  He starts by telling them: “I am continuously thanking God for you all because of your faith, how you love and care for one another and what a blessing it is to see.”  Because of what he heard about them he mentions them in his prayers unceasingly.  He is praying that they would grow in the wisdom and revelation of knowing God personally.  He prays that their understanding would be open to the call of being connected with each other and to recognize their inheritance as believers is very rich and glorious.

In today’s verse, Paul continues his prayer by telling them that he prays for them to have a personal revelation of the large amount of power that is available to all who believe and this is the same power that God used when He raised Jesus from the dead!  Wow!  That’s a lot of strength, ability and power!  Paul is praying this prayer for them as from the heart of God.  He knows that God wants His people to operate in this same kind of power through their salvation in Jesus.  That is why God revealed in Romans 8:29 that Jesus was the first born of many brethren or people raise up with Him (Jesus) in that same power.

This prayer is also for us today.  As believers in Christ Jesus, God wants us to have a personal revelation of that power in our lives and it starts with our salvation.  When we received Jesus, our “old person” died and we were raised up a new creation, alive with Jesus when He was raised from the dead.  Now our Heavenly Father wants us to walk in that resurrection power every day of our lives. He wants us to live in victory and share that victory with those around us.  When we bring others to Him, He hears and answers.  He is waiting to show Himself strong on behalf of all who are truly His children.  (2 Chron. 16:9)

Today I want to encourage you to get a revelation of the power that God has made available to us through our Salvation in Jesus.  Look for opportunities to pray with those who come into contact with you.  Pray for healing, pray for deliverance and pray for victories.  God won’t let you down.  Signs and wonders are for those who don’t know Him yet and God has put the power in our hands to touch the lost around us.

Today’s scripture reading: Ephesians 1:15-23

Know His calling

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Paul continues with His prayer for the church at Ephesus by praying that after they have grown in the wisdom and revelation knowledge of God, that God would open the understanding of these believers so that they would have hope in the purpose that He has called them to.  God had a plan and a purpose for them to be a beacon of hope in their region of the world.  Paul also prays that God’s light of understanding would expose to them the richness and the honor of being born into the body of Christ, the church.

What a great prayer for us to pray for one another today, that we would have a fresh understanding of the richness and honor we received when we became a child of God.  However, the emphasis is on the richness of being one of the saints.  I know I don’t fully grasp, not only what an honor it is, but also the inexplicable riches of being a part of something so great and important to God.  A living organism that God has created to change the world from a sinful dirty place back to a glorious habitat that He originally designed it to be.

We as the body of believers have gotten off track and reduced the life a Christian or Christ follower into a measurable set of rules, but that is not God’s idea.  He made the church to be a living body to function in cooperation with each other and His Spirit to turn the world around and head it back to garden living.  He intended us as believers to be the leading force in the world through prayer and walking out the plan He made for each one of our lives.  Coming together on the weekend is not just something we check off the list as a good behavior to keep us in line with God.  It is a coming together to regroup, build up and encourage, strategize, get direction and plan for the coming week of combat in our day to day living. Whether its occupying conquered territory or taking new ground, we need each other to generate the energy, equip one another and cheer each other on for the up and coming battles.

Today I want to encourage you to consider the richness of your inheritance as a believer.  Your place in the body of Christ is a rich and honored position.  It is like a rank in the military of God.  Your pressing in to complete your current mission will promote you into the next assignment God has for your life.  Take time today to talk with God about your current status and what you need to accomplish for the kingdom right where you are.  Then, widen your scope to recognize the richness of the resource God has equipped you with as you connect with other believers on mission.  We are God’s force and artillery in the world and He has called us to be a beacon of hope to the people around us.  Let’s begin to work closely with His Spirit and the entire body and be that beacon of hope to the whole earth!

Today’s scripture reading: Ephesians 1:15-23

Know Him more

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,  Ephesians 1:17

Today’s verse is the start of Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus, but it can be a prayer that we pray today for one another and also for ourselves.  We know this prayer is God’s will, so we can confidently pray it and expect to see the results.  He starts by saying to them:  “I’m praying that God, our Heavenly Father empowers you to know Him more through His Spirit of wisdom and revelation.”  So the first thing Paul is praying for the believers is that they would know God more. 

This is also our starting point today.  Knowing God on a personal level is something we can grow more in every day of our lives.  The way we do this is the same way we grow closer to anyone here in the world.  It is by spending time with Him.  I’m not just talking about reading the bible or books about God.  Yes, these things can help us have a better understanding of His character and who He is, but this knowing is personal.  Spending time with God on a personal level is talking with Him.  Not only talking to Him but listening to Him also.  Taking the time to converse with Him daily is the only way to have this sprit of wisdom and revelation that Paul is talking about here.  It is an intimate time in which you shut out the things of the world and press into God with the purpose of growing your relationship with Him.

I have often prayed this prayer from Ephesians 1, but never took time to really understand it.  Starting out, I would focus on this spirit of wisdom and revelation.  My perception was always that it was wisdom and revelation of things going on in the world and more specifically my world.  I always prayed this scripture as a focus on what is going on in my life.  On looking closer, I see now that this is focused on getting to know God better and having wisdom and revelation in the things of God and what He has going on.  My heart is turned to God’s agenda and plans and where I fit into them, not where He fits into my plan.  This prayer exposes who is truly on the throne of my heart.  Am I looking to fit into God’s plan or is my focus to fit God into my life (plan)?

Today I want to encourage you as we go through this prayer that Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus, to consider and pray these things in your own life and those in your world.  Start by deciding that God is on the throne of your heart and ask Him where you fit into His plans for this world at this time.  Then set special time aside each day, the most important part of your day, to get to know Him more and your assignment for the day.  Make God’s agenda your agenda and begin to truly make Him LORD of your life by making Him LORD of today!

Today’s scripture reading: Ephesians 1:15-23

Making mention of you

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: Ephesians 1:15 & 16

Paul continues his letter to the body of believers in Ephesus by telling them:  “I heard some things about you all.  I heard that you have faith in the Lord Jesus and you love each other. ” Because of hearing this, Paul says that he is continuously giving thanks for them and talking about them to God our Father of glory.  That’s pretty special.  Even though each one of them have their own personal relationship with the Father, Paul, who was one of the greatest leader in the entire body of Christ at that time, is talking to God about how great their faith is and how they are taking care of one another. This is also an indication of the kind of relationship Paul has with His Heavenly Father.  He not only talks with Him about the work he is doing, but also how others are doing with God’s work too. Imagine that one of the great leaders of Christians today was thanking God for you and telling God simple but godly things about you. 

This gives me pause to consider, even though I don’t have a great global ministry, I can still thank God and talk to him about the Christian people around me that I see blessing others.  Sure, God already knows about it, but there is something about talking with God about those you see who bless you because they are living the faith life by helping and loving others around them.  These are people that God has connected you with, not the pastor or the elders, just the saints.  The ones that are faithful to do the work of ministry in the church and in the world around them.  This takes our relationship with God to a whole new level.  Instead of crying to God about those who have hurt you or what you see that isn’t quite right, start looking for those who are a blessing and actually doing the work of the ministry.  Tell your Father how much you are blessed by what they are doing. Share with Him those who are blessing you with their serving in the kingdom work.  It also reminds you to pray for them and that is what Paul does next.  After he thanks God for their faithfulness, he prays some specific blessings for them in the next verses.

However, today I want to encourage you to look at those you serve with and those who are faithful in loving others in the body of believers.  Thank God for their faithfulness and love for those around them.  Then you can also pray the prayers Paul prayed for them.  It will be a blessing to you to be connected with these saints and it will bless the LORD to see you are loving His family and yours.  It will also help you realize that you are doing the same thing and how others are thankful for your service and love.  You are blessing God with your love for others and He is blessing you to continue to grow that work of love.  Change your focus today from the ministry that you are working on and thank God for the others that are faithfully serving too.

Today’s scripture reading: Ephesians 1:15-18

The mystery of His will

Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,  Ephesians 1:9

Have you ever wondered what God’s will is?  Maybe when you read a scripture about knowing the will of God.  Maybe it was a passage that talked about the mystery of His will like todays says.  Here’s the thing:  even though this verse says it is a mystery, it doesn’t mean God is hiding it from you.  The truth is that God is hiding it for you.  In fact, the very next verse says that in the fullness of time or in other words, when the time is just right, His is bringing everything together in heaven and earth.  That was His plan from the beginning.  To live together as a family.  This time we are in right now is just that time of bringing the family together and putting the enemy away for good.

I love the way the message says it in verses 11-12 of this chapter in Ephesians:  It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone.  God had a plan for us long before we even existed in the world.  His plan included who we are in Christ Jesus and what we are here for.  Now it is our job to line up with this plan and even though it is generally explained here, we are to get close to God to get our personal direction.  It is a mystery, but when we get close to our Father, He solves that mystery for us!

Today I want to encourage you to spend some quiet time with God to get your personal assignment.  Then do it again tomorrow and everyday forward. He will give you the plan right where you are now.  Even if you haven’t been close to Him or have gone off on your own direction. When you turn and seek Him first, He will quickly get you back on track.  The power of God’s will for your life is in your control and it is up to you to first desire it, then press into Him until He reveals it to you.

Today’s scripture reading: Ephesians 1:7-14

God is blessed!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  Ephesians 1:3

God is blessed and He passes that blessing on to me.  He started passing that blessing to me when I received Jesus as my Savior!  Now the blessings flows in my life continually.  I can’t explain how it happens, it is definitely a supernatural occurrence, but somehow the God of all creation knows who I am.  When I said Jesus come into my life and be my Lord and Savior, God marked me as His own.  Not as a possession, but a child.  His very own daughter.  It’s who I am today.  A daughter of the God of the universe.  He is my Father. When I am in a crowd of people, He sees me!  I am the one He is watching over.  I am the one that He keeps His eye on.  I talk to Him daily, and He talks to me.  We know each other.  I never wonder about it and I never wonder if He is listening when I talk to Him.  I know He is.  We are close and it’s because I give our relationship priority. I desire to be close to Him.  He is my #1 focus in life!

This was God’s idea not mine.  He wanted me to be close to Him and so He came up with a plan to make it happen.  He personally came to this world as a baby.  He birthed a son into this dimension.  Jesus!  He’s the one that came to buy me back from His enemy who had stolen me and all people away from our Father.  He paid the ransom that was required so He could get us all back.  Now He blesses me.  It doesn’t matter what I do, I am a child of God and He loves me no matter what.  Because I love Him too, I do everything I possible can to honor, bless and glorify Him.  Whatever He asks, I want to do.  Not because I’m afraid of Him, but because I love Him.  He is my closest friend!

Today I want to encourage you by saying He loves you too.  He did and will do the same for you as He has done for me.  He will make Himself so real to you so that you will know He is listening when you talk to Him.  He is close to you and all you need to do is whisper His name.  He loves you and paid your ransom too.  Invite Him into your life today and make Him your closest friend too. Make your relationship with Him your #1 priority and get to know Him as your loving Father.

Today scripture reading: Ephesians 1:1-6