Sunday, June 25, 2006
June 25 Ephesians 6
Go ahead and look first at Ephesians 6 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.
Key Verse(s): Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Title: Morale
Observation: No, this isn’t another one of those crazy English spellings of the word moral. Morale is the mental/emotional/spiritual state of a group of people and the intensity with which they pursue their purpose. Often applied to armies, this is the intangible quality that often serves as a beacon of success or failure.
The reason that an army’s morale can be crushed is when they think they’re out there alone. And our morale as Christians takes a beating when we are not refreshed by the awesome power of God’s love. We need to be reminded by ourselves and others about the awesome power of God that is available to us.
Sometimes in our attempts to be compassionate, we do not refer our fellow believers to the awesome power of Christ. We meet them with the tenderness that Christ has placed in us- that in itself is very, very good. And there are times when that’s how we need to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ. But there are times we need to focus instead of the victorious message of the cross, and the awesome power we have through the Spirit to overcome. Living less than that is not where God wants us for long.
Collectively, we too need to believe that God can do great things. Sure the obstacles are great, but God and his power is greater than any of our difficulties. We need to know the truth of God’s power and plan.
Application: I need to believe that God has the power to overcome through me, around me, and for me more than what I could possibly do or imagine.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be willing to believe you. That you are with me. And that you will do great things in my life, in the life of my family, and the church. Lord, help me to encouraged by your great presence and power.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Key Verse(s): Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Title: Morale
Observation: No, this isn’t another one of those crazy English spellings of the word moral. Morale is the mental/emotional/spiritual state of a group of people and the intensity with which they pursue their purpose. Often applied to armies, this is the intangible quality that often serves as a beacon of success or failure.
The reason that an army’s morale can be crushed is when they think they’re out there alone. And our morale as Christians takes a beating when we are not refreshed by the awesome power of God’s love. We need to be reminded by ourselves and others about the awesome power of God that is available to us.
Sometimes in our attempts to be compassionate, we do not refer our fellow believers to the awesome power of Christ. We meet them with the tenderness that Christ has placed in us- that in itself is very, very good. And there are times when that’s how we need to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ. But there are times we need to focus instead of the victorious message of the cross, and the awesome power we have through the Spirit to overcome. Living less than that is not where God wants us for long.
Collectively, we too need to believe that God can do great things. Sure the obstacles are great, but God and his power is greater than any of our difficulties. We need to know the truth of God’s power and plan.
Application: I need to believe that God has the power to overcome through me, around me, and for me more than what I could possibly do or imagine.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be willing to believe you. That you are with me. And that you will do great things in my life, in the life of my family, and the church. Lord, help me to encouraged by your great presence and power.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
