Ephesians Week 6

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 Ephesians 5   5  1  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. 3  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.   4  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.   5  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. [ a ]   6  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.   7  Therefore do not be partners with them. 8  For 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  a
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The call to love

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Today I went to a mini-Seminar with Paul Miller as the teacher. One of his excellent books is Love Walked Among Us. He is preparing to write a book on Ruth and was teaching us some of the nuggets he has learned. He said God has a way of de-centering His heroes. Think about that. Moses, Joseph, David… God showed their weaknesses, but he still used them as heroes. This tells us two things: 1. God can use less -than -perfect people. 2. God is the focus, not the hero. He also talked about how Boaz loved Ruth with a covenant love. ..the same love God has for us..and the same love we should have for our spouses. He said “Marriage is love without an exit strategy.” Oh, if our society would live that way! Then, Paul Miller challenged us to love those around us, even when it is messy, even when it is uncomfortable, even when it isn’t convenient. He said the devil gets us overwhelmed with the size of love that we need to do that, so we pull back and don’t try instead of jumping in and loving those around us….. helping those around us. He points out that the New Testament shows our great ability to overcome problems, ours and others, through love and the great call to love. Here is just a very small sample of that calling.


Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’


Mark 12:33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”


Luke 6:31-33 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that


John 15:12-14 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.


Ephesians 2:3-5 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.


Ephesians 3: 16 -21 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Go love well,
Rachel

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