Ephesians | Kristi's Morning Devotional

We have a real need in our world today for wisdom – God inspired, God given wisdom! We don’t need intellect or education – that’s knowledge. Knowledge without wisdom is futile.

Good old common sense, isn’t so common anymore.

I was doing a search on wisdom and what I found was really cool. Really it was! Wisdom, the word, is first used in Exodus chapters 28 – 36 when the Lord showed Moses how to make the Tabernacle. It talks about all the workers who were assigned the tasks …of building. It says that they were all filled with a spirit of wisdom.

“I have chosen Bezalel from the Judah tribe to make the sacred tent and its furnishings. 3-5 Not only have I filled him with my Spirit, but I have given him wisdom and made him a skilled craftsman who can create objects of art with gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood.” Exodus 31:2-4

Then it goes on to show that Joshua was filled with wisdom and Solomon had wisdom. Solomon said wisdom was of more value than gold and we should “pursue” it!

Wisdom brings understanding; understanding of God’s ways and the blessings He has given to us as His own children.

“So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers. 17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.” Ephesians 1:16-18

God has promised to give wisdom to anyone who asks – so as you are looking at your day, your occupation, your marriage, your kids… Let God fill you with His wisdom and it will definitely make a much more favorable outcome.

“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. 6 But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm.” James 1:5-6

If you need wisdom today – ask and you will receive it.

There was an old saying I remember from growing up – The busier I go, the behinder I get!

So many times we times we get wrapped up in doing that we lose traction and fall behind in what’s important. Does that happen to any of you?

Work, work, work. No time for rest – there’s always another project, always another errand, always another “to do” that needs to be crossed off the list. Sound familiar? We all fall into that trap – overdoing. It’s time to unplug, even for a few hours. Give yourself permission to rest or relax – it’s not God’s plan to have every minute filled with activity. I’m not advocating laziness either, there is a balance!

This same frantic compulsion to work can also carry over into our spiritual lives. We think that we have to being “doing” things for God so that He will be pleased with us. And that mindset is more destructive to us than the physical labor that we put in.

“Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. 7 Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:6-8 ERV

Before we could do or even had a desire to do anything for God, Christ died for us. His unconditional love made provision for us when we were unable to do anything to save ourselves. And His love is still unconditional toward us once we accept Him as our Saviour.

If you are living a life of “doing” things for God to earn His favor, you don’t understand grace. There is nothing you can do to get God to love you more and there is nothing you can do that would cause God to love you less. His love comes to us by GRACE! So does that mean you just go out and do whatever you want because you know that God will always love you – to coin a phrase from the Apostle Paul, God forbid!

Our lives should reflect the gratitude and love we feel for the great sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf but it shouldn’t be done trying to earn it. There is nothing that we can do to earn God’s love.

“But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.) 6 Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with him in the heavenly places. 7 God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace.
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:4-10 ERV

So take a break today…stop working to be good enough for God. Our efforts will never accomplish that but instead take time to rest and enjoy God’s grace and let love flow from your heart to His!

Category: Ephesians

A Gift Called Wisdom

The busier I go…