Made Alive, Be an Example

^{Ephesians 2:1-7}

¹ Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

 

² You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.  He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.

 ³ All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

 ⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,

 ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 

⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

 ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

I was dead because of my sin.  But God...God gave me a wealth of mercy, love, grace and kindness by raising me from the dead with Jesus!  God united me with Jesus.  Now I must be an example of His mercy, love, grace and kindness!  I must be an example of what God has done for me.  God is pointing people toward me so that I can show them His love and kindness.  Do I see the ones He is sending?  Do I recognize them.  Am I an example of mercy and grace? 

Father,

Thank you for raising me from the dead!  Thank you that you have united me with Jesus, your holy Son!  Thank you for loving me and showering me with mercy, grace and kindness.  Open the eyes of my heart to see the ones you are pointing towards me.  I pray that I would be a true living example of who You are and what You have done for me.   Amen. 

Ephesians & Prayer

Week 2 of the Ephesians Study with Good Morning Girls!  This week God is focusing my heart on prayer.  Here are the two main ideas God has me thinking about...


1. Praying for "Fellow Believers" constantly.  I am sorry to say that I have been convicted this week of my commitment to pray for other Christians.  Paul encourages me to not just pray for them but to "Give Thanks" for them.  And then he gives me some very direct prayer instructions that I believe I should pray for anyone in any situation.  Pray that God would give "Spiritual Wisdom & Insight" & "flood hearts with light" so that His people will grow in their knowledge and understanding of God; the hope He gives & His power in their lives.  Now that is something ALL people need!


2. Praying for Myself!  Basically, I am in need of spiritual wisdom & insight!  Daily, I need the Holy Spirit to flood my heart with light so that I can have a deeper understanding of God, the hope He gives me & His power in my own life.  


Prayer is a powerful thing...this I do know.  God is calling me to a more commited prayer life for those who believe in His Son.


Ephesians 1

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,t16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdomt and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.t19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power

Ephesians 1:1-10

I am excited to be doing my very first Good Morning Girls bible study!  For the next 12 weeks I will be journeying through the book of Ephesians but it will not be alone!  I personally think it is so neat to be part of something "BIG" that God is doing in the lives of women around the world.  Here are a few things I like about this study:

1. Simple: this study does not require a lot of time or resources.  Each day you focus on a few verses from the book of Ephesians and then you use a simple method to meditate and roll over what you have read.

2. Scripture Writing: I love to write out scripture!  It helps the word sink into my mind and heart better than just reading it.  By the end of the 12 weeks I will have copied (in my hand writing) the entire book of Ephesians.

3.Social Encouragement: that's you!  It's awesome to know that you are out there taking this same journey through Ephesians with me and that God is speaking to you too!  I can't wait to see what God is saying to His girls. 

4. God is Speaking: DUH!  He has already been speaking to me this week!

God is Speaking:

God is showing me how He loves me and that He is for me.  Here are my thoughts from Ephesians 1:1-10:

• Do I live like a "faithful follower of Jesus"? v.2
• Do I believe that God has "blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms"? v.3
• Do I believe that I am "united with Jesus"? v.3
• Do I believe that God "chose me before He made the world to belong to His Son"? v.4
• Do I believe that I am "holy and without fault" in God's eyes? v.4
• Do I believe that God "adopted me into His family"? v.5
• Do I believe that God is "pleased" or happy because he adopted me? v.5
• Do I give enough "praise" for these truths? v.6
• Do I believe that God "purchased me with the blood of Jesus"?  v.7
• Do I live like I am "free"? v.7
• Do I live like one who is covered by "grace, wisdom & understanding"? v.8
• Do I look forward to the "mysterious plan" when God will "give all authority to Jesus"? v.9
• Do I thank God enough for His "mysterious plan"?

Wow, I certainly could not answer yes to all of these but the funny thing is that the more I focused on these verses God began to change my heart and I began to see how God sees me.  I also began to see how I want to live each day and what I will be choosing to believe.  God is for me!  Thank you God for your Word and thank you that it changes my heart! 

Apple Picking

Saturday we went Apple picking at the B.J. Reece Apple House in Elijay, GA.   Nora had just gone apple picking with her grandparents and cousins at Camp Primo and she loved it!  We wanted to go last fall but it didn't work out.  So, when I saw that Nora had enjoyed it so much I knew I wanted to go too!  It was super crowded but super fun!  We picked some yummy apples, saw the cutest/tiniest baby goat (only 1 month),enjoyed a hayride, drank some homemade apple cider, and bought some apple bread & pumpkins.  I am so happy that fall is here!  I love fall traditions and this might just be a new one!  

We also stopped and ate at Poole's BBQ on the way home!  One of the best BBQ places EVER! 

Meeting up with family in Disney

It just so happened that my Aunt and cousin were also visiting Disney the same week we were.  So, we took a few hours one afternoon to meet up and ride a couple of rides, drink some ice lemonades and catch a parade together.  One of the rides we rode together was Splash Mountain and I think it's safe to say that we all loved it!  Nora is still telling people that she rode Splash Mountain!  It was fun to make a family memory with Rara and Darcy at the Magic Kingdom. 

Disney Virtual Photo Book

One of the best offer we took advantage of was the Disney Photo Pass.  We made it our mission to seek out every Disney photo spot we could see at each of the parks and have our picture made!  We had bought a special package before we left for Disney.  Click this link: Disney Photo Book to view our memories!

Fireworks at Magic Kingdom

 So, the Magic Kingdom is just breath taking at night!  The music, the lights, the dramatic effects!  Nora and I had special mickey vision glasses so we could see mickey mouse in all the lights!  It was a neat effect on the fireworks!  Thousands of colorful mickey heads everywhere! 

The Castle all lit up at night!  Main Street is beautiful!