Category Archives: Faith

Bible, Everything, Faith, Faithfulness, Scripture, Trust

IN EVERYTHING?

EPHESIANS 5:24

“But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.”

What does “everything” mean to you? Carl, that’s an easy one. It means everything. You think so? When I think of that word, I think of complete, whole, nothing lacking. We are told all through Scripture that we should give thanks to God in everything. Really? Does that include the good and the bad? Yep! That’s hard to do, isn’t it? So is the use of the word in today’s verse. Take a look.

Paul is still discussing the women’s responsibility to subject themselves to their husbands. Now he says they should do that in everything. Does that mean no matter what it is? Look at how Gill’s Exposition describes this. It says “everything” means in “political, domestic, and ecclesiastic; that is consistent with the laws of God, and the Gospel of Christ.” Ah, there we go. God does not expect a wife to submit to her husband if it requires going against the laws of God.

APPLICATION

What do I mean by that? Perhaps the husband wants to get his wife to go along with deception. Take a look at Acts 5:1-2. “1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the proceeds for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Remember this story? What happened? Because of his deception, he was struck dead by God. And then later, this happens when the wife also lied to Peter. “And immediately she collapsed at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.”

God does not expect a wife to subject herself to ungodly practices if her husband is demanding it. Instead, He expects her to obey Him first and foremost. By doing that, God will honor her. Perhaps her obedience to the Lord will win her husband to Christ. When she obeys, she can be the light he needs to see Jesus.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. A husband can make his wife miserable if she refuses to follow his lead. For all you wives out there facing such a trial, remain faithful. The Lord sees you. He knows your struggle. He will come to your aid. I know you are probably thinking, Carl, you don’t know my husband. True, but I know our God. In your hard times, trust Him in everything.

Father, it is easy to trust in the good times, but it is hard when everything seems to be against us. Help my faith.

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Baptism, Faith, Father, Jesus, One, Scripture, Uncategorized

ONES, PART 2

EPHESIANS 4:5

“one Lord, one faith, one baptism,”

We are continuing the thought Paul is sharing with the Ephesians in verses 4-6 of Ephesians 4. As I read today’s verse (short and to the point), I couldn’t help but think about the work we are doing around the world with Every Man A Warrior. Our ministry crosses cultures and denominations. We do not exclude a man because he belongs to a different church than us. We truly embrace today’s verse in order to unite men around the world to follow God’s direction in their lives as disciple makers.

Paul gives us three more “ones” in today’s verse. One Lord (Jesus)! One faith (in Christ as Lord)! One baptism (the public demonstration of your faith)! Paul is adamant about uniting these Gentile believers with their Jewish brothers. He wanted them to come together under a common banner – the banner of Jesus only! But don’t read this verse and move on to quickly. Look at what Paul is showing us here.

APPLICATION

Paul’s “one Lord” statement carries a lot of weight. In verse 4, Paul had pointed out there was “one Spirit.” We will see him point to “one God” in verse 6. So, with these three verses (4:4-6), Paul is pointing to the Trinity – Father, Son and Spirit. All three are important. And with the mention of all three separately, Paul is making a point to the Ephesians. They need Jesus. They need the Spirit. They need the Father God.

“One faith” is bringing attention to the fact that through the shed blood of Jesus, we have all been brought into the same faith. Believers who are following Jesus aren’t divided into subgroups. Paul even said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) And this faith is a gift of God. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us so when it says, “It is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is a gift of God.”

And then Paul steps onto thin ice, doesn’t he? He says, “one baptism.” Well Paul, what type of baptism are you talking about? Sprinkling, dunking, wet cloth? Paul is not referring to a type of baptism. He is referring the obedience of public profession of your faith, making it known to others. It is all about the act, not the actual process. I personally believe in baptism by immersion, but I am not going to break fellowship with my fellow believers over it. No, there is one act of baptism.

Ones! We are one! Never forget that. So, whenever anyone tries to separate you from other believers and point fingers at them, beware. Check everything by Scripture. After all, there is only one true authority and that’s His Word.

Father, I praise You that You are three in One. And You have made us one with You

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Affliction, Bible, Boldness, Brokenness, Courage, Faith, Fear, God's Will, Modeling, Oppression, Scripture, Suffering

AN EXAMPLE OF SUFFERING

EPHESIANS 3:13

“Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory.”

Suffering is not something I welcome. I mean, come on, who would? No one wants to suffer. But we have to be willing to accept it and embrace it when the Lord allows it. Those who know my story witnessed my suffering during my health crisis back in 2010 and then again in 2020. Stem cell transplants and chemo are no laughing matter. So many people prayed for me during that time. I know my suffering helped build a lot of people’s prayer life. For that I am grateful.

As Paul sits in a Roman prison, he tells the Ephesians to not feel sorry for him and to not get discouraged. A lot of versions translate “discouraged” as “faint. Albert Barnes says this, “The word rendered ‘faint’ – ἐκκακέω egkakeō – means literally, to turn out ‘a coward,’ or to lose one’s courage; then to be fainthearted,” Paul is trying to encourage the Ephesians to remain bold and not let his present circumstance be a barrier to their growth in Christ and the spreading of the Gospel.

APPLICATION

That Greek word egkakeo, is only used six times in the New Testament (Luke 18:1; 2 Corinthians 4:1, 16; Galatians 6:9, here in Ephesians 3:13; and 2 Thessalonians 3:13). I really like how the word is used in Luke 18:1. “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged,” Jesus knew that pray helps remove discouragement. It lifts us up. It brings us face to face with our Father in heaven whom we know is listening intently to our requests.

In 2 Corinthians 4:1 and 16, we see egkakeo translated as “lose heart.” “1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, 16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day’” Have you ever lost heart about something? I have. In fact, I am going through something right now that is very hard not to lose heart about. But I must continue to trust in the Lord’s providence and power.

Listen, God may decide to use you to be a source of encouragement for others. Your suffering (like Paul’s) may the one thing that shows them they too can trust in Jesus. So, embrace the suffering the Lord allows in your life. Allow the light of Jesus to shine through you as you draw people to Jesus like moths to a light.

Lord, I do not like to suffer, but I will submit myself to Your almighty hand, knowing You have a perfect plan.

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Access, Atonement, Belief, Eternity, Faith, Forgiveness, Gifts, Grace, Scripture

SAVED BY GRACE

EPHESIANS 2:8

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;” 

One of my memory passages is Ephesians 2:8-9. It is basic to our beliefs. In fact, it is fundamental. You are saved in no other way (we will see more on this tomorrow). It is through the grace of God that any of us can claim salvation and a hope for eternal life. In today’s verse, we see part one of this truth. God’s grace is sufficient for our salvation.

What exactly does Paul mean by this statement, “by grace you have been saved through faith”? HELPS Word-studies defines it this way. “Xáris is preeminently used of the Lord’s favor – freely extended to give Himself away to people (because He is “always leaning toward them”).” Paul knew, better than most, the magnitude of God’s grace. It had been given to him, a murderer of Christians, to give him access to the Father.

APPLICATION

But we can’t stop with just this one statement about being saved by grace through faith. Look at the last part of this verse – “it is the gift of God;…” Theologians have wrestled with this verse for centuries. Is grace the gift or is faith the gift? I believe if we look at the construction of the Greek, the answer is there.

Paul says “by grace you have been saved.” We saw this same phrase back in verse 5 of this chapter, but I wanted to wait for today’s verse to explain it. The Greek for this phrase reads, “by grace you are being saved through faith.” The verb is in the Present Indicative Active. It is an ongoing event. It is through your faith that God continues to save you because He is always leaning towards us.

I believe, as many others, that the real gift here is not grace, but faith. We are told in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” Isn’t that just like a gift? We hope for it, but we know it’s coming. God’s gifts to us are sure. Faith is one of them. He gives it freely to all who believe. Do you believe? Have you accepted this gift of faith which yields God’s grace to us?

O Lord, thank You for the gift of faith which allows me to tap into Your grace and my salvation.

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Attention, Bible, Commands, Faith, Honor, Love, Relationships, Scripture

OH, I’VE HEARD ABOUT YOU

EPHESIANS 1:15

“For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,

We have all probably met someone for the first time and upon introductions, they say, “Oh, I’ve heard about you.” I usually respond, “Well, I hope it has all been good.” People hear things about you. Sometimes that is good. Other times, well… We are never quite sure what they heard or who told them. Who told them matters because they could have swayed the story in one direction or another. That’s why we should live above reproach, right?

Paul is bragging on the Ephesians in today’s verse. He had been told, since his absence from them (he had spent about three years there), how they were showing love for each other and about their faith in the Lord. Living in Ephesus wasn’t easy for a believer. Paul knew that firsthand. They were surrounded by pagan temples and occultic behaviors. But they were remaining faithful.

APPLICATION

1 John 4:7 tells us, “Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” What better way to show we love Jesus than by loving each other. We are told over and over again how important it is to love one another. The world is watching how we treat one another. Believers must love one another.

I love what Romans 12:10 says. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;” I really like the last part of that verse in the ESV. “Outdo one another in showing honor.” Isn’t that good? “Outdo one another.” Look at that combination. It is possible to honor someone without loving them. But it is not possible to truly love someone if you don’t also honor them. Remember that.

Love one another. It sounds so simple, but we let the things of the world influence us. We allow our flesh to creep up and snatch that love right out of the air. We allow the influences of the evil one to spout forth from our tongue. Before you know it, we have damaged the very one God has called us to love. Today, love one another. Let the words told about you shout love.

Father, I want to be known as someone who loved his fellow man. Love through me.

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Bible, Blessing, Faith, Faithfulness, Greetings, Letters, Love, Messages, Scripture

THE FAITHFUL

EPHESIANS 1:1

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are  at Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus:”

How you begin a letter can set the tone for the rest. It may determine whether the reader will actually read the rest of the letter. For instance, if you received a letter from a company to which you had applied for a job, and it started with “We regret to inform you,” you would probably just throw it in the trash. Let’s look at how Paul, the apostle with the most letters in the New Testament, starts Ephesians.

Paul knew how to start. Look at how he addresses the readers. He calls them “saints” and “faithful.” Paul loved these people, many he had personally met during his time there, because of their love for Christ. Paul spent over two years there teaching them how to live in Christ. Now, as he sits in a Roman prison (his first imprisonment), he is thinking about them and writes to further instruct them.

APPLICATION

Are you faithful? Is this a word that would be used to describe you? If I were to have a tombstone, I would want it to read, “Here lies the remains of Carl Willis, a faithful servant of Christ.” What could be more flattering? In Matthew 25:21 we read this regarding the master’s words to his slave to whom he had given the talents while he was gone. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’” Isn’t that what you want to hear from Jesus?

In 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul says this about Timothy. “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.” Paul didn’t hand out that description lightly. He saw faithfulness in the life of Timothy and told others.

We are faithful to our Lord because He is always faithful. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is there when we are low and when we are high. He is there in our hurts and our joys. God is the Faithful One. I pray your faithfulness will grow. I pray you will strive to please the One who has given you everything. Be faithful.

Father, thank You for giving me a faith that grows and grows.

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Bible, Faith, Hope, Righteousness, Scripture

THE HOPE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

GALATIANS 5:5

“For we, through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”

In our normal, everyday thinking, when we hope for something, it means it may or may not happen. I’m a hunter, so each time I go into the woods to hunt I hope I am able to bring home some meat. It may or may not be there. My skills as a hunter may or may not help me secure the game I am hunting. It is never a sure thing, but I still have hope.

That is NOT what Paul is referring to here when he says, “the hope of righteousness.” Paul understood and taught that we are made righteous the moment we receive Jesus as our Savior. Paul even said so in Romans 1:16-17. “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH.’”

APPLICATION

So, why did the Holy Spirit inspire Paul to say this in today’s verse? What is this “hope of righteousness”? The Cambridge Bible says this about it – “It may refer to that sanctifying righteousness which is progressive, ‘inherent in us but not perfect’, the perfection of which is the aim and end of our earthly discipline.” In other words, Paul is saying the perfect righteousness is promised to us and we will receive it.

Then the question must be asked – what is this righteousness? What does it mean to be made righteous? Short answer is it is the approval of God, what God deems is right. Wow! I am now and will be perfectly right in God’s eyes. Why don’t I have that perfect righteousness now? Because I still live in a sinful world and in this wicked, fleshly body. When I reach heaven, though, I will have a perfect, glorified body free from sin.

1 Timothy 6:11 tells us, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” This verse, of course, applies to every believer, not just men. And how about the words of our Lord Himself in Matthew 6:33? “‘But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’” Rest assured, beloved, you are righteous and will be righteous.

Praise You, O God, for Your righteousness that is poured out on me.

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Allegiance, Bible, Circumcision, Covenant, Faith, God's Will, Grace, Heart, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture

ALL OR NOTHING

GALATIANS 5:3

“And I testify again to every man who has himself circumcised, that he is obligated to keep the whole Law.”

A common cheer or motto among team sports is “All for one and one for all.” That implies that if one falls, they all fall. It means they must all stick together. The team has to stick together and is stronger together than separate. That is a good thing. However, our verse today is talking about a negative side of that “all for one” mentality.

Circumcision was the distinguishing mark of Jews. Since Abraham, this has been done to the male children. It was and still is a physical sign of allegiance to God for them. This rite was being forced on the Gentile believers in Galatia. There were Jewish believers who believed that they had to continue to follow the Mosaic laws, which included circumcision. Paul correctly points out that if they were going to keep this one law, they should keep them all (which was and still is impossible). Circumcision was not bad. It just did not prove their faith.

APPLICATION

What are the things in your life that you do to show you are saved? I bet it is that big Bible you carry to church each Sunday. Perhaps it is the way you wear your hair or refrain from alcohol. You wear these as a badge of honor to prove your faith. Like circumcision, there is nothing wrong with a big Bible, short hair or not drinking, but none of those things will save you.

Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 22:25-26, “‘25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.’” This still applies to us today. It’s not about what the world sees we are doing. It’s all about our heart. We cannot keep all the laws and we cannot keep all the traditions. We will fail.

I have met lots of people who have said, “I could never become a Christian. I am too bad. God could never forgive me.” That is exactly why they need a Savior. There is nothing we can do to gain His favor. We can’t be good enough. That is what Paul is saying to the Galatians, and that is what is still true for us today. All we need is Jesus. Let’s make our motto “All to One.” How about that?

O Lord, thank You for rescuing me and always being there for me. I give You my all.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Decisions, Faith, Following, God's Will, Grace, Justified, Obedience, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

GALATIANS 3:11

“Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, ‘THE RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH.’”

In March of 1969, a song was released by Frank Sinatra that gained worldwide popularity. “My Way” was an instant success. That song is still sung around the world. You should google the lyrics to that song and read them. Wow! It epitomizes self. Its premise is all that matters is that you do it your way.

In today’s verse, Paul emphatically states what he has been saying in this whole letter. Man is not justified by what he does for himself, by his works, by following the Law. He may feel better about himself, but that doesn’t matter in God’s eyes. God is concerned with faith, with confession of sin, not in how many works a person does or how good he feels about himself. There is no other way to the Father except faith in His Son, Jesus.

APPLICATION

The quote in today’s verse comes from Habakkuk 2:4. This is God talking to Habakkuk. “‘Behold, as for the impudent one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous one will live by his faith.’” Now, if God says it, that settles it. He says through faith we find righteousness. We know that only the righteousness of Christ can make us righteous, not what we do.

Paul uses this same quote in Romans 1:17. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH.’” Paul must have liked that verse in Habakkuk to use it in two letters. Better yet, he believed it to be true. Do you? Do you believe it is not up to you? Do you believe your righteousness has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Jesus?

An old hymn just popped into my head. Don’t you love it when that happens?  “Faith is the Victory” is a great hymn that describes our reliance on faith in our daily battles. The chorus simply says this:

Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.

Go out today and be faithful. Place all your trust in Him and Him alone.

Father, I give You praise for the faith You have birthed within me.

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Bible, Faith, Forgiveness, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture, Testimony

FATHER ABRAHAM

GALATIANS 3:7

“Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.”

Do you remember the childhood song, Father Abraham? The lyrics were:

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s all praise the Lord.
Right arm!

You would progressively add the left arm, right foot, left foot, nod your head, turn around and sit down as you did these motions. It’s a fun song to sing with small children. But we often miss what it is teaching us.

In today’s verse, Paul is teaching us this very truth. We, the faithful, those who have placed their faith in Jesus alone are considered to be children of Abraham, the faithful father. As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, our righteousness comes solely through our faith in Jesus, not in any works we may do. It is faith alone in Christ alone. Period! Exclamation mark!

APPLICATION

So, what is faith? I was discussing this recently with a friend. He shared how he had this very conversation with his physical therapists. He explained to her that the Greek word for faith, pistis, means to be persuaded by something. We have all experienced that in some way or another. I have been persuaded to get on airplanes and have faith that the mechanic has checked it out completely. Some call that blind faith. Maybe it is.

1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” That is why we can have faith in God – because He is faithful to do what He says He will do. So, it’s not blind faith. He has proven Himself over and over and over. All through Scripture we see His faithfulness. In our lives we have experienced it.

Today, share your faith to someone else. Tell them what God has done in and through your life. Tell them all about your journey with the faithful One. It’s one thing to preach the Gospel. It’s another thing to share life experiences that they can relate to. Be transparent and let God use you to bring others to faith in Jesus.

O Lord, find me faithful as You are. You have proven Yourself over and over to me.

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