Chester ARP Devotional Podcast

Paul concluded Ephesians 3 with a benediction to the glory of God's power, which can accomplish more than we can ask or imagine. He also prayed that we would grow in our capacity to comprehend the immeasurable greatness of God. 

God reveals his manifold wisdom for the restoration of the world through his work in the Church. He gives us the privilege of being a part of his plan by grace in Christ. 

We are united to one another in the Lord Jesus Christ. All those who have been made alive in Christ through faith are united in Jesus. This is a lovely mystery. 

All of those who have trusted Christ are united in him. There is no distinction between them. Nothing matters except faith in Jesus. 

We were dead in our trespasses and sins following the prince of this world and walking according to the flesh. But God, being rich and merciful, made us alive in Christ. He saved by grace through faith. 

Paul thanked God for the Ephesian Christians because of their great love for God and all the saints. He prayed God would give them knowledge and wisdom. 

Our Lord has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. We thank and praise him for his goodness to us. 

God chose to bless his people simply because he loves us. Period. There is nothing in us that made God love and save us from our sins. 

Nothing we do to earn the righteousness of God matters. The only thing that matters is the new creation of the Holy Spirit works in our lives. 

Bearing one another's burdens is one of Paul's final instructions to the congregation in Galatia. We are to encourage one another in the Lord and assist one another in the work of the Lord. 

Christians are to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They are to be full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Christ has set us free for freedom. We are to stand firm in that freedom and live lives devoted to him and full of love for our neighbors. 

Sarah and Hagar represent two different ways for us to interact with God. Sarah is promise and grace, and Hagar is works and law. Which will you choose? 

Paul had a burden before the Lord for the Galatians. He wanted them to know the freedom that is theirs in Christ and not fall back into the performance trap. 

God freed us in Jesus Christ at the perfect time. He was born of a woman (human) and under the law (Jew).  

Abraham was made right before God by faith. The Old Testament Law, which came 430 years after God's covenant with Abraham, can't change the fact that we are all saved by grace through faith. 

Don't try to make yourself right by any aspect of the law. If you do, you open yourself up to the curse of not obeying it fully. 

Paul asked the Galatians who fooled them into thinking they needed to pursue another gospel. We should ask ourselves the same question if we start to wander from the true gospel in Christ. 

We are justified by faith in Chrsit alone. Why would we add to it? 

Paul challenged Peter for his hypocrisy. We can learn consistency in life by listening to Paul's testimony of his interaction with Peter. 

We are to focus on the most important. For Paul and the early Christians, it was the gospel. It should be for us as well. 

Paul preached a gospel from God. We still believe in the same gospel and trust in the same Christ. 

Paul was astonished that they would consider abandoning the gospel they had heard for another. The truth is, there is no other gospel. 

Paul sets the stage for his letter to the Galatians in his introduction. His authority comes from God. 

We are to examine ourselves before God to ensure we are walking in the faith.