Children and Parents
1Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord,* for this is the right thing to do. 2“Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”*
4Fathers,* do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
9Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.
The Whole Armor of God
10A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12For we* are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.* 16In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.* 17Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.*
19And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.* 20I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Final Greetings
21To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work. 22I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.
23Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters,* and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 24May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
November 28 Reflection & Worship
Eternal Riches
A CHRISTIAN IS ONE WHO DOES NOT HAVE TO CONSULT A BANK BOO TO SEE HOW WEALTHY HE OR SHE REALLY IS.
LOOK BACK Everything you have read this past week was from the potent pen of the apostle Paul, the most prolific of the New Testament writers. At least thirteen letters (epistles) were written by Paul during the course of his three missionary journeys and numerous imprisonments.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul is confronting the saints at Corinth about their lifestyle of disobedience. Divisions, disorders, and difficulties abound in the Corinthian church. The reaction to Paul’s first letter prompts him to write yet another (2 Corinthians) in which he sets forth the “anatomy of an apostle,” defending and explaining the authority by which he wrote his earlier letter.
Galatians has been called the Christian’s “Emancipation Proclamation.” There Paul explains the liberty that comes through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. We are neither saved nor sanctified by embracing the false gospel of works—a message directed to anyone willing to give up his or her freedom in Christ for slavery to the law.
In Christ Jesus we are “unshackled” from the law (Galatians) and indescribably rich in the family of God (Ephesians). Our heavenly inheritance includes adoption and redemption, power and position, citizenship in heaven and spiritual resources on earth to live out the love of Christ in our daily lives.
LOOK UP How rich are you in dollars and cents? That’s what is often called your “net worth”—how much you own less how much you owe.
How rich are you in family and friends? That’s the circle of lives that have touched your life in such a way that would otherwise be impoverished for not having known them.
How rich are you in Christ? That’s your spiritual inheritance as part of God’s family of faith. Through faith in Christ you are a child of God and a fellow heir with Christ. Think of it—all the fullness of Christ is yours because you are in him.
All the wealth in the world will not buy you a cup of coffee unless you know you are rich and you know how to appropriate those riches. Take it from a man in east Texas who died in abject poverty . . . and lived till his dying day in a house that sat just a few feet above the largest undiscovered oil reserve in the world. Wealthy, yet living like a pauper. It’s the sad condition of many Christians today as well.
LOOK AHEAD Take a few minutes to review the book of Ephesians and inventory all that you are and have because you are “in Christ.” It’s as simple as reviewing all the occurrences of the little phrase in Christ or in him, which you located yesterday. Use what you have discovered to complete this sentence: “Because I am in Christ, I have ____________________________________, and to show it, today with God’s help I will_________________________________.” (Example from Ephesians 1:7—“Because I am in Christ, I have forgiveness of sins, and to show it, today with God’s help I will forgive someone else who doesn’t deserve my forgiveness but needs it nonetheless.”)
If you can find five “nuggets” in Ephesians, you are doing well; six to ten nuggets, you are a first-class prospector; eleven to fifteen nuggets, you are a super sleuth; more than fifteen, you deserve a gold medal.