by Don Ruhl

Read Ephesians Chapter 3

Have you spoken to the ruler of your country? How easy is it for every citizen of a country to speak the ruler...daily, if you so desire? If you had the chance to approach the ruler, would you be nervous?

What about approaching God? Does He care for me and listen to what I have to say? Let us turn that last question around. Do I care for God and listen to Him? If I can answer yes, then I can approach Him. Paul puts this way in Ephesians 3:12,

12 In [Jesus] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3:12, NIV).

As a follower of the Son of God, I have freedom to approach the Maker of the Universe! Dwell on that for the rest of the day!

by Don Ruhl

Read Ephesians 5:1--16

Be Very Careful

Friends, please listen to the following passage,

15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise (Eph. 5:15, NIV).

Do not be sloppy or reckless with how you live, but do all things in wisdom. Ask yourself constantly whether you are doing the wise thing. It help you greatly to live a better life.

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100

by Don Ruhl

Read Ephesians Chapter 3

Freedom to Approach God

Have you spoken to the ruler of your country? How easy is it for every citizen of a country to speak the ruler...daily, if you so desire? If you had the chance to approach the ruler, would you be nervous?

What about approaching God? Does He care for me and listen to what I have to say? Let us turn that last question around. Do I care for God and listen to Him? If I can answer yes, then I can approach Him. Paul puts this way in Ephesians 3:12,

12 In [Jesus] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3:12, NIV).

As a follower of the Son of God, I have freedom to approach the Maker of the Universe! Dwell on that for the rest of the day!

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100

by Don Ruhl

Read Isaiah 7 and 8 Syria and Israel joined forces to defeat Jerusalem. While they could not prevail against Jerusalem, the people were nevertheless very fearful. Therefore, the Lord sends Isaiah to comfort the king of Judah, but at the end of his prophecy, the Lord has Isaiah say,

9b "If you will not believe, Surely you shall not be established." (Isa. 7:9b, NKJV).

If you do not believe God and His promises, building your life and hopes on Him, how can you establish your life? Do not expect inward stability, if you exclude the Creator of the inward nature of man from your life. Therefore, I should ask myself if I truly believe, even when I must go against the odds.

by Don Ruhl

Read Ephesians Chapter 2

People like to refer to the place where the disciples of Christ meet as the church. This is not a scriptural way to refer to the church, although the church is a building! In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul explains that Jesus, through His work on the cross, brings all people, including Jew and Gentile, together. Paul says,

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit (Eph. 2:20--22, NKJV).

In the flesh, the church uses a building, but the building is not the church. In the spirit, the church is a building to be used by Another who wishes to meet there. Why is the church a building? Buildings are put up to be inhabited. If the people are the building, who is inhabiting the building? Paul gave the answer. God inhabits the building. Yes, God inhabits heaven and earth, but there is a special place that He inhabits in the spirit, and that place is the church.

Does God inhabit a building erected by men or a building that He has erected?