Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Ephesians 1-2
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 21
Key Verse
Ephesians 1:23 — “Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
Devotional Thought
What would change if you truly believed that God has already given you everything you need? Paul writes to the saints at Ephesus, ordinary believers in a bustling port city, and tells them they have been blessed “with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Not some blessings. Not future blessings. All of them, already secured. He then traces this back before Bethlehem, before Abraham, before the foundation of the world itself: God chose them, predestinated them unto adoption, and made them accepted in the Beloved. The Ephesian believers were not impressive people by worldly standards, yet Paul prays that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened to know the hope of their calling and the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward them.
That power is not abstract. Paul points to a specific event: God raised Christ from the dead and set Him at His own right hand, far above all principality and power and dominion. Then comes the stunning turn in chapter two. These same Ephesians had once been “dead in trespasses and sins,” walking according to the course of this world, children of wrath by nature. But God, who is rich in mercy, quickened them, raised them up together, and made them sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Salvation is not a reward for good behavior; it is a gift, “not of works, lest any man should boast.” We are His workmanship, created for good works He prepared beforehand.
Paul then addresses the deepest division of his day. Gentiles had been aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants, without hope and without God. But Christ broke down the middle wall of partition, abolishing the enmity in His flesh, reconciling both Jew and Gentile unto God in one body by the cross. Now they are no more strangers and foreigners but fellowcitizens with the saints and of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone. The building grows into a holy temple, a habitation of God through the Spirit.
In mid-February, when winter still holds the ground and spring feels distant, this passage reminds us that our life in Christ is not a matter of seasonal feeling but of settled fact. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in those who believe. Psalm 21 echoes this confidence: the king rejoices in God’s strength, trusts in the LORD, and through the mercy of the Most High shall not be moved. Whatever feels dead in your life today, remember: you have been quickened together with Christ. The wall is down. The door is open. You are no longer far off but made nigh by His blood.
Reflection
- Paul prays that the Ephesians would know “the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe.” Where in your life are you tempted to doubt that this resurrection power is actually at work, and what would it look like to pray that prayer for yourself?
- In Ephesians 2:14, Christ “hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” What walls of division, whether in your church, your family, or your own heart, still need to come down by the peace Christ has made?
Prayer
Father of glory, we thank You that before the foundation of the world You chose us in Christ and predestinated us unto the adoption of children. We were dead in trespasses and sins, but You, who are rich in mercy, quickened us together with Christ and raised us up to sit in heavenly places. Thank You for breaking down the middle wall of partition and making us fellowcitizens with the saints. Open the eyes of our understanding today, that we may know the hope of Your calling and the exceeding greatness of Your power toward us who believe. Keep us from boasting in our works, and let us walk in the good works You have ordained for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 21:1 — “The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!”