Tuesday, February 18, 2025
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
Paul writes to the saints at Ephesus, a bustling port city on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor, where the temple of Artemis drew pilgrims from across the empire. He addresses ordinary believers—former idolaters, slaves, merchants, and travelers—who had heard the word of truth and trusted in Christ. Before he says a word about their behavior, he tells them who they are: chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, predestinated unto the adoption of children, redeemed through His blood, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. It is a cascade of grace upon grace, and Paul can hardly contain it. He prays that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened, that they might know the hope of His calling and the exceeding greatness of His power—the same power that raised Christ from the dead and set Him at God’s own right hand, far above all principality and power.
Then comes the turn in chapter two, one of the most striking in all of Scripture. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Dead. Not merely sick or weakened, but lifeless, walking according to the course of this world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, by nature the children of wrath. And then two words that change everything: “But God.” Rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, He quickened us together with Christ. By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves—it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We who were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. The middle wall of partition is broken down. Strangers and foreigners become fellowcitizens with the saints and of the household of God, built together upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.
Psalm 21 sings in the same key. The king rejoices in the Lord’s strength; God has set a crown of pure gold upon his head and given him length of days for ever and ever. “For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.” This is David’s song, and it is also the song of every believer who has been raised up and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The mercy of the Most High is the ground on which we stand, and it is not a shifting ground.
It is February, deep winter, and perhaps your own heart feels the cold. The days are short, the news is heavy, and the flesh is weak. But this passage does not ask you to manufacture your own warmth. It bids you remember what God has already done. You were dead; He made you alive. You were far off; you have been brought near. You were a stranger; you are now family. The inheritance is not something you must earn—it is the earnest of a purchased possession, guaranteed by the Spirit Himself. So let the eyes of your understanding be enlightened today. The power that raised Jesus from the tomb is at work in you, and the mercy of the Most High holds you fast.
Reflection
- Paul says we were “dead in trespasses and sins” but “quickened together with Christ.” Where in your own life do you still live as though you were dead—striving, striving, and forgetting that grace is a gift already given?
- The psalmist says the king “trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.” What would it look like for you to rest in that unshakable mercy this week, rather than in your own performance?
Prayer
Father, we bless You, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. We were dead in trespasses and sins, walking according to the course of this world, but You, who are rich in mercy, for Your great love wherewith You loved us, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace we are saved, and that not of ourselves—it is Your gift. Open the eyes of our understanding, that we may know the hope of Your calling and the exceeding greatness of Your power toward us who believe. Break down every wall of partition, make us fellowcitizens with the saints, and build us together into an habitation of God through the Spirit. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 21:1 — “The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!”