Laura J. Davis's Blog, page 4

A Look at Spiritual Gifts

I don't usually like to pick one topic and expound on it. I much prefer reading an entire book of the Bible and going through it verse by verse. You learn so much more that way. However, several topics within the Bible deserve our attention. One of these is the subject of Spiritual Gifts. So for the next little while, we will be looking closely at the gifts God gives us. We will examine how they are supposed to work within the body of Christ. Since so many new Christians (and sometimes ol...

The Armor of God

Read Ephesians 6:10-18 Throughout the book of Ephesians, Paul encouraged and warned the new pagan converts on several issues. He showed them their spiritual blessings in Christ and the meaning of spiritual wisdom. He has explained why good works will not save them and how Jesus' sacrifice unites humanity. He showed them how they should live in light of their salvation. He also explained to them the importance of Spiritual Gifts and what it means to submit to one another. So far, it seems...

How to Have Peace At Home and at Work

Read Ephesians 6:1-9 And now, we come to the last chapter of Ephesians. After instilling in the Ephesians the importance of submission and what that looks like for married couples, Paul continues to instruct these new Christians on how they should treat their children and their servants and how they should respond to those in authority over them.

Interestingly, Paul's underlying submission theme can still be seen in his instructions in three little words, "in the Lord." For it is in the L...

How Submission Really Works

Read Ephesians 5:22-33 This will be a long post but stick with me because, in the end, you will never have a problem with the word "submission" again.

​Today we will carefully examine a section of Scripture that most women have struggled with for centuries. The modern woman of today finds it highly offensive, and some Christian men misinterpret it and use it as an abusive form of control over their wives. It stems from this verse: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." Let'...

Eight Keys to Godly Living

Read Ephesians 5:8-21 Paul has laid out the basics for the converted Ephesians on how a Christian should live and behave. In today's reading, he reminds them again who they are now in Christ. He seems to be really trying to get this concept of who they are now across to them. It must have been hard for the Ephesian converts because their former lifestyles were so completely and utterly dark. Yet, Paul repeatedly assures them that's not who they are now.

Sometimes we must be reminded that ...

Six Behaviours Christians Should Avoid

Read Ephesians 5:1-7 Previously I talked about how Christians should live in light of their faith in Christ. In today's reading, Paul continues to instill in the Ephesian Gentiles the importance of how they behaved regarding their newfound faith.

Again, the Ephesian believers Paul was talking to came out of idol worship and paganism that employed some of the lewdest and detestable acts you could ever imagine. It was, therefore, imperative that Paul drove home that their previous behaviour...

How A Christian Should Live

Read Ephesians 4:17-32 If you have followed along with me in Ephesians, you will have begun to notice a theme Paul had with this letter - one of unity within the body of Christ. In my last post, we learned how each Christian's spiritual gifts are to be used - to equip us for ministry and to edify each other in the Lord. With the theme of unity and spiritual gifts in mind, Paul now tells the Ephesians (and us) how we should be "walking the walk" as followers of Jesus Christ. How a Ch...

The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

Read Ephesians 4:7-16 In my last post, we learned that we have been called to walk in unity with each other. For the Ephesian Christians, this was quite a challenge. Not only were these Gentile converts coming out of paganism and idol worship, but they were adopting for themselves the promises God gave to the Jews. This ultimately caused friction between the Gentile converts and the Jewish converts, which the apostles solved by giving them only three rules to obey: that they abstain from...

Five Ways God Calls Us to Unity

Read Ephesians 4:1-6 If you have followed along in my look at Ephesians, you will have noticed a theme by now. Paul was trying to instill in the Gentile converts at Ephesus who they now were in Christ. He was also trying (in a not-so-subtle way) to remind the Jewish converts that because of Christ, the promises given to the Jews also now belonged to the Gentiles. This, of course, could lead to friction. So, since Ephesians chapter one, he has expounded on who they are in Christ and the i...

The Mystery of Christ

Read Ephesians 3:1-21 ​In Ephesians three, Paul talks about a "mystery" which was revealed to him and the other apostles and prophets of that time that was hidden from the "sons of men" (children of Israel) that went before them. The mystery, of course, was that the Gentiles (all those who weren't Jewish) would now, because of Christ, be partakers in the same blessings God had promised the Jews (Ephesians 3:6-7). In Ephesians chapter two, Paul goes into great detail on what that unity fo...