Laura J. Davis's Blog, page 5

How Jesus Unites Humanity

Read Ephesians 2:11-18 In my last post , we learned through Paul's letter to the Ephesians who we are in Christ and that trying to "work" our way into heaven is futile, for our salvation is secured through faith and God's grace alone, not by works.  Paul wants the Ephesians to understand who they were before Jesus and who they are now. He calls them Gentiles or the Uncircumcised. Which meant anyone who was not Jewish. By implication, they were a heathen or pagan nation that did not w...

Why Your Good Works Won't Save You

Read Ephesians 2:1-10 As we continue our study of Ephesians, we come across a passage most Christians know by heart.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).  But first, a little background on the Ephesians and why Paul was spending so much time instilling in them the knowledge that they are loved by God and saved. Ephesus was the centre of idol worship and the occult i...

The Real Meaning of Spiritual Wisdom

Read Ephesians 1:15-23 I don't know about you, but I have often asked God for wisdom many times in my life. So that I may understand the "right" decision to make in a situation or how to approach someone with the right words that won't leave them angry or offended. But have you ever noticed what Paul prayed for regarding the people of Ephesus? After assuring them of the many blessings they had in Christ, he followed that up with how he prayed for them, and it is an example we can all tak...

Why God's Grace is Amazing

Read Ephesians 1:7-14 Last week I began a new study in Ephesians, and we started with the Four Spiritual Blessings God Gives Us. This week I would like to look at four more blessings we receive from God because of Jesus. 
​We have redemption through Jesus' blood.We have the forgiveness of sins.We have an inheritance.We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.
What a mighty God we serve! He has blessed us with so much, so let's examine the four blessings above. We have redemption through...

Four Spiritual Blessings God Gives Us

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us
to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to
the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
​ grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:3-6, NKJV

NOTE: THIS W...

Are You Building on a Firm Foundation?

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And gr...

Are You Using God for Personal Gain?

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Th...

Are You Judgmental or Discerning?

Read Matthew 7:1-6 I think these verses on judging others in Matthew 7:1-6 are probably the hardest for Christians to tackle. Because whether we realize it or not, we always make snap judgments about people in one form or another. I once went into a jewellery store to buy my daughter a fancy present for Christmas. Three things you need to know first before I tell this story:

I dress comfortably - t-shirts and pants (never, ever will you see me in a dress or skirt).I NEVER buy brand-name c...

How Good Are Your Eyes?

 The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:22-23, NKJV

As Jesus continues with his ​sermon on the mount, we can see how he addresses the issues of his day and brings them all together. Matthew 6 begins by talking about the practices of the hypocrites (Pharisees) in regards to ...

The Two Best Ways To Keep From Worrying

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24, NKJV).

Matthew six is about getting to the heart of our “heart condition.” Jesus called the Pharisees (religious teachers) hypocrites by pointing out all they did to gain God’s favour. They made a point of letting others know when they were doing something charitable (Matthew 6:1-4). They loudly prayed ...