Greetings Friends, This week I’m compelled to start a new thing for the Daily Bible Verse. I would like to go through the book of Ephesians in the Daily Bible Verse rather than simply selecting a verse for the day and reflecting on it in a devotional style. I was praying and thinking on this recently and I wanted to get the feedback from you, the Daily Bible Verse reader.

Here is my thought on this…

1. Since many of us attend churches that breakdown the Bible verse by verse, what better way to do a devotional Bible reading than going through the Bible in the same manner. Often selecting small sections of text can be quite challenging for a devotional since in addition to the devotional thought, there is much study that has to go into the context, history, and people it was being written to as well as the need to be Biblically accurate.
2. I have never seen a book of the Bible devotional format. As with all exegetical teaching, going through a single book verse by verse allows us to not only learn the book in a deep and richer way, but will help discover how we can use our Bible reading as devotion to God.
3. I want to try something new… Sometimes in life it is fun to simply try something new.

Let me know your thoughts over the next several days as I work through this new devotional plan for the upcoming days.

(Eph_1:1-2)
Eph 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Eph 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the first two verses of Ephesians 1, Paul addresses the Ephesians as an apostle of Christ Jesus. As a messenger of the Gospel, he is called to Christ by the will of God. It wasn’t his own doing, rather his position as an apostle was given to him by God. There are various opinions as to whether or not Paul is addressing only the Christians at Ephesus or any other believers as well. The KJV says “saints at Ephesus and those who are faithful” and the Barnes commentary confirms this idea by stating, “This evidently refers to others than to those who were in Ephesus.” However, I see clearer evidence that Paul is addressing the faithful believers in Ephesus alone. Whether just those in Ephesus or those and others, it is clear that he isn’t addressing the non-believers in these opening verses, rather, he is specifically speaking to those who are faithful in Christ.

To the “saints” at Ephesus “who are faithful.” Being a true believer in Christ is connected to being faithful. One who calls himself a child of God is one who shows it through his faithfulness to God. It is one thing to be a Christian by name, such as, “I’m American, therefore I am a Christian,” and it is quite another to be the kind of faithful saint Paul is addressing here. Faithfulness comes from trusting the One who we put our faith into.

Grace to you and peace to all the faithful believers from God and the Lord Jesus. Grace and Peace can only come from God and Jesus since they are the ultimate source of both. The apostle Paul opens this letter with a greeting that is filled with so much. His call as an apostle is the will of God, the faithful believers are considered saints, and our grace and peace comes from the true source of life itself, God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today I am encouraged by these verses knowing that as a believer in Christ, a saint, I too am able to come into the same peace and grace that Paul is greeting the Ephesian saints with.

Are you in need of the peace of Christ today? Look to Him for all you need as he is the one who gives to his children in abundance the things they need for life. (2Cor 9:8)

Blessings today as you seek after Christ for grace and peace giving Him all the glory, amen.
Keith