Done

Alright, I think this went well. From now on check out http://thoughtsonphilippians.blogspot.com, and keep an eye on the next book we are studying.

Done?

So there we have it, we 'finished' up Ephesians. Let me say first off, that the past week or two has been really nice with everyone posting, I pray that we can carry this into the summer. It was really nice to hear what all of you were learning. I hope you all enjoyed this, and that you will continue with Philippians.

Next, I thought it would be good for everyone to give a little summary of their past 5 months with Ephesians. So take a little time and just let us all know what the book of Ephesians and God has taught you, opened your eyes too, or anything worth noting over the past semester.

Have at it.

Ephesians 6:22-24

Ephesians 6:22-24. "I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible."

So here we are at the end of the letter, and Paul is telling the Ephesians why he is sending this letter to them, that they may know how he is, and that they would be encouraged. From this it is clear that the Ephesians are close to Paul, I would have to conclude that Paul is writing to a specific group of people, since he is sending Tychicus to this place. Just look at this passage, and it radiates how much Paul cares for the Ephesians, the words encourage, peace, love, grace are all directed to them.

So that stuff is pretty clear, but to dig in a little more, I will take the last sentence. What does incorruptible mean, the KJV uses the word sincerity, or purity. So do we love our Lord (keyword) Jesus Christ with pure and sincere love. I feel that I can never love Jesus as I would like, it is never as pure or sincere as He deserves and that I desire. Plus it says grace be with those who do. So we get something/everything by loving God. Also isn't this the true mark of a Christian, sure we will be known by our fruits, but that flows from our love, the two greatest commandments are to love God and man, and we are to treasure Christ above all, like the parable when the man sells all he has to get the treasure. We should love God so much we are willing to give up everything. And do you think the guy who sells all he has to get the treasure is not happy afterward, do you think he is walking around bummed out that he sold all he had? No, he is exceedingly joyful that he has gotten this treasure. So we are to love God above absolutely everything, and when we receive God we get the greatest gift, joy in Him. Plus it is foolish to desire anything other than God, there is nothing else that will satisfy us like He does, we would be playing in a sandbox, when we have an ocean and beach right behind us, we are just too easily satisfied to turn around and find true greatness and happiness.

How can we love God more? I think it is essential to spend time with God to love Him more, spend time reading about Jesus, talking (praying) to Jesus, we are to pray constantly. We wouldn't expect to fall in love with a girl if we never spent time around her, right? So we find stuff out about the person, how do we do that with God, we read His Word, the gospels are a biography of Jesus' life, and the word in general is literally His Word to us. Those are just two things that I came up with quickly. Now it's your turn.

What are some practical things we can do to deepen our love for Jesus Christ?