ENLIVENED, EXALTED, ENTHRONED

And now he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is ever praised, not only in this age, but in the age that is coming! And he alone is the leader and source of everything needed in the church. God has put everything beneath the authority of Jesus Christ and has given him the highest rank above all others. And now we, his church, are his body on the earth and that which fills him who is being filled by it!

Ephesians 1:21-23

DEATH, SLAVERY AND CONDEMNATION

A troubling topic in Deuteronomy is slavery. The allowance of slavery in the Old Testament generates a great deal of debate, and we cannot resolve all the issues here. We should not, however, equate Israelite slavery with slavery in the modern era, including slavery in the United States. The latter involved kidnapping West Africans from their homeland for sale as slaves, followed by the perpetual enslavement of their descendants.

FIRST AT ANTIOCH

Hello, World!

and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

Acts 11:26

ONE THING IS NEEDED

but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:42

HOPE, INHERITANCE AND POWER

So that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

THE SEAL OF BLESSING

First, the gift of the Holy Spirit is God’s seal of ownership on believers. Here, in Ephesians 1:13, Paul said that Christians have been “sealed with the…Holy Spirit.” Interestingly, this is not the only time Paul used the metaphor of a “seal” in conjunction with the Holy Spirit. Later in this same letter, Paul instructed the Christians in Ephesus to “not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” because He is the agent “by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Then, in 2 Corinthians 1:22 Paul said that God “establishes us…and has anointed us” by “put[ting] his seal on us and giv[ing] us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

THE SETTING OF BLESSING MARCH

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.

Deuteronomy 11:26–28

THE SETTING OF BLESSING PART 2

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance[a] upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”(ESV)

Numbers 6 22-27 

THE SETTING OF BLESSING FEB

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance[a] upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”(ESV)

Numbers 6 22-27 

THE SOURCE OF BLESSING FEB 8

At times we can become distracted from God’s Word and begin to rely on other things as our source. However, we should understand that God has always been and always will be our one true source. He is the source of the blessing, which prospers every area of our lives. We activate the blessing by obeying Him.