Wednesday after the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on November 4, 2020 by under
Scripture: Ephesians 4:7-21 (NKJV)
4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus.
Devotion
In order to secure our inheritance and bring us into His household of the Church, our Lord Jesus descended from Heaven to fulfill the Law of God perfectly on our behalf and offer up His life as a ransom for ours on the tree of the holy cross. Having completed all things necessary for the atonement of the whole world, our Lord Jesus ascended into Heaven and took His place at the right hand of God the Father, where He intercedes for us until the Last Day.
The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son to keep us in this Church—to keep us in continual godliness—until our Lord Christ’s return. The Holy Ghost works through means. The Church has been sent apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers, in order that we might no longer be children, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. The Holy Ghost establishes the Church—establishes us in the one, true faith—by giving us ministers who preach the Word of God in its truth and purity, and administer the Sacraments according to Christ’s institution.
It is through the faithful use of the means of grace that we are kept in the pure doctrine of the Word of God. For we are no longer like the Gentiles who walk in the futility of their own minds, whose understanding is full of darkness, and live a life alienated from the Lord God. Our Lord keeps us from all adversities that would drive us away from Him.
Prayer: Lord, we beseech Thee to keep Thy household, the Church, in continual godliness, that through Thy protection She may be free from all adversities and devoutly given to serve Thee in good works, to the glory of Thy Name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
