Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manner the word of God to keep us
through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all of
that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live
healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author
speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, Good morning, Good morning.
It is Friday, July twenty eight, two twenty three. Hello, my
name is L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is
your Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today
is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book
of Ephesians. Our caption for today is It's all about relationship. It's all
about relationship ship. We'll get into that in just a moment, but first
let me say happy preparation day and thank you for the time that you are
investing this morning with us. And I'm asking you to please go over to
your Daily Portion dot com join our online community. There we are able to
build faith and fellowship, ask questions concerning the lesson study, give our comments
and concerns, also to share our testimonies at times, and people also ask
for frare requests. And it's cool to see how the community rallies together and
then commits and says, yes, I will pray for you in this particular
situation. So go to your Daily Portion to also pick up the your Daily
Portion book that can also help to build your connection with God. Let's go
ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Father in heaven,
thank you for giving us this new morning and for the privilege we have to
be connected to you in right relationship, also connected to other people. I
pray now that you will give us your holy spirit and that we will become,
indeed what we talked about yesterday, a holy temple, an organism that
is living and breathing, that is holy unto you in Jesus name, I
pray, Amen and Amen again. It's all about relationship. It's all about
relationship. Well, I thank God that he has not left us here alone
on planet Earth to just fend for ourselves and hope for the best. Inasmuch
as I am an actual textbook introvert. That does not mean that I can
thrive even as an introvert, as by myself. Like, we were not
created to be by ourselves. We were created to have relationships with God and
with people. In fact, Jesus answering the question, except it wasn't an
honest question, but he answered it nonetheless, what is the greatest commandment?
And he said, the first and great commandment is to love the Lord your
God with everything you have and everything you are. And the second is like
unto it, that we love our neighbor as ourself. And the Bible says
that on these two hang all the law and the prophets. It's all about
relationship, relationship with God and relationship with people. Now I'm going to circle
back to a few passages. Well, I won't read all of them,
but I will read. I will read one or two passages here from yesterday's
lesson because it makes perfect sense. Here. In Second Corinthians chapter six,
beginning at verse fourteen, the Bible says, be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers for what fellowship? I want you to keep that term in your
mind. Fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness. Remember we were talking about being brought
together both Jews and gentiles. Once we have godly faith, that we become
holy the holy Temple, the organism that God loves and treasures the apple of
his eye, so that we are now fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God.
Well, this is saying here that if you are yoking yourself with unbelievers,
then you are out of place. Like it says that we can't have
fellowship as people with holiness versus a as people who are holy and with those
who are unholy. And what communion hath light and darkness? Light and darkness
cannot coexist in the same space. And what concord hath Christ with belial?
Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath
the temple of God? Here here is that term again with idols. For
ye are the temple of the Living God. I said we are the temple
of the Living God. Yesterday I said it over and over again that we
are living, breathing organism, So that temple is lively. Now we can
see why, because we are the temple of the Living God. We can't
be dead if we're the Temple of the Living God. As God hath said,
I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be
their God, and thee they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out
from among them, and be ye separate. Set the Lord, and touch
not the unclean thing. And I will receive you, and I will be
a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters. Set
the Lord almighty. And so we can see very clearly that God's intent has
always been for us to be living and breathing, that we would always represent
him, we would always be his holy temple. I wish I had the
time to really delve into what he said during the Old Testament time before even
he gave the blueprint to the sanctuary, he said, I want you.
He went to his people, I want you. I have made you a
kingdom of priests. This is not only what God said through Brother Peter in
the New Testament era, even before there was ever an ironic priesthood. God
said, I want this entire nation to be holy. I want this entire
nation to be a holy priesthood. But the people people were not ready,
and they rejected, and they had to be taught, and they had to
be corrected and only to be brought back to God, saying the same thing.
You are a holy nation, a royal priesthood, called out of darkness
into this marvelous light. You are no longer to be bound to those sinful
habits that you have enabled in your life. I'm going to give you holiness.
But it's all about relationship, okay. And so the lesson writer asks
the question, what is the specific context in which Paul writes if Hesians Chapter
two, verses eleven through twenty two. As he describes the sweeping effects of
the Cross on human relationships, He is addressing the relationships between the then known
Jewish and Gentile believers, who together are members of the church. He expresses
that obvious concern that they understand and live their shared reconciled status as fellow members
of God's household. See. God has gone into the minds and hearts of
all people and welcomed us, whether in that language Jews and Gentiles. Of
course it's more complex today, but you understand that is that was the context
in those moments, right, whether Jews or Gentiles, right, no matter
from what culture, no matter from what tribe, kindred tongue, or people.
Wherever you come from, God is saying I want you to become a
part of family, come out of unholiness and come into the family of God.
And so it says here. However, in the context of the letter
as a whole, Paul demonstrates a broad, as I've already kind of preempted,
far reaching purpose. His theme is God's grand ultimate plan to unite all
things in Christ every family. Now get this from Ephesians chapter three and verse
fifteen, every family in heaven and on earth. So not only Jews and
Gentiles, not only every nation, kindred, tribe, tongue, and people,
but also uniting with the family of Heaven, the family of God.
More importantly, the unity of members within the Church, The specific topic he
addresses in Ephesians, if itself, has a wider purpose that Paul closes in
chapter three in verse ten, as it reads so that through the Church,
the manifold wisdom of God in creating the Church out of both Jews and Gentiles
might now be known unto the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. Isn't that
wonderful? Through actualizing the unity of Christ one on the cross, believers are
a signal that God his ultimate plan to unite all things in Christ is underway.
Jesus said, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,
and we can see that it's all about relationship. Have a wonderful day,
peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of
God. This has been your daily portion with l David Harris. Make it
a great day.