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 manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
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 Monday, September twenty five, twenty twenty three. Hello, my name
is Lle 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.
This is our final week and our caption for today is we are redeemed for
community. We are redeemed for community. We'll get into that in just a
moment, but first I like to say welcome one, Welcome all, and
say also happy like work week. It's a blessing that we can come together
in this way to continue in this beginning of our work week. Because there
are dangers seen and unseen, mindset challenges, and all kinds of different difficulties
that if we are not equipped and prepared with God's word and even community,
even community, then we do not stand a chance in this great controversy.
So listen, thank you for coming, and I'm hoping that you are clicking
that share, butget also please go over to your Daily Portion dot Com click
the join button and also add where you are in the world and pick up
your Daily Portion book. In that way we can build faith and fellowship.
Let's go ahead and pray and then we will get underway. Father, and
thank you for giving us this new day and for giving us the opportunity to
open up your word. And I'm asking you to please teach us community in
all things that we do. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen and
a men again. Some of you are familiar with what I do on a
day to day basis, which is coach people. I don't mean sports coaching,
I mean life and success coaching. And one of the things that we
put forward in a community setting in the UOU Mastermind with doctor Eric Thomas is
community being together. Being together is key in spiritual relationships in all kinds of
other relationships too, And you're like, well, it's relationships that only makes
sense. No, no, no, no no no. The problem sometimes
with religious community religious experiences, what we may call fellowships or faith communities,
is the community part is missing. And yes, Christians sometimes will say community
in the sense of going out from home base, which would be maybe the
church setting into the world surrounding that church edifice, and called that community,
and indeed it is. But what I'm talking about today is building the kind
of fellowship with God and with one another that we are no longer we are
no longer alone. We are no longer alone. Jesus prayed in what we
call the high priestly prayer in John chapter seventeen, that we Lord that they
will be one, even as You and I are one, and of course
that I can be in them. On God your power can be in their
lives and so one news that ability to be together with God and with his
people is key, especially in these last days, considering the considering the warfare
that we're in. Remember, united we stand, and divided we fall.
There is nothing that we cannot do. Once we are all filled with the
spirit in the body of Christ community. There is nothing that we can't do
for God in that case. And so I'm going to share, as I
do often, some key takeaways and or, if you want to call them,
calls to actions. So number one, I want you to recognize your
resurrected life in Christ. Recognize your resurrected life in Christ. Yeah. Yeah.
If people see you and see that God has changed you, that you
are a work in progres rest. But all they see an experience in you
is that you are living your best life. You know, like your best
life. Here we go cliches again. No no, no, no,
no no. Your best life is to be completely surrendered to God. Your
best life is to be an encouragement to those who see you. I think
we used to sing when we were children, bright in the corner where you
are, wherever you happen to be in the world. People should see the
light in your life, those good works, so that they can glorify your
Father, which is in heaven. So daily remind yourselves of Ephesians Chapter two,
verses four through seven. Remember that Christ's resurrection, his ascension, and
his coronation are all for you. Two. He did all of these He
experienced all of these for you. How might your daily actions reflect this reality?
Lay like, how would how would you live if you could see that
in everything that you do? When somebody cuts you off on the road,
you have to say, but wait a minute. Jesus is resurrected unto life,
and the actions that are in my brain that are retaliatory are tending toward
death. I need to recognize my resurrected life in Christ. Let me continue
dwell in God's grace. I want you to dwell in God's grace. I
want you to sit down on it. I want you to settle into this
truth. The power of God to do his will and his unmerited favor together
are God's grace right and through faith we lay hold of God's grace and lay
hold on victory like Martin Luther and John Wesley. Allow God's grace to deeply
penetrate your heart. Remember those reformers understand that your salvation is by faith through
grace, not based on your or own works. Whatever God requires, he
first supplies. He requires love. God loves us first. We love him.
Because God loves us first. He requires repentance. But romance Chapter two,
in verse four says that God giveth repentance unto his people Israel. Right
he requires all sorts of things obedience. The Bible says that Jesus was obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. It says that he also
was obedient in the sense that he in Romans chapter eight, that he is
able now to give you that obedience as a down payment, so that you
can also be obedient and holy embrace unity in Christ. I think I already
sort of focused on that a little bit. Consider how Christ's death has brought
both a vertical that is between us and God and horizontal that is among people.
Reconciliation. Commit to mending broken relationships in your life. I think the
Bible says that where it lieth unto us, we should live peaceably above all
toward all people. And the Bible also says freely we have received, freely
give. He also said that we are privileged to have the ministry of reconciliation,
and so he wants us to be a part of that. Barriers have
to be broken down where we are concerned. Here is another one. Be
the temple of the Lord. Be the temple of the Lord. Know that
you, along with all believers are a part of God's temple. How can
you contribute to the spiritual health and growth of His temple today? I'm not
just talking about your body being for the Holy Spirit, the Temple of the
Holy Spirit, but also being a part of the framework, that holy building
that is fitly framed together that we call the Church. How can you contribute
to the spiritual health and growth to that temple and then share the gift of
grace? Share the gift of grace with someone today? Can you share that
gift of grace with someone today? Just as this verse in Ephesians chapter two,
in verse eight played a pivotal role in the conversions of so many throughout
history, it might be the hope that somebody needs coming from you today.
Be graceful towards someone. Empower someone to live in the freedom that God has
given us through forgiveness and power to do as will. And a wonderful day.
Peace. Thanks for joining us listening to 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.