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 Monday, August seven, two 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.
Our caption for today as is together as one in the One, Together
as one in the One. We're talking about unity. But this is a
special special focus. Okay, we'll get into that in just a moment,
But first I'd like to say welcome one, Welcome all, and ask you
to please go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please join our online
community. Please pick up the Your Daily Portion book and one more, Please
please share where you are in the world. That way I can see an
experience in my little mind here right on a map where you are, and
I know from that vantage point the Gospel of the Kingdom is being preached into
all the world for a witness, so that then and only then we know
the end will come. Please go again to your Daily Portion dot com.
Let's go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Father in
Heaven, thank you for giving us the privilege to come together again this morning
and for the opportunity to move into our work week. Father, I pray
that you will teach us the kind of unity that pleases you. In Jesus
name, I pray, Amen and Amen again. So the Bible has an
interesting way of describing unity. So many ways I could go right now,
but I just want to begin with the Book of Deuteronomy. The Book of
Deuteronomy houses what is called the Sama, the Sama, and it's in Deuteronomy
six in verse four, and the Bible teaches us there that the Lord here
o Israel, the Lord our God, is one Lord, and we are
to worship him with everything that we are and everything that we have right.
And so when the term one shows up in that passage, it is it
is a word in Hebrew that basically is a compound unity. It is the
kind of unity that God is like God, the Father, God, the
Son God, the Holy Spirit. Right, the kind of unity that God
intends for his people inside the church or the fellowship of believers in the last
days. The kind of unity that God intended when he put Adam and Eve
together as a married couple. The twain shall be one flesh. And of
course that's the unity that our modern couples in two thousand and twenty three are
to exhibit. Yes, and Paul said, behold, I show you a
mystery. And by the way, I'm talking about like Christ and how he
relates to the Church. When he talks about marriage, he's thinking also about
how Christ and the Church are to relate. So that is the oneness that
is a big deal to me, because I see it so prevalent in the
scriptures. And so by the time we get to the Book of Ephesians,
chapter four, and by the way, what I just said about Christ and
the Church comes in, I think it's the next chapter, chapter five.
But by the time we get to Ephesians chapter four. We see there is
a number of one. The term one appears multiple times, and the Bible
reads beginning in verse four of Ephesians chapter four, there is one body.
I'll come back to that one spirit, even as ye are called in one
hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and
in you all. Let me count the ones I didn't do it. One
two, three, four, five six, one two, three, four,
five, six seven. If you're on the radio, the broadcast has
not stopped. Listen. There are gods. Has amazed me so many times
with the way that he key his principles of perfection. Seven times the term
one is used here. So this is a perfect principle that we must get
into our minds. There is one body. What is the body? Well,
think about it. The body is the collection or the congregation of the
saints of God, the congregation or the fellowship of believers who are through the
Holy Spirit following Jesus Christ, who is our head. So Jesus is the
head who does what controls the body. And don't be afraid of the term
controls. If you have the kind of brain that is sanctified and filled with
the Holy Ghost. Then you can, oh be careful, little hands what
you do right. You can be, oh careful, little eyes what you
see. You can, oh careful little feet where you go right, because
there's a father up above who is looking down own in tender love. Oh
be careful little everything that you have and everything you are, what you do.
Because the Head, who is Christ, is leading us into the paths
of righteousness. Our bodies are in motion and alignment with God's will. So
the body is the fellowship of believers who are unified under the head which is
Christ, and one spirit, the Holy Spirit. Right. The Bible teaches
us that the Holy Spirit of God guides us into all truth. That is
the truth about us and the truth about God. The truth about us is
that we are born in sins, shaping an iniquity, like we are needing
a savior. And the truth about God is that He is that savior,
the one Jesus Christ, who came to save us from our sins, and
our Father who loved us so much that he gave us Jesus Christ, not
to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
Not by might, though not by power, but through God's Holy Spirit.
So we're talking about the Holy Spirit. And then one hope of our calling.
Our hope is in Christ. Right, it ceases being useful if our
hope is in things on the earth. My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus blood and righteousness. I think in songs I did tell you that,
didn't I. And so the hope is, of course the hope of
our calling. Not everyone who was called is chosen. According to Matthew chapter
twenty two, those who are called and chosen are the ones who hear the
voice and message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then indeed move in lockstep
with him through God's Spirit, and are indeed saved. One Lord, that's
Jesus Christ, one faith. We know that that faith is in Christ.
The power of God unto salvation, only comes into our lives if we have
that vehicle, that conduit through which the power will come, and that conduit
is called faith. God is the author and finisher, like Jesus is the
author and finisher of our faith. He gives every person a measure of faith.
And if that little measure, that tiny mustard mustard seed sized faith is
activated by touching and laying hold of the power of God, so that virtue
leaves God and comes to us, if you want to say, leaves God,
but that virtue passes from God to us. And then we can say
to the mountain, be thou removed and moved to yonder place. We can
say to the mountain, be thou removed and cast into the sea, and
it will be done unto us. That kind of faith lays hold on the
power of God so that we can be saved those who are hopeless sinners bound
by all sorts of sin, habits and thoughts. Those individuals can be trans
lated from what the kingdom of darkness into this kingdom of marvelous light. That's
the kind of faith we're talking about. One baptism, and we know that
this baptism is not just to get wet. It is not just to get
sprinkled as not just to get dunked and come up a wet sinner. Now,
this baptism is through the Holy Spirit and symbolize by going below the surface
of the water and to be submerged into a relationship with God and living in
that way. And then one God and Father of us all, and we
understand that He is supreme above all. Blessed be his name, God,
our Father, Oh my goodness, together as one in the one of a
wonderful day. 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.