{"id":40129,"date":"2017-11-27T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T16:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.olivetree.com\/?p=40129"},"modified":"2019-02-11T14:29:07","modified_gmt":"2019-02-11T22:29:07","slug":"life-lessons-ephesians-21-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/life-lessons-ephesians-21-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Lessons: Ephesians 2:1-22"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h3>\n

SITUATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Ephesians forgot what God did to save them and to make them a part of his Body.<\/p>\n

OBSERVATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

God\u2019s mercy plucks us from the destruction of our countless sins and places us in Jesus Christ\u2019s righteousness.<\/p>\n

INSPIRATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When I read a verse like Ephesians 2:4, I feel I have discovered God\u2019s roadblock on one\u2019s way to hell\u2014[But God\u2019s mercy is great.] He is so rich in mercy that none need perish, but individuals must come to God in his appointed way. I adore the mercy that had lovingkindness, pity and compassion on me. . . .<\/p>\n

Let me give you a modern illustration of mercy in action.<\/p>\n

One day, a Christian named Paul went into a coffee shop, sat on a stool, and ordered his lunch. When he began speaking to the man next to him, he realized that Fred was in deep spiritual need. After sharing the gospel with him, Paul arranged to meet him again. It was at the second meeting that Fred was converted. Then Paul began to disciple him on a one-on-one basis, and Fred grew in grace and in knowledge of the Lord Jesus.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t long before Fred learned that he had a life-threatening disease. He had to go to a convalescent hospital that was sadly substandard. Paul visited him regularly, bathed him, changed the sheets, and did other chores that the staff should have been doing. The night Fred died, Paul was holding him in his arms, whispering verses of Scripture in his ear. That\u2019s mercy. It\u2019s a wonderful thing to see that Godlike quality in a human life.<\/p>\n

APPLICATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Are there some people around you who slip through the cracks unnoticed? Is there a lonely widow? An insecure junior-high student? A struggling single mother? Pay these people a visit\u2014bring flowers or another gift; invest some time in their lives.<\/p>\n

EXPLORATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To learn more about mercy, look at Matthew 5:7; Luke 6:36; and 2 Peter 3:9.<\/p>\n

THE DEVOTIONAL BIBLE NOTES<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Devotional Bible Notes \u2014 Experience the Heart of Jesus<\/a> is written by Max Lucado. Not only will you have access to plenty of life lessons (like the one you read above) but also several indexes to help you find verses for certain life situations. Some of these lists that Lucado provides are “When You Feel Depressed,” “When You Encounter Discrimination,” and “When You Need to Lead.”<\/p>\n

To learn more about this resource, visit our website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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