At the
concluding of his words to the Ephesian church, Paul the apostle
began closing his thoughts to them by including a desire for “peace”
and “love with faith” to be upon them. In chapter six
and verse twenty-four of his letter, Paul declared “grace”
to “be with all them that love” Jesus as one final
inclination for them. We read:
Grace be
with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen
The
verse begins, “Grace be
with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ...” Paul
began with the word, “Grace”
which means “that which affords joy,
pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, good will,
loving-kindness and unmerited favor”
“be with all them that love”
which is the Greek word “agapaō”
and means “to welcome, entertain, be fond of, love dearly, be
well-pleased and contented with” “our
Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah” “Jesus”
whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation” and is “the Son of God,
Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “Christ”
which means “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”.
Paul's final passion for the Ephesian church members was for “God's
unmerited favor” and the “love of”
the “Lord Jesus”
upon them.
The
verse goes on to say, “...in sincerity. Amen.” Paul ended
with the words, “in sincerity” which literally means
“firm” and metaphorically means “faithful” or “incorruption,
perpetuity, purity, sincerity and incorruption”. “Amen”
which means “so it is, surely, truly and of a truth”. Paul's
desire was shared in all “faithfulness” and “truth” Paul
could conscript.
When
we consider these final words of Paul, we realize his deep devotion
to the members of the church of Ephesus. God's “grace” and
the “love of our Lord Jesus Christ” cannot be added to or
improved upon, and those who are believers in Jesus as Savior and
Lord enjoy the benefits extended by God upon them. As we close our
study to this wonderful letter of Paul, may God's “grace”
be upon us, and may “the Lord Jesus” pour out His
unlimited and unconditional “love” upon us in all
“faithfulness” and “perpetuity” world without end.
Next
time we begin a new book in the Old Testament, The Book of Jonah, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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