If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you… From…
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You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. From Ephesians 2: 19-22, NRSV Being a Roman citizen was a privilege that non-Roman men would serve…
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Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make…
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Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ; not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, knowing that whatever…
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Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,…
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Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. From Ephesians 4: 32-5:8, NRSV If we think about the…
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One whose service is pleasing to the Lord will be accepted, and his prayer will reach to the clouds. From Ecclesiasticus 35:12-14, 16-19, NRSV Ben Sira, the author of Ecclesiasticus, reminds his readers of the importance of sincerity in their relationship with God. He was aware of offerings and sacrifices that were traditionally made under…
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We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and…
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I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. From Ephesians 4: 1-6,…
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I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. From Ephesians 3:14-21, NRSV In this moving and tender…
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