Well, today was an interesting day. I took my ten year old for an impromptu visit to the eye doctor to look at an eye infection that is dragging on and on. Two weeks with an antibiotic ointment has helped, but not resolved the problem.

The doctor’s solution? Use heat on it. This is the same mother’s wisdom we began with 6 weeks ago… should we expect a different outcome a second time around?

This found me back in the hot car asking God to please bless our efforts. Then the look from my student driver. “Mom, I think I just locked the steering column.”

I groaned, sizing up the situation. I’m sure I left the wheel cranked too far to the right when I parallel parked. This was my fault. 15 minutes in the car, pulling on the steering wheel and trying to get the key to turn… then a call to my husband who tells me the same thing so that now I feel like I’m doing gymnastics with the steering column to move it because I’m not as strong as he is. And now I was begging God, “Lord, you know I’m not up to this today…” because add this to a teething baby who doesn’t want to sleep, and this mama fighting the dread of my first born leaving home in a few short weeks, and a dozen other little things, my emotions are a little too close to the surface.

And then the steering column moved. The key clicked and the car roared to life. My husband chuckled on the other end of the phone when I gasped in exasperation over the amount of effort the silly ordeal ate up. And then I told the Lord, “Thank you.”

Thank you for giving me strength, and that this little mountain moved.

Thank you that I didn’t lose it.

Thank you that my student driver is still smiling.

How does anyone live life without the Lord? Just knowing He is with me, that He cares for me, and that He is involved in every single detail of my life. He fills my life with spiritual treasures, (and I see several of them mentioned in Ephesians, chapter 2).

Emotions are fickle. So many reasons for joy in any circumstance when I open my eyes to see how God is aways working.

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My personal notes in progress:

vs. 1-2– We used to be dead in our sins. We were like the world, living Satan’s way.

vs. 3– We did what felt right to our flesh and our minds at that time, and we were children of wrath. PT: Children, yes. Don’t young children tend to do whatever they think and feel like doing, and they throw a fit when they don’t get their way? Wrath: God’s wrath is on those who are not reconciled to Him. There are consequences for sin, and if we do not allow Jesus to pay our consequences we have to pay it ourselves.

vs. 4– God is rich in mercy and loves us with great love

vs. 5– God made us alive together with Christ. We are saved by grace!

vs. 6– God raised us up with Christ. We’re alive in Him! and He seated us together with Him in the heavenly places.

vs. 7– so that in the ages to come (eternity) He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us.

vs. 8– Savation is a free gift for those who believe in faith.

vs. 9– No one can earn savation so that we can’t boast. PT: pride in our salvation would be like trying to take credit for something we didn’t do for ourselves and can’t do.

PT: As I’m reading through this chapter, I’m highlighting in red things that I feel are some of the spiritual blessings that chapter one, verse 3 could be talking about. So many blessings. God’s economy is different than ours.

vs.10–We are God’s workmansip–HIS masterpiece– “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so we would walk in in them.”

PT: I’ve heard verse 10 used to explain that we don’t need to worry about what we can and should do for God because God’s plans are ready, like appointments, for us to “walk right into good works.” I do believe God has appointments for us, especially when we’re willing and expectant. This verse is kind of sending my thoughts in circles, but I think it is an introduction to what more can be unpacked through the rest of the Ephesians. God has made us new creations in Christ. He is good and does good, so if we are His image bearers we will also do good… and so chapter 3 will talk more about God’s plan for the church, chapter 4 talks about Spiritual Gifts (more blessings with which to do good), chapter 5 and 6 talk more about fleshing out Christ-likeness, and the armor of God.

Personal Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your letters that show me how much you love me and want to be my Father. Thank you for saving me out of the world, something I could not do for myself. Thank you for your mercy, grace, kindness and love toward me! Thank you for making me a new creation and for the good plans you have for me and all who trust in You.

God, I pray for those who don’t know you. They don’t know how wonderful you are. So today I pray for their hearts to wonder after you. I pray for opportunities for them to be introduced to you. I pray for your church, for myself, to bear your image and walk in your good works. Change my heart and give me your priorities. In Jesus’s name, Amen

I ran across this, fro Desiring God, today and it has everything to do with what I’m studying do I’m adding the link here. https://www.desiringgod.org/labs/how-god-changes-our-minds