Lord's Day Devotion - First Love (1 John 4:19 ESV)

 "We love [Him] because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19 ESV/KJV).

Our human love stems from God's.  He's The One who started it.

Because of His love, He had His rescue plan.  He sent Jesus, His One and Only Son into this world.  God's love made the way for the atonement and rescue of our human souls.  And ...

 " ... whosoever believes in Him, shall not persih, but have everlasting life"                     (see John 3:16).

This is how we know Christ's love.  He laid down His life for us (see 1 John 3:16).

But how can we know the charateristics of God's love?

And if we want to know the characteristics of God's love that we receive through Jesus, we can read and meditate upon 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.  This is what is often called, 

"God's unconditional love."

As we dwell on this love that rescued us fromthe consequences of our sin:  sickness, death and hell; we can feel the tender-loving care of our heavenly Father.

Jesus certainly ...

 " ... endured all things" for us (see 1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV).  

When we receive the action of His love, then we can love Him back.  Give as we have gotten, back to Him and not to others, for ...

" ... God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16).

This Lord's Day, let's remember God's love that He dared to send His Son to die for us.  Remember that Jesus bought our pardon so that we may be set free.  God's love cost Him everything - costly grace, so we did not and do not have to earn our own salvation.

May all our prayers and praises be to God and Jesus who first loved us.  Take of the broken bread and drink of the cup of wine in remembrance of all He has done for us.

Jesus, we give thanks with a grateful heart.  Thanks so much for loving us first.  We could never have helped ourselves.  We love You back.  In Your name we give You our praise and thanksgiving.  Amen.

                                                      ~  ERC  October 2026  ~

Based on 1 John 4:19 ESV.

Sing, How Deep the Father's Love For us, along with Stuart Townend and The Love of God is Greater Far, along with Reawaken.

For This Cause ... (Ephesians 5:21-33 ESV/KJV)

 I understand that it may be economically impossible for the newlywed couple to actually have a place to call their own.  Some cultures insist the son, especially a firstborn son or an only son, continue to live with his parents after his marriage.

But we must always see God's perspective.  His ways and thoughts are always above ours.  We, therefore, must look to Him and His Word to find direction on this matter.

A newlywed Christian couple do well to examine Ephesians 5:21-33 meticulously with a heart and mind geared to obedience to God's will for them.    They absolutely must weigh God's Word in the highest regard over and above anyone elses wishes, including their own.  

Go ahead, read the portion.  Especially note verses 23 through 33.  Read in whichever version you wish but I like the phrase in the KJV which seems to emphasise the point I wish to make.

Verse 31 KJV reads ...

"For this cause ..."

This verse 31 is one that is often quoted without much regard for the fuller passage.  That's my bad - often.  Today, I saw it in contesxt.  It hit me, 

"Oh, yes!  That's why!"

What was the 'this cause'?  Why was the man told to

 "leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife"?  

I know, it sounds so very unfilial to many cultures.

The answer is not blowing in the wind but can be searched for from verses 21 until verse 31.  How well can all that happen in a relationship that needs time and effort to build in a new family unit when a man has not cut the parental apron strings?

Can you get what I'm trying to say? If there is no sovereignty of the new husband-wife relationship under their OWN roof, the marriage will be forever crippled.

God, in His great wisdom and love for Christian couples, moved the apostle Paul, a bachelor of all things, to write these words at the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  He must not have been blind to the dynamics of both scenarios.

In this way, the husband will show his greater love for his wife and the wife will be certainly more able to relax and reverence her husband when she's not worried she'll break the rules of the in-laws' house.  Thus, the marital relationship should be able to thrive more readily.

This is my belief, gained not just from heresay, but also from observation of couples who do and who do not follow the Lord's mandate.

P.S.  Please do not let me offend couples who, due to financial standing cannot be on their own through no fault of their own.  May the Lord help them mightily as they do what they can!  And may He open the way for them to

 "leave and cleave" 

and thus gain greater sovereignty.

May our heavenly Father's blessing be upon all married couples who fear the Lord and wish to live for Him until He comes, regardless of where they live.

God bless you and your marriages, everyone!

                                             ~  ERC  September 2026  ~

Based on Ephesians 5;21-33 ESV/KJV.

Sing, The Wedding Song, along with Noel Paul Stookey.

Let There Be Thanksgiving (Ephesians 5: especially vs 2, 4, 8, 9, 15, amd 18-20 ESV)

 

"Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20 ESV).

The encompassing-ness of this verse is something else.  Look at the 'always' and the 'everything'.  There's no time when not to be giving thanks.

And to whom do we give thanks?  God the Father.  We give this thanks in Jesus' name.

As a further parameter of giving thanks, look at verse 4 of Ephesians 5.  

"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out to place, but instead let there be thnksgiving."

Whether there's filthy or foolish talk, or crude joking, or, I'll add, constant critical remarks, we need to replace all these with wholesomeness, generated by thanksgiving and thankfulness.

I'm impressed with verse one also.

"Be ye followers of God, as dear children" (KJV).

Or, as the ESV puts it,

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children."

If we are followers and imitators of God, as His children, we will walk circumspectly.  We will do as Jesus has done.

It's like the game many of us have likely played in childhood - Follow-the-Leader.  Each action the leader makes has to be mimicked by all the others as they march in single-file step, one behind the other.  Often the followers will sing,

"We're following the leader,

the leader, the leader.

We're following the leader."*

So, as we follow Jesus our Leader, our actions need to mirror His.  Paul tells the Ephesians some of the ways in which to execute the actions.

Thanksgiving, with wholesome talk seems to be at the top of the list.  So often we forget this.  We can train ourselves to be more pro-active by recording at least one thing a day, no matter how insignificant we may think it is, and give the Lord Jesus our thanks.

When we intentionally seek out the things which we can be thankful for, we may just surprize ourselves.  As we amas a collection of thankful-for items, review them, thankfulness may well well up in our hearts and give us joy in the name of Jesus.

When we walk as God's followers and children we will walk as "children of light" (vs 8), doing what's good and right; we will be filled with the Holy Spirit (vs 18); we will walk wisely (vs15); we will be addressing one another, not with negative words but with singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

For some reason, this amuses me.  Can you imagine that the next time you go to church, and instead of saying "Hello," "How's your week been?" you start singing a psalm or spiritual song to the brother or sister?

If we truly 'walked' in this manner, the joy of thanksgiving will be on our lips and in our demeanor.  I dare you to try it and see what happens.  😀

Father God, we give you our thanks and praise for making us Your sons and daughters and then teaching us ways to follow You.  We may sing, "I will follow You whereever You may go" but we don't always measure up.  Thank You for Your understanding in knowing we are but dust and therefore, often fail.  Help us to joy in our God - that's You, Father and to sing of Your love, mercy and grace, giving thanks always.  May we truly sing Your praises when addressing each other in Your family.

May our speech and actions always please You.  May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven as we march in step with Jesus and Your Holy Spirit as Your children and followers.  In our Lord Jesus Christ's name, we follow.  Amen.

                                        ~  ERC  September 2026  ~

Based on Ephesians 5: especially vs 2, 4, 8, 9, 15 and 18-20 ESV.

Sing, Now Thank We All Our Father, along with Hymns of Grace.

*Lyrics from the 1953 Disney animated film Peter Pan song called "Following the Leader."  

NOTE:  This does not mean I condone this film.  Following Jesus is the one and only leader for me.

Book Review - The Revival of the Analog Church - By Thom S. Rainer - Publication Date: 6 October 2026

 In my opinion, this is a book Christians should definitely take to heart.  In these post-COVID years, where there are still many vestages of Covid-time practices, I believe this will help a reader, a pastor, a church worker, and members of the oversight, as well as members of congregations, to think more 'analog'.

The author defines all of this well but does not dismiss the 'digital' way either.  There is a better way with analog, and when the advantages are thought through, such as being able to rub shoulders with people - yes, in person, among other benefits and advantages.  I found author Thom S. Rainer's insights very helpful, logical and practical, for keeping in touch - hands-on, so to speak (I really liked one of his ideas about letter/card writing - literally with paper and pen), with other fellow believers and for bringing other sons and daughters into the family of God.

I found that much of what Rainer has to say mirrored some of my own thoughts but of course, he is so much more articulate, constructive and concrete in what he shares.  Therefore, I think every church should have a copy (not digital, ha, ha) of this book in their library and church members should each actively read it and put Rainer's thoughts into their hearts, motivating positive response and action, for God's glory.

Additionally, there are reflection questions at section ends that could help solidify the message of each section in a reader's mind.

It has been a very satisfying read and I rate this book with a 5-Star rating.

                                            ~ Eunice C.,  Reviewer/Blogger ~

                                                           April 2026

Disclaimer:  This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent to me by NetGalley and the publisher.

Read review on Goodreads.  

In The Throes of Purpose (Ephesians 4:1-3 and 30-32 ESV)

 

It's one thing to be in the throes of carrying out our eternal purpose with the gift of grace God gave us to use when we became His child, and it is another thing to ...

 " ... walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you were called ..."                (Ephesians 4:1 ESV).

Ephesians 3:1-12 admonishes us to fulfill our purpose.   Ephesians 4 shows us the manner and attitude in which to operate.  We see ...

"All humility, ... gentleness, ... patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace ..." (Ephesians 4:2-3 ESV).

As we rub shoulders with one another in our Father's service, the 'oil of humility' and of those other terms of operation, will assist us to achieve more smooth and harmonious relationships in bringing many sons and daughters into the family of God, as well as nourishing our brothers and sisters-in-Christ, thereby building each other up in our faith and walk with Jesus (see Jude 1:20-21 and 24-25 ESV).

If we do not, then we grieve the Holy Spirit.  We are told to ... 

 " ... let all bitterness, ... anger ... slander"

 and more ...

 " ... to be put away ..." (Ephesians 4:30-31 ESV).

Likely these won't disappear overnight but as we prayerfully and humbly seek the Lord's intervention we can ...

 " ... put all these away from us." 

 Instead, we are exhorted, to 

" ... be kind ... tenderhearted, forgiving ..."

How?

" ... as God in Christ forgave you ..." (Ephesians 4:32 ESV).

Let's all endeavor to walk worthy of our calling and give our Lord all glory due His name.

                                                ~   ERC  September 2026  ~

Based on Ephesians 4:1-3 and 30-32 ESV.

Sing, When We All Get to Heaven, along with the Vagle Brothers.

More Stalwart Defence Needed (Ephesians 4:3; 6:10-18 and Philippians 2:5-8 ESV)

 

We can have more like-mindedness to reach out to others with the message of Jesus through our humility and Christlikeness.  This like-mindedness can also lead to the continuance of guarding, protecting, defending, and keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

As we read God's Word and understand His truth so well that we know it and it becomes as if part of our DNA, not only as individuals but collectively as the body of Christ, it will be a defence and a protective shield against false teachers with even the subtlest of truth twisting.  It is also a shield and strong wall against divisiveness, jealousy, gossip, selfishness, pride, resistance to learning and comparing our gifts with others.

Let's take on the armor of God and stand firm, praying in all earnestness to guard, protect, defend and keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and truth.  Let's also take on the character and humble servanthood heart that will bear witness to the world that we have been with Jesus and are still faithfully and steadfastly following Him.  Let's

 "be strong in the Lord and have the strength of His might" (Ephesians 6:10 ESV).

Bye for now ...

                                              ~  ERC  September 2026  ~

Based on Ephesians 4:3; 6:10-18 and Philippians 2:5-8 ESV.

Sing, Bind Us Together, Lord, along with Chet Valley Hymns.

Lord's Day Devotion - Benefits and Blessings

 

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits" Psalm 103:2 ESV.

The psalmist didn't want to forget all the Lord had done for him.  His antidote for forgetfullness was to bless the Lord for each one, giving Him praise.

David, this psalms' psalmist, appears to have written it when he was a senior citizen.  I imagine him looking back over the years of his life, taking stock and giving account of all the Lord had done for him.  He did not want to forget any of them.

But if he had left it until he was older, he may well have forgotten,what those things were.  He must have been making a habit of blessing the Lord all along.

Whatever the case, he was making mention of them now, in this psalm.  They were that He was the one ...

" ... who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases," (Psalm 103:3 ESV).

And more, which you will see if you continue to read the psalm on.

David committed some pretty awful iniquities.  Most people will especially recall what he did to Bathsheba and her husband.  It was atrocious!

We learn though that he did repent and bear consequences in more than one way.  He learned the Lord's forgiveness but also His justice and mercy.

I don't recall any mention of David being sick with disease.  He spent so many years out on the range, he and his men must have met a lot of sickness you'd think.   However, it could also be David's observation in general, that the Lord

 "heals all your diseases."

This could be why he intensely fasted and prayed, begging God to spare the life of his newborn baby he had had with Bathsheba.  The baby did die though - a consequence of David's gross sin.  He fully believed God could but accepted the "NO" answer.  He trusted God was doing right.

David never wanted to forget all of these, having had his life, so to speak,

"redeemed from the pit" (Psalm 103:4).

No doubt David's list was long with all the times the Lord helped him while he was a fugitive all those decades.  Countless benefits, I'd think.

Nowadays, we likely can list a few benefits in each category.  How shall we remember to remember all our Lord and Savior has done for us?

The firm answer points to

 "Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion.  Bless the LORD, O my soul" (Psalm 103:22 ESV)!

The benefit we can put at the top of our list is our salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection.  This Lord's Day, let's bless Him for this saving grace.  Partake of the broken bread and drink of the cup of wine in remembrance and in blessing the one who died for you.

Heavenly Father, Your benefits are manifold.  We see and know some of them and we bless You for all You have done for us over the many years of life.  We especially give thanks for forgiving our iniquities, transgressions and sins, through Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross, thus buying our salvation and freedom from the slavery of sin.  We give You our praise and bless Your name in Jesus' name.  Amen.

                                                         ~  ERC  September 2026  ~

Based on Psalm 103: especailly 1-3 and 21-22 EAV.

Sing, Who is There Like You, along with Stuart Townend and 10,000 Reasons along with Matt Redman and Hadleigh Baptist Church.