June 23, 2020

Daily Devotionals

June 23, 2020

Our Peachtree Church email devotionals this week, June 22–26, will all be drawn from The Book of Ephesians.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 4:11–16

J. M. Barrie wrote, “All children, except one, grow up.” That one child, Peter Pan, did not grow up. But we do. We grow up. We grow older. Our mid-sections grow (ugh!) and, hopefully, we grow in wisdom as we get older. We all grow, change, and develop through life’s ups and downs. The real question is not if we are growing up but if we are growing the way God intends for us to grow.

Ephesians 4 teaches us some important principles about growing:

God gave us different gifts and callings (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers) in order that those gifts would be used to build up the body of Christ and to help each person grow.
Knowing Jesus and becoming mature will bring unity to believers (something that is desperately needed in our world right now!).
As our faith matures, we are better able to withstand the challenges of life that toss us about. We can discern deceitful teaching and counter it with the truth of God’s Word.
”Speaking the truth in love” encourages us to be more mature and become like Jesus.
This endeavor is not an individual effort. Each one of us must support and encourage one another (“as each part does its work”) so that the whole body comes together and grows.

As much as the simplicity and freedom of childhood appeals to me, I don’t want to stay as a child. I want to see my faith grow and mature as I also encourage others to grow and mature. I long for a deeper, more intimate walk with Jesus, knowing His Word better and applying it to my life each day. I want to be joined with other believers in Christ’s body, who also speak the truth in love. I want to grow up.

For Reflection

What part has God called you to play in building up the body of believers?

How are you encouraging others to grow in their faith?

What can you do today to be more intentional in the way you grow in Christ?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me to speak the truth in love, so that we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. I pray that from Him the whole body of believers will be joined and held together by every supporting ligament, and that this body will grow and build itself up in love, as each part does its work. Help us to grow to be more like You every day. Amen.

Dr. Barry Gaeddert

Pastor for Spiritual Formation

404-842-2194