“Therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.”
—Ephesians 1:15-16
THE EPHESIAN CHURCH was made up of Jewish and Gentile believers, yet they loved one another and manifested this love toward all the saints. Their different backgrounds didn’t matter. They were now united around the truth of God’s Word and the Lord Jesus Christ, and they loved one another as fellow believers in Christ. Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” And when Paul heard of their love for one another he gave thanks to God for them.
IN VERSE 16, Paul demonstrates that all praise for faith and love is directed to God. This is because salvation is of the Lord. This is what Paul already wrote in Ephesians 1:4, “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” Vs. 5, “predestined us unto adoption as sons according to the good pleasure of His will.” Vs. 6, “God made us acceptable in Christ.” Vs. 7, “we have redemption according to the riches of His grace.” Vs. 9-11, “predestined according to the purpose and pleasure of God, who works all things according to the counsel of His own will!”
GOD GIVES FAITH and love; we don’t produce it! Ephesians 2:8, “faith is a gift from God.” Galatians 5:22, “love is a fruit of the Spirit.” Romans 5:5, “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” And John sums them both up in 1 John 5:1, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” That’s why Paul thanks God alone for the Ephesians faith and love!
AND THIS OUGHT to be the practice of every believer. We ought to thank God for giving fellow believers faith and love. We ought to thank God for giving fellow believers the boldness to hold fast to the truth of God’s Word amidst an ungodly culture. We ought to thank God for the way believers love God, other believers, their neighbors, and even their enemies because God is the source of true faith and love. James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights.” Whenever we see evidence of grace in others we ought to faithfully and without ceasing give thanks and praise to God, the Giver of all grace! He receives the glory for all the good things we do.
Friday Devotional: May 3, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry