Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego. - Daniel 1:7

Just because some changes what they call you, doesn’t mean they change who or what you are.

After a slight delay, things are mostly working again. I’ll probably post something on my other “blog” in due time about what happened, but suffice to say the database got a little confused during a software upgrade.

I haven’t quite figured out a way to go forward with the site in its current design, so I’ll be evaluating the best technology and ways of moving forward. There were some other issues with installs and my server, but those are mostly resolved now, however a few remained with my wordpress installs.

Thank you everyone for your questions and prayers, they are greatly appreciated!

This is a heads up that due to time crunches in other parts of life I won’t be able to get the back log up for at least a few more weeks, possibly another month. Sorry for the delay!

No banter this time, just straight to the facts. Paul gets to our favorite subject…us!

We were all dead in our trespasses and sins. Trespass is done deliberately, sin is missing the mark (old archery term). What’s the mark? To be perfect like God. Man the inferior trinity: spirit, mind, and body. Superior trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit. When Adam ate of the fruit he transgressed further and became a duo instead of a trio: mind and body. As such, we’re all stuck, alienated from God. All of this from the first verse! Keeping on this same plane of though, the term “walking” in verse two is more like “meandering” that is going through life without meaning. But, it’s a little more than that, it’s having the behaviors of the corse of what it is that this world holds sacred, ie lust. Interesting to note that Paul lists a life without Christ in Romans 1, and closes off the chapter with reminding us that there are people that go and watch that which we wouldn’t do, ie taking pleasure in horrible grotesque movies. Down, depressing? Well, ya, it was a horrible scene until God came along with His great Love (verse 4)! Now that He has let us live again, we’re living in the presence of God, our spirits alive again. This continues the theme from chapter one: the blessing of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Back to the whole dead part, we’re resurrected in the resurrection of God. How? We were dead in spirit, and with His sacrifice we were made live, thus our spiritual resurrection. And Paul notes that it’s going to take all eternity for God to show you just how much he loves you, and how happy and joyous he is for you to be with him.

One of the best parts of this chapter is the fact that we aren’t to boast. Why not? Well, we’re saved by grace not works. Not for the least of reasons that if we got there by works we’d be up there bragging at all times about what had done to get there. For we are God’s work of art. We can look at so many little things that God has prepared us for, but it’s usually hindsight being 20/20.

The Ephesians were mostly Gentiles, non Jews, uncircumcised for the most part. But God didn’t come to create a greater divide, but to help mend the divide between God and people, and indirectly between the believers of the new covenant and the Jews. Ironically, it was the Jews that basically started it, the had great enmity towards the Gentile Church, which Paul is condemning here in chapter two. Why so? Well, we’ve all go the same foundation: God the Father.